Leaks suggest that the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be the most difficult game in the franchise to date. The upcoming monster collection game will forgo the series' typical top-down two-dimensional world in favor of a completely three-dimensional open-world experience. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will also change the series' battle system, leading to a uniquely immersive Pokémon experience.
While the game is not expected to launch until January 2022, a great deal of information is already known about Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The beloved franchise's first truly open-world installment will take place within the Hisui region, a version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's Sinnoh region from the distant past. This vast and ancient setting ties directly into the game's mechanics, as Pokémon Trainers do not yet exist and the player instead controls an explorer who must investigate Hisui's wild Pokémon. Many Pokémon will possess new Hisuian variants in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, to illustrate the unique nature of the region. In addition, several new role-playing elements will be introduced to Pokémon Legends: Arceus to let players immerse themselves in the new setting.
According to Dexerto, recent leaks suggest that Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be the franchise's most difficult installment yet. The leaks explain that players will have very limited inventory space in Legends: Arceus, often forcing them to choose which items to carry and which to leave behind. This would serve as a big departure from previous Pokémon games, which generally allow players to carry whatever items they want without any restrictive limits on inventory space. Restricting the amount of equipment players can carry will force them to think ahead, as they may otherwise find themselves in a tough situation without optimal tools for the job.
This proposed inventory system will also likely tie into Pokémon Legends: Arceus's important crafting system. Part of the game's emphasis on open-world role-play will be the ability to forage for resources, which can be collected and used to craft new useful items. The franchise's iconic spherical waiting room, the Pokéball, will apparently be crafted by players themselves by collecting Apricorns and Tumblestones. It is likely that other essential tools for survival will be crafted by the player, rather than simply bought or found, so players will be encouraged to thoroughly explore the Hisui region for supplies.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set to maintain the series' staples while also taking gameplay in a brand-new direction. An open-world structure will allow players to tackle tasks from multiple different directions, and limited inventory space will force players to think ahead about their choices. Without an endless backpack filled with equipment, players will be forced to really think about their strategies and objectives in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus will release on January 28, 2022, for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Dexerto