Ever since its announcement, many have compared the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it actually has much more similarities with the Monster Hunter series. At first, fans were ecstatic about the concept of an open-world Pokémon game and likened it to BOTW based on visuals and the many traversal options that it's been teasing, but it's becoming increasingly clear that this is not an accurate statement. It would appear that Legends: Arceus will have far more in common with Monster Hunter than BOTW, although this may change as more information about it is released.
In Monster Hunter, players take on the mantle of a warrior looking to beat back the wild beasts of their world. Although Legends: Arceus' Alpha Pokémon hardly compare to a rampaging Rathalos, players will still face similar raging monsters. Hunters use equipment made from the body parts of these monsters and fulfill requests from the gentle villagers just trying to eke out a living from nearby giant lizards and insects. In Legends: Arceus, players will take on a much calmer approach, studying the various Pokémon that roam Hisui instead of slaying them, and presumably not using their hides or claws to make giant swords.
Although the premises for Pokémon and Monster Hunter are vastly different, Legends: Arceus' segmented landscape, journal-like Pokédex, and requests from the Galaxy Team all come together to draw very interesting comparisons between the two. Everything about the game won't be known until it's released, but so far, the similarities between the two are undeniable. Fans of Monster Hunter and BOTW alike may want to take another look at the trailers and gameplay footage, and maybe consider pre-ordering Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
How Is Pokémon Legends: Arceus Like Monster Hunter?
In Monster Hunter, the goal of every game is to slay monsters. Players use the body parts of the monsters they kill in order to make better gear, which in turn helps them kill stronger monsters. Killing the cute and cuddly creatures of Pokémon is something that has been inconceivable in the games, so it might seem like they're completely different. However, the gameplay loop that Monster Hunter is famous for may indeed be present in some form in Legends: Arceus. The Pokédex is already shown to be a major part of the game, so fans may find themselves catching and battling Pokémon in order to study them, and then using them to catch and battle stronger Pokémon, in a less-gruesome version of Monster Hunter.
In Legends: Arceus, the player's base of operations will be Jubilife Village. Unlike BOTW, Pokémon Legends: Arceus fans will have everything they need in one place, instead of everything being scattered across various settlements. They will work for the Galaxy Team and fulfill their missions to learn more about the various Pokémon of Hisui, much in the same way that Monster Hunter players fulfill requests from townsfolk to kill certain monsters. Whether or not they will fail these missions after being knocked out three times remains to be seen, but it is a possibility given the fact that Pokémon will attack players directly.
Monster Hunter's world also isn't completely open. It's divided into different sections, much like Legends: Arceus was revealed to be. Compared to BOTW's completely open environment, it's a stark contrast, one that paints a picture much more like Monster Hunter. Although the traversal options set it apart, the fact remains that Pokémon Legends: Arceus has more and more similarities with Monster Hunter the closer it gets to release.