A fan recently posted some impressive Hisui alternate forms for the three starter Pokémon’s middle evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Set in a relatively unexplored ancient period in the Pokémon franchise’s timeline, Pokémon Legends: Arceus will feature never-before-seen alternate versions of classic Pokémon like Voltorb, Growlithe, and Zoroark. Even the standard variations of Nintendo's ever-growing assortment of collectible pocket monsters will appear different in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, such as Arceus’s version of Machoke towering over the humans it comes across, making the already imposing Pokémon a much more intimidating presence than modern Pokémon trainers are accustomed to. Changes like these reinforce how vastly different the setting was in the past and set it apart from its predecessors, which are set in the modern day.
As is the case with most mainline Pokémon games, players of Pokémon Legends: Arceus will have a choice between three different starter Pokémon at the beginning of Pokémon Legends: Arceus - the fiery Cyndaquil, water-powered Oshawatt, and grass-themed Rowlet. All three of them have been featured as starters in past Pokémon games, though none of them debuted in the same title. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is giving them brand-new Hisui forms for the final stages of their evolutionary lines. These variants were leaked online before their official unveiling earlier this week, with the Hisuian version of Cyndaquil's Typhlosion being the subject of online ribbing due to its relatively low-key appearance in comparison to the flame-ridden creature fans are used to. Still, some players have been left wondering why only the starter trio’s final evolutions have been altered for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Reddit user CompoteLoose recently shared some fan images they drew of what the second stage Hisuian forms for Pokémon Legends: Arceus would look like to r/pokemon. These drawings, which can be viewed on Imgur, consist of a blue-flamed version of Quilava, a spikier and more martial arts-themed variant of Dewott, and a samurai-like take on Dartrix. CompoteLoose mentions that they found the sudden transition from the transitional versions of these second-stage Pokémon to their final Hisui forms to be jarring, and designed these new versions to better bridge the gap between their beginning stages and the end of their evolutionary lines. Many Redditors in the comment section find themselves agreeing with this sentiment, and wish that CompoteLoose’s redesigns were actually going to be included in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Aside from offering up exciting new versions of familiar Pokémon, Arceus promises to take the long-running Pokémon franchise in new directions by telling a prequel story of a traveling Pokémon trainer working to create the world’s first Pokedex. Early reviews for Pokémon Legends: Arceus have been positive so far, with critics praising the game for bringing interesting new concepts to the tried-and-true monster-collecting formula of past Pokémon entries - even as some note that Arceus can be quite slow in its opening hours.
CompoteLoose’s fan-made Hisuian forms for Quilava, Dewott, and Dartrix won’t be featured in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but they are well-designed and do blend well with the official Hisuian versions of Typhlosion, Samurott, and Decidueye. Players will be able to encounter these final versions of the three starter Pokémon along with many other Hisuian forms when Pokémon Legends: Arceus finally launches on the Nintendo Switch later this week.
Source: CompoteLoose/Reddit, Imgur