Pokémon Legends: Arceus departed from the franchise’s norms in many ways, introducing a host of changes, mechanical additions, and new features to a formulaic series. When Nintendo announced Pokémon Legends: Arceus as the first open-world Pokémon game that seemed to resemble Breath of the Wild, anticipation was high. As time went on, public opinion shifted based on graphical fidelity and the discovery that the game wouldn’t encompass a fully open world. Thankfully, Pokémon Legends: Arceus leaks cemented its position as a revolutionary Pokémon game and unveiled dozens of new mechanics that promised a new way to experience the Pokémon world. Its many hours of content bodes well for Pokémon’s future and may attract new players to the franchise.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place in ancient Sinnoh, when the region remains unsettled and extremely dangerous. Players join the Galaxy Expedition Team as a member of the Survey Corps to earn their keep in Jubilife Village, assisting villagers, professors, fellow Galaxy Team members, and the native tribes with independent requests and challenges. Along the way, players can battle Legends: Arcues’ Noble Pokémon and Alpha Pokémon located throughout the wilds. Additionally, players can explore on the backs of friendly, recruited creatures to traverse dangerous territories and face new threats. As Legends: Arceus’ story progresses, the player character works alongside the Diamond and Pearl Clans, as well as the Galaxy Expedition Team, to unravel the mysteries of the time-space distortions and why Arceus sent them back in time.
Though fans initially believed Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a spin-off game, Nintendo recently confirmed it as a core entry to the franchise. It’s unknown if this means Game Freak intends to cement many of these changes to the mainline Pokémon games, but given the game’s positive reception, it’s likely some changes are here to stay. Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced several systems fans have requested for years, and the game’s sales reflect that.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Introduced Free-Roaming
The most anticipated change with Pokémon Legends: Arceus mirrors Monster Hunter’s free-roaming experience. Players can embark from Jubilife Village and choose different areas to explore, completing missions or filling out the Pokédex with hundreds of unique entries. Players can use their party to collect resources from rocks, trees, leaf piles, and more, incorporating many RPG mechanics into the gameplay loop. NPCs and unique Pokémon spawns are scattered throughout the Hisui region, supplying countless tasks to complete throughout the six available areas. In addition, each site contains a different environment with its biome providing a home to related Pokémon species and types. As a result, Pokémon Legends: Arceus gives players an unfiltered view of Pokémons’ natural habitats and behaviors.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Is A Prequel In Every Way
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the mainline series’ first prequel, taking place hundreds of years before Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Due to the game’s setting, players are privy to limited technology and civilization. While the Sinnoh region once featured over a dozen settled towns and cities, the only occupied territory that players can regularly access in Legends: Arceus is Jubilife Village. Additionally, features like the Pokédex, usually handheld computers or tablets, are reverted to notebooks with handwritten notes and information documented for various species. Stores and vendors have a limited supply that can only be expanded by accomplishing specific tasks. Alternatively, players can collect resources and craft their items without paying for them. Pokémon Legends: Arceus also features many ancestors to characters from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, like Professor Rowan, Cyrus, Cynthia, and more.
There Is No Pokémon League Or Regular Trainer Battles In Legends: Arceus
Unlike other Pokémon games, Pokémon Legends: Arceus doesn’t feature Gym battles, Gym Leaders, or a Pokémon League to conquer. This vastly changes the players’ mindset while exploring and removes the emphasis from battling and leveling up. Instead, Pokémon Legends: Arceus encourages players to explore the territory and learn all there is to know about Hisui. Instead of battling Gym Leaders, players are asked to battle Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Wardens to prove themselves worthy. Additionally, the Galaxy Expedition Team judges how much progress the player has made by how many research points and levels they accrue, rewarding a Star Rank that increases a Pokémon’s obedience level and improves rewards.
Legends: Arceus Changed Capturing & Battling Pokémon
Previous mainline Pokémon games forced players to enter battle with wild monsters to capture them or gain experience. Thankfully, there are many more methods to interact with Pokémon and improve battles. Instead of restricting wild spawns to tall grass, Pokémon Legends: Arceus uses tall grass as cover for stealth mechanics. Players can sneak up on skittish or aggressive species and throw Poké Balls without entering combat. Berries and other items can also increase the catch rate of different species. Alternatively, Legends: Arceus allows players to battle every Pokémon they see but changes the standard combat format. Pokémon can use two Combat Styles once they’ve mastered moves: Agile Style or Strong Style, which increases the PP used in exchange for enhanced speed or power. Combat Styles and personal stats increase the likelihood of a monster going twice in a row.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Finally Fixed Evolution & Movesets
Many Pokémon have unique evolution requirements and need certain conditions to obtain various forms. Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes this process infinitely simpler by making evolution a manual process, allowing monsters to learn more moves before evolving and removing the need for Everstones or constant B-button mashing. Legends: Arceus also allows players to freely modify their Pokémon’s movesets, eliminating the need to choose one power over another and equipping monsters with a flexible arsenal.
Legends: Arceus Changes The Story Formula & Adds Side Quests
Most Pokémon games begin with players in a quaint hometown before choosing their starter and embarking on their Pokémon League adventure with their rivals. On the way, players face evil organizations like Team Rocket, Team Galactic, Team Aqua, or Team Magma. Thankfully, Pokémon Legends: Arceus abandons this narrative formula. At the beginning of the game, the player character is sent back in time by Arceus and told to catch every Pokémon. Additionally, players are given opportunities to complete tasks unrelated to the main story, finally introducing side quests into the franchise. Players are rewarded for their many completed tasks and have more flexibility concerning story progression.
While it’s unknown how Game Freak and Nintendo will proceed with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and if the mainline games will adopt a similar formula to the free-roaming prequel, its success could likely impart some serious changes on future Pokémon games. Many changes improve the game’s formula and gameplay loop while avoiding repetitive errors introduced by traditional mainline Pokémon games. In addition, the increased in-game freedom encourages more creative playstyles and enables players to make their adventure unique instead of following the franchise’s repetitive formula. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is now available exclusively for Nintendo Switch.