RPGs are among some of the most beloved and successful video games in history. They're also some of the most critically acclaimed, with titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim considered among the best video games of all time.
With Pokémon Legends: Arceus, The Pokémon Company is experimenting with RPG elements more than ever before. Previous games in the franchise incorporated certain RPG qualities, but the Legends series goes one step further, including various features that players have come to expect from their favorite RPGs.
Open-World Exploration
Open worlds in Pokémon games always came with an asterisk. Most of the time, players could freely explore whatever city or town they visited. However, there was always a clear-cut path throughout the game. Players knew which gym was first and which was last. Furthermore, the recent games had a significant amount of hand-holding, something veteran fans resented.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus promises an actual open world. The nature of the game's plot means that players will have the freedom to choose their own paths instead of following the Gym system that permeates through even the best games in the Pokémon franchise.
Base Camp
The first trailer for Legends: Arceus mentions a "certain village" that "bustles with the comings and goings of people." The newest trailer confirms it to be Jubilife Village, which players will recognize as the basis for Sinnoh's largest city, also named Jubilife.
In Legends: Arceus, players will use Jubilife Village as their base of operations. This choice marks a significant departure from previous Pokémon games, where players traveled around an entire region without ever needing to return to a particular post. Having a base camp is common in RPGs; Baldur's Gate, for example, has Athkatla, while Dragon Age: Inquisition has Skyhold.
Mounts
Some of the best video games have horses. Other ride-able animals can also include deer, bears, and even dragons. Mounts make traveling easier and add an extra layer of fantasy to any adventure.
Pokémon toyed with the concept of rideable mons in recent entries. The Let's Go games even featured a myriad of rideable Pokémon, including Arcanine, Dragonite, and Charizard. However, the feature was somewhat limited in its use. Legends: Arceus's newest addition, Wyrdeer, seems to be the Pokémon world equivalent to a mount. Indeed, the trailer shows the female character, Rei, traversing the open field atop a Wyrdeer. There might not be other mount-like Pokémon, but Wyrdeer is worthy enough of being the only one in the game.
Player Characters Can Be Hurt, Too
One of the biggest takeaways from the recent Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer is that players can be hurt, too. Previously, only the player's Pokémon could faint because most of the action depended on Pokémon battles. Legends: Arceus shifts this dynamic: wild Pokémon can also harm humans and even knock them out. Furthermore, the game's website reveals that humans will also suffer damage after falling from high places.
RPGs, and every game, for that matter, have always featured their main characters suffering damage. However, this element is new for Pokémon and will surely make things a tad more troublesome.
"Real-Time" Battles
As previously mentioned, Pokémon battles are the franchise's bread and butter. They are crucial to almost every Pokémon game in existence, although there are notable exceptions, like the behavior-centric New Pokémon Snap. In previous games, each Pokémon got one move per turn, and their Speed stat determined which moved first. Furthermore, battles had their own screen, and there was a noticeable transition between the game's "real world" and the "battle world."
However, in Legends: Arceus, battles begin seamlessly as soon as a player engages a wild Pokémon and take place in "real-time." This approach allows certain Pokémon to attack multiple times in a row, depending on their stats. Most action RPGs follow a similar dynamic with their battles. Indeed, many of the most dangerous enemies are so powerful that they get to attack multiple times in a row and even perform combos.
Quests
Nearly every RPG has multiple quests during their playthroughs. Some are necessary for the main story to progress, while others are side missions that players could skip. All of these quests contribute to the overall gaming experience and enhance the open-world aspect of the games.
Previous Pokémon games toyed with the idea of quests but never exploited them. Legends: Arceus changes this and features "Requests" necessary to complete the region's PokéDex. Catching Pokémon won't be enough to fill the dex, and these Requests will contribute to the Galaxy Expedition Team's understanding of Pokémon. Moreover, the trailer hints that other NPCs could also ask the player to fulfill some of these Requests.
Quest Chains
As previously mentioned, players will need to fulfill Requests and assignments to complete the Pokédex. Therefore, it's safe to guess that several assignments will be necessary to complete the entry for some Pokémon, especially the more elusive or powerful ones.
Quest chains are another trademark of RPGs. Many of the most famous RPGs, from Mass Effect to Assassin's Creed, feature long and, at times, convoluted quest chains that take players around every corner of the games' sprawling worlds.
Crafting
RPGs offer players the materials necessary for crafting things like weapons, armor, and even clothing, among others. These components--wood, metal, precious stones, and several types of cloths--usually come from nature, meaning there's an endless supply.
In previous Pokémon games, players could only get items by purchasing them. Sometimes, NPC also gave them away. Legends: Arceus will include crafting in its storyline. Players will need to gather elements and craft items from them. For example, a PokéBall comes from combining a tumblestone with an Apricorn.
Stealth
Stealth will play a significant role in Legends: Arceus. Because the main purpose of the game is to complete the Pokédex, players will need to observe and analyze Pokémon's behavior. Some Pokémon, however, will run away if they see a human approaching, so players will need to hide behind tall grass to observe and catch them.
Many of the best RPGs incorporate stealth into their gameplay. The widely divisive Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn, and the Deus Ex franchise are some of the many games that feature stealth mods, cementing this feature as a favorite of RPGs.