When Pokemon Legends: Arceus was first revealed, it showed off an open-world style of gameplay building on the Wild Area concept introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. This world is set in a feudal era of the Sinnoh Region, which some have speculated to be inspired by late 1800s to early 1900s Japan. With little other information to go off of, fans have come up with many burning questions concerning Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and one of the most discussed questions is which Pokemon will be excluded from the game.
Touted by developer Game Freak as a "premake" to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks tradition in the franchise by featuring starter Pokemon from three different generations. But the game also predates much of the familiar technological advances Pokemon trainers take advantage of, such as a digital Pokedex or Pokemon Centers. This feudal era's limited knowledge of technology is the primary catalyst for speculation among fans, as there are many Pokemon in the series directly influenced by modern technology.
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Contributing to this discussion, Reddit user piggymon10 recently uploaded a graphic that shows several Pokemon that could be absent in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Present in the graphic are electric types like Voltorb and Magnemite, the trash bag Pokemon Trubbish, Mewtwo, and many other Pokemon. Though the reasoning behind placement on this graphic is harder to tell for some Pokemon than others, it mainly boils down to a certain Pokemon's age and how it was created.
For instance, the Plasma Pokemon Rotom and all five of its forms have made it on the graphic. Rotom is said to be a modern invention and not a naturally occurring wild Pokemon. Mythical Pokemon Genesect also makes the list, likely because it was created from a technologically enhanced fossil by Team Plasma. However, some fans have wondered if the original fossil form used to create Genesect could appear in the game.
Other Pokemon in the graphic are put in a "maybe" category, such as Claydol, Mimikyu, and the trio of Legendary beast Pokemon from Gen 2. These Pokemon have specific backgrounds that may or may not cause them to exist during Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Of course, this graphic has also drawn plenty of disagreements. Some fans have pointed out that Magnemite is ancient and has existed for thousands of years, while Banette could exist in an early form without a zipper for a mouth.
With plenty of time until Pokemon Legends: Arceus' release in 2022, Game Freak will probably reveal more about Pokemon present in the feudal Sinnoh region. For now, an extended Pokemon Presents premiering tomorrow should shed some more light on details from the game as well as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.
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