The Pokemon Company has finally showcased more footage of Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon: Shining Pearl, as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the next major title in the long-running franchise to be helmed by lead series developer Game Freak. Both titles were announced last February at the Pokemon Presents showcase, with it later being confirmed that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl would release in November 2021, with Pokemon Legends: Arceus coming in January 2022. Now, five months ahead of launch, Game Freak has detailed what is likely to be the most ambitious Pokemon game ever made.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the first main installment in the Pokemon series since 2019's Pokemon Sword and Shield, entries that heavily divided the fanbase due to its lack of series staples such as the Regional Pokedex, and visuals that were more on par with the Nintendo 3DS entries than what many expected from the first major Nintendo Switch title. Following this, it seems that Game Freak took fans' criticisms to heart, as Pokemon Legends: Arceus seems to be the biggest leap forward for the series since 2013's Pokemon X and Y, which was the first 3D title in the series. Legends: Areceus is the franchise's first action-RPG installment, being set in a seamless open-world heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
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The newest trailer for the game showcases the massive open-world, which seems to be a direct evolution of Sword and Shield's Wild Area, an open area of the game's map which included all types of Pokemon roaming, regardless of the player's level. Legends seems to also be ditching the random encounters of past titles, as the game's trailer showcases Pokemon from the series' 25 year history roaming the region of Hisui region. For fans of the Pokemon universe's lore, the Hisui region would later be known as the Sinnoh region. The game is a prequel to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, set hundred of years before the titles, as the players are tasked with creating the region's first Pokedex. The trailer also reveals that battles will take place directly on the game's map, be it on land or at sea, and hints at the game's revamped battle system.
Game Freak has also revealed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus' starters will be composed of creatures from the series' past, as opposed to three new Pokemon. The starters include Sun and Moon's Rowlet, Gold and Silver's Cyndaquil, and Oshawatt from Black and White. In fact, it seems that most of the game's Pokedex will be composed of creatures from the franchise's past, however there will be some new monsters as well.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will release exclusively on Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.
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