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Pokémon Legends: Arceus for Switch announced — Here's what you need to know
In February this year, The Pokémon Company announced its roster of new games. The most exciting new title revealed is called Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This brand new game acts as a prequel to the Diamond and Pearl entries in the franchise (which are also getting remakes for the Nintendo Switch).
Most importantly, the game appears to be an open-world adventure. It seems that it will take the semi-open-world aspects of Pokémon Sword and Shield and push them to the next level.
Below, you’ll find everything we know so far about Pokémon Legends: Arceus! Be sure to bookmark this page and visit often as we will update it with new info as it comes out.
What is Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a Nintendo Switch exclusive title within the Pokémon franchise. Chronologically, it takes place many years before the events of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which originally launched on the Nintendo DS in 2006.
It also takes place in the same region as those games (Sinnoh). However, the area will look very different since this all takes place such a long time before Diamond and Pearl. In fact, it takes place long before ideas such as being a Pokémon Trainer or having a Pokémon League even existed.
The most significant aspect of this game is that it should allow you to roam around the map with little restriction. According to The Pokémon Company, players will be able to seamlessly enter battles as well as observe wild Pokémon in their natural habitats.
While there is no claim that Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a true “open-world” game, it does appear to call back quite a lot to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The gameplay in the trailer above (and even the soundtrack) harkens back to Breath of the Wild significantly. That game is one of the most successful in Nintendo history, and it is very much an open-world adventure. As such, it’s very likely that this new Pokémon game could be the most open-world-esque adventure yet for the franchise.
In a more recent gameplay trailer, it shows that players will have to sometimes battle against more aggressive Pokémon in order to actually capture them in the wild.
When does the game come out?
The Pokémon Company committed to a January 28, 2022 release for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This should make it the first high-profile Switch release of that year.
Keep in mind that it is very likely Nintendo would launch a “Pro” version of the Switch console in 2021. Therefore, it’s possible this game could take advantage of the expected increase in power to come with that model. However, it is very unlikely that the game wouldn’t also work on the regular Switch and Switch Lite.
If you’re super keen on getting this game, you can already pre-order it at the link below.
Will there be new/classic Pokémon?
There will definitely be plenty of classic Pokémon to discover in this game. Keep in mind that this game takes place years before becoming a Pokémon Trainer was even a thing. Therefore, it only makes sense that you should be one of the first to discover many classic iterations of Pokémon.
You can also look to the Sinnoh region as it is presented in Diamond and Pearl for hints on what kinds of Pokémon you’ll likely find in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In a recent trailer for the game some all-new Pokémon were shown in the wild. They include Wyrdeer, the water-ghost Basculegion, the flying Hisuian Braviary, and Hisuian Growlithe.
What starters are in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
The Pokémon Company confirmed that you start with Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The Pokémon come to you via an unnamed Pokémon Professor who encountered them on research excursions to various regions.
As one would expect, you will be able to use these ally Pokémon to battle while out in the wild.
That’s everything we know so far about Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Stay tuned for more info as we get closer to the launch date!