Pokemon Legends: Arceus launches for Nintendo Switch in early 2022
Today's Pokemon Presents delivered a lot of interesting news worthy of the series' 25th anniversary. In addition to the Gen 4 remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, The Pokemon Company also revealed a brand-new game titled Pokemon Legends: Arceus, currently under development internally by Game Freak.
While the mainline Pokemon games generally took place in the modern era, Pokemon Legends: Arceus will happen in the past with medieval Japanese-style buildings and attires. You will explore the then-mostly natural Sinnoh with a task to compile the first-ever Pokedex in the region.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will have a new gameplay system that looks like an Open World game. You can catch a wild Pokemon by sneaking up and throwing a Poke Ball from a distance. You can also seamlessly initiate battles by throwing one of your Pokemon right nearby a wild one.
The Professor in this game will have gathered various Pokemon from other regions, so you will be given a unique selection of starter Pokemon:
- Rowlet from the Alola region (where Sun & Moon took place)
- Cyndaquil from the Johto region (where Gold & Silver took place)
- Oshawott from the Unova region (where Black & White took place)
Find the official trailer and screenshots for Pokemon Legends: Arceus right below. The new game will be released for Nintendo Switch in early 2022 simultaneously worldwide.
The fun of exploring while catching Pokémon and filling in a Pokédex has always been a core part of the Pokémon video game series. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was developed with the desire to deliver an experience infused with new action and RPG elements that go beyond the framework established thus far, while honoring the core gameplay of past Pokémon titles.
As Trainers explore the natural expanses in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, they’ll encounter Pokémon that call these grand vistas home. To catch wild Pokémon, players can study the Pokémon’s behaviors, sneak up to them, then throw Poké Balls. Players can also battle wild Pokémon with their ally Pokémon. By throwing the Poké Ball holding their ally Pokémon near a wild Pokémon, players will seamlessly enter battle. This new gameplay angle is intended to provide Trainers with an immersive experience.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus brings Trainers to the vast Sinnoh region as it existed in the past, long before the setting for Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl was established. Rich in nature and with Mount Coronet towering at its heart, this is a Sinnoh unlike anything Trainers have experienced before as they embark to create the region’s first Pokédex.
As they start off on their adventure, Trainers will be able to choose either Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott as their first partner Pokémon. These three Pokémon arrived with a Pokémon Professor, who encountered them on research excursions to various regions.
