In honor ofPokemon’s25th anniversary, the Pokemon Company had quite a few announcements recently. In early 2022,Pokemon Legends: Arceuswill be coming to the Nintendo Switch, and it looks like it could be a big step towards the gamePokemonfans dream of.
What setsPokemon Legends: Arceusapart is that it’s going to be an open-world RPG, something fans have consistently been asking for in the past several years. WhilePokemonhas consistently released entertaining games for the past 25 years, it hasn’t branched out very much and has yet to offer fans an open world where they can hunt and catch Pokemon in the wild.
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus Is the First Pokemon Open-World RPG
The only thing that comes close to an open-worldPokemongame is theWild Area featured inPokemon Sword and Shield.This was a fairly large open area in the Galar region that allowed players to explore a wide range of landscapes and catch Pokemon, but it’s not a fully realized open-world game. On the other hand,Pokemon Legends: Arceusdoesn’t look like it has any of that. In this world, Pokemon trainers are a completely new concept, gym leaders don’t exist, and the game may not even have a multiplayer element like its predecessors. That means its focus has to be entirely different and go beyond what Game Freak accomplished withSword and Shield.
Set in the Sinnoh region before Pokemon training existed, a professor comes to town and tasks the player with hunting and catching all of the Pokemon in the wild to compile the region’s very first Pokedex. Pokeballs are still used to catch the creatures and players can fight alongside their Pokemon allies to capture new ones, but a wholegame designed for exploringa vast world to hunt and catch Pokemon in their natural habitats will be a completely new experience for fans.
For a premise that lends itself to open-world gameplay so easily, it’s surprising that it’s taken The Pokemon Company so long to release a game like this. Its games have always sold well and are enjoyable, but the formula has never really changed.Pokemon Legends: Arceusis a turning point that will hopefully breathe new life and innovation into future games. Considering thatPokemon is celebrating its 25th anniversary, it’s time for a glowup.
Pokemon Legends: Arceustakes place in the Sinnoh region, thesame location as thePokemon Diamond and Pearlgames (both of which are getting a remake asBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl). Sinnoh is just one of eight regions that have appeared in all the majorPokemongames, though. IfPokemon Legendsis meant to be a new series of games, the major regions of Alola, Galar, Hoenn, Johto, Kalos, Kanto, and Unova might each have a shot at their own open-world RPG.
Each region also has its own population of legendary Pokemon to center the story around, so there are a lot of possibilities here. Admittedly, The Pokemon Company may have chosen the best one right off the bat—it’s hard to topArceus, the god of Pokemonand the creator of the world—but it’s a direction that could be explored. The announcement didn’t specify ifPokemon Legends: Arceuswas going to be a standalone game or if there’s going to be a series of games under thePokemon Legendsbanner, but anything is possible.
IfPokemon Legends: Arceusis a standalone title in thePokemonfranchise, it may still open the doors to bigger open-world games down the line. For years, players have expressed a desire for an all-encompassingopen-worldPokemonRPGthat includes all eight regions, and of course, all the Pokemon that call those regions home. Having every region open to players in one game would not only constitute a massive and immersive gaming experience, but it would also give new meaning to thePokemoncatchphrase, “Gotta catch ‘em all.” The way the current series stands, nogame includes every existing Pokemon. It’s certainly an ambitious request, and skeptics have already expressed concern about Game Freak’s ability to pull off its first open-world RPG, but Arceus could be the first step towards that dream game.
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus Has Unique Narrative Potential
The other interesting and unique element ofPokemon Legends: Arceusis the story that will hopefully come with it. The game takes place in the distant past, long before Pokemon schools and trainers existed. This is exciting because it’s new and different compared to any otherPokemongame, but also because of the storytelling and world-building potential. Fans know a lot about the current world ofPokemon, but decidedly less about the origins of catching and training them. More developed narratives have also been on fans’ wish lists for a long time. While it’s too soon to tell if this new game will go in that direction, the groundwork is definitely there.
ThePokemonfranchise has told some very memorable stories and each generation of games has a distinct plot, but the games have never changed the formula in a dramatic way. In contrast, thePokemon Legends: Arceustrailer hints at a much larger story that could shape thelore of thePokemonuniverse. Arceus, the legendary Pokemon who formed everything in the world, is connected to the player’s journey in a mysterious way that has yet to be revealed. Arceus wasn’t shown in gameplay, but as the namesake of the game, his role is sure to be critical to the story regardless of the scale.
Legendary Pokemon have been featured many times in the franchise’s history, but Arceus is the first to get his own game. Considering who Arceus is and the mythology associated with him,Pokemon Legends: Arceuscould be about much more than just collecting Pokemon and compiling a Pokedex. In addition to being thefirst open-worldPokemongame,Pokemon Legends: Arceuscould be the franchise’s first fully realized narrative.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis still a mysterious game with lots of unknown details, but it’s the breath of fresh air many fans need. If the game is successful, it will expand the world ofPokemonand deepen the lore, which will have an impact onPokemongames for years to come.
Pokemon Legends: Arceuswill release on Nintendo Switch sometime in early 2022.
