Pokémon Presents has just ended and though it started out with the previously announced Pokémon Snap, it concluded with a bang as they announced two new games. The first is one we’ve all been waiting for, the long-rumored remake of Diamond and Pearl called Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. These games, developed by ILCA Inc, will release later this year. Honestly speaking, while I am excited to revisit those games once more, the transition to 3D graphics in this remake is not entirely great in my opinion. Though we still have a few months until they launch so we will have to wait and see how they look by the time they release.
Then there is Pokémon Legends: Arceus from GameFreak. Legends takes players back to the Sinnoh of old, with Mt. Coronet towering over the area. Just like in Sword and Shield and Let’s Go before it, Pokémon in this game will roam around freely. The starters are a mixture of Pokémon from across the generations: Rowlet from Generation VII, Cyndaquil from Generation II, and Oshawott from Generation V. The whole visual aesthetic of the games has changed too. Considering it’s an older storyline, the costumes characters wear and towns they explore are more reminiscent of old Asian culture. And, unlike previous games where you are trying to play to complete the Pokédex, in Legends, you will work to create the first Sinnoh Pokédex. From what was said in the announcement video, it seems that instead of traveling from city to city, you will have one main town surrounded by vast areas of open land full of Pokémon to capture, train and battle.
One key difference to gameplay is that you don’t have to engage in combat to capture a pokemon. While turn-based combat is still an option, when in the open world you can choose to simply throw a Pokéball at a wild Pokémon to try to capture it. And lastly, as the title suggests, the game’s mythical Pokémon is Arceus, though we don’t know much else past that.
It seems after listening to all the complaints from players about how Sword and Shield didn’t bring anything new to the Pokémon series, GameFreak has decided to answer with Legends. The game looks to be a significant redesign for the series, much in the way Breath of the Wild was for The Legend of Zelda. Pokémon Legends Arceus launches worldwide in early 2022.
