The Pokémon Company recently 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).
Related: The best upcoming Nintendo Switch games
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.
Related: The best RPGs for the Nintendo Switch
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. 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.
When does the game come out?
The Pokémon Company would only commit to an “early 2022” release for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Other than that, there is no solid info.
Usually, we would look to past releases to get an idea of when we might expect new entries. However, the most recent tentpole Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch (Sword and Shield) launched in November 2019. As such, that doesn’t really give us any hints on when we can expect this new game.
For now, we’ll just need to settle with “early 2022.”
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. However, it’s very likely there will also be new Pokémon to find that we’ve never seen before.
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 a 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!
