Happy 25 years Pokémon! Has it really been 25 years since I hunched over my Gameboy trying to catch the light from the screen? Indeed it has and a lot has changed since then. 3D characters, animated movies, Post Malone for some reason and now the open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Sword and Shield changed the way we played Pokémon with the introduction of the Wild Area. This time everywhere is going to be like that. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be the franchise’s open-world title, transporting players back in time to the feudal period of the Sinnoh region. Even though the game is only launching on the Switch early next year, it’s still not too soon to start thinking about it! What open-world mechanics will there be? How will catching and battles work? And most importantly what do you want to see in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Join us as we go through everything we’d love to see come to Pokémon Legends: Arceus!
We Want Pokémon Everywhere!
I’m talking about the utopia of Pokémon and humans in the city and in the wild. I want to see Pokémon everywhere! Think of Ryme City from the Detective Pikachu movie. I mean we’ll definitely still have Pokémon Trainers but I’d love to see Pokémon and humans working side by side in the city. A Power Plant powered by Magnemites and Magnetons. Or a Muk in the sewage system. There’s so many ways for this world to come alive with Pokémon!
The real success of Breath of the Wild was its sprawling landscapes, littered with surprises around every corner. Special moments with hidden Pokémon. There could be roaming legendaries, hidden coves, the day and night and weather cycles feeling more natural. I really enjoyed the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield but the weather cycles felt a bit random and forced.
Developed NPCs & Side Quests
One of the places that Pokémon games don’t really shine is in their story. It’s alright and I understand why it had to be linear in the previous games. But in this case to emphasise on the open-world mechanics of the game they’d be able to introduce more NPCs and side quests.
Think Witcher 3 where we get lost in a certain side story that teaches us more about the area, history or even person in a town. It’s a wonderful feeling in an RPG and it’s something that would blend seemlessly in an open-world Pokémon game. I mean I’d like to know more about the Ball Guy in Pokémon Sword and Shield, I’m convinced he has a sinister backstory! Either that or he’s one Pokéball away from selling you on a pyramid scheme.
Multiplayer
Pokémon has done well introducing multiplayer aspects in their games. But it is fairly limited to boss battles and trading. While this multiplayer function isn’t a necessity for the Pokémon Legends: Arceus experience, it is an added bonus for us fans. And it gives the game some differentiating factors to the other open-world titles out there.
Going on an adventure with a buddy changes the experience of the single-player open-world game; in a good way. And Pokémon is a game that is uniquely placed to do this. The main thing is that the franchise has history and people that grew up with Pokémon can now recapture their youth with their friends, partners and even children! It’ll really be an amazing way to celebrate how far this game has come.
Multiplayer could be anything from travelling the world together, online multiplayer trainer battles or even specific spaces where people can come and visit and compete together. Not unlike Animal Crossing: New Horizons where you can visit and island and compete in let’s say a Pokémon catching competition.
A Museum Instead Of A Pokédex?
There is apparently now Pokédex in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Because we’re in historical Sinnoh the Pokédex has apparently has not been invented yet.
I personally enjoy the collection mechanic and nothing makes me more proud than filling up my Pokédex. Without this however it would make sense to replace it with a sort of museum or facility where we could contribute Pokémon to be databased. Ideally collecting data for the first Pokédex. It would be fun to explore a place where all the holograms or images of the Pokémon are documented.
