Recently during the Pokémon presentation for the 25th anniversary, Game Freak pulled back the curtain on their most recent title in the Pokémon series. Pokémon Legends Arceus is a seemingly open-world styled RPG that will place players in a Sinnoh of the past where they will be tasked with filling out the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex.

Pokémon is one of my all-time favorite video game franchises, having started with Pokémon Sapphire in my childhood before going back to play Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Gold. From that point on, I was hooked, proceeding to play every generation as they released. From the colorful creatures to the now iconic regions the games take place in, Pokémon has properly edged itself deep into my psyche. I say all of this to make it known that Pokémon is quite important to me and why after all these years of playing, Pokémon Legends Arceus could be the most important game in the entire series.

A Breath of Fresh Air for Pokémon

Female Trainer sneaking upon some Shinx

It’s no secret that Pokémon has stuck to a rigid and established formula that Pokémon Red and Blue set up twenty-five years ago. The gameplay, while still being enjoyable, hasn’t truly evolved in quite some time, instead adding new gimmicks each generation that are removed with the next. Mega evolution, Z-moves and Dynamaxing are all new concepts introduced in battles to add some new flavor to combat, but unfortunately don’t stick around long enough to be refined. 

Pokémon Legends Arceus however, appears less like the gimmick of the week and more as a new take on the Pokémon formula both in and out of battle. The way Pokémon are captured is a great example of the change, as now instead of only being able to battle it into submission, players will now be able to deploy stealth and hide in bushes or tall grass to sneak in on the pocket monster they’re interested in. This new open-world style has even blended into combat, as battles now take place in the fields you’ll adventure in. All of these innovations to the Pokémon formula show a willingness from Game Freak to finally become more ambitious with this franchise, breaking away from the rigid framework they’ve stuck to for so many years.

These changes aren’t just limited to gameplay though, as the story structure of this title is a huge departure from the usual plots we’ve experienced, and I love it. Setting Pokémon Legends Arceus  during the distant past is a fantastic idea, allowing Game Freak to explore new ideas for region layouts and concepts never attempted in this franchise. How Legends handles all these new ideas and how well it does, will colour what direction the franchise will take in the future.

A Focused Vision for the Future of Pokémon

The three starter Pokémon for Pokémon Legends Arceus

Something else that is very important about Pokémon Legends Arceus is what it could and should mean for the future of this franchise. As many should know by now, the remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are on the way. However, they aren’t being developed by Game Freak, but instead were outsourced to a different developer. Now, Pokémon titles being developed by teams aside from Game Freak is nothing new, as plenty of spin-off titles such as Pokémon Stadium or Pokkén Tournament DX haven’t been made by Game Freak. The reason this is special is simply, this is a  remake of a main series title!

The fact Game Freak is choosing to trust an outside developer with the re-creation of one of their most beloved of games demonstrates to me how important Legends is to this series. It’s clear the criticisms of Pokémon Sword and Shield must have weighed quite a bit on the shoulders of Game Freak as while the games both sold fantastically, longtime fans were critical of the online title, expecting Game Freak to finally give Pokémon its evolution, similar to Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey.

As was stated during the Pokémon anniversary presentation back in February, Pokémon Legends Arceus is a blending of new ideas for the Pokémon franchise, while also paying respects to what came before. So, while this title won’t be entirely different from the Pokémon games we all love, the steps they take in Legends could very well be the foundation for what will become the ninth generation of Pokémon.

Pokémon is a franchise that means a lot to me, so to say that the later series of games have felt underwhelming in areas is painful at best. However, it seems that Game Freak may finally be ready to allow this series to evolve beyond its humble roots into something bigger than itself. Pokémon Legends Arceus is truly the start of something important, and that is the future of Pokémon.

That is all for this particular discussion, but this is where I throw it back to the readers. How do you feel about Pokémon Legends Arceus and the future of Pokémon? Join the discussion down below and until next time…

If you’re interested in more Pokemon content than check out the top 5 Pokemon spin-offs that need to come back and if you haven’t checked out the trailer for it yet. You may watch it here