Are you curious about the changes in Pokemon Legends: Arceus? Here’s a peek at what’s different.
One of the biggest complaints about the Pokemon series is that it feels stagnant after nearly 30 years. The mainline Pokemon games haven’t changed all that much, so Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a chance to do something a little different.
The game itself feels like ideas taken from Monster Hunter and Breath of the Wild were liberally applied to a Pokemon palette. So let’s dive into the Pokemon Legends: Arceus changes.
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Is Pokemon Legends: Arceus Open World?
Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn’t a huge, open world of Pokemon finding like you may be thinking. Instead, the game is structured much more closely to Monster Hunter or Pokemon Snap.
You have a hub village called Jubilife Village where the professor and NPCs can give you quests to learn more about Pokemon. There are several regions you can visit with wide, open spaces but you cannot freely travel from the hub to those regions without selecting them loading screen style.
Each region has a unique biome and ecosystem to accommodate the types of Pokemon that live there. You’ll encounter green fields, mountains, a beach, swamps, and even snowy terrain while playing.
Where does Pokemon Legends: Arceus fit?
The Hisui region of Pokemon Legends: Arceus is modeled after the feudal Japan period. It is a Pokemon game set in the past, during a time before pokemon were part of every day life. The player’s main mission in this ancient world is to capture and battle a many pokemon as possible to create the first Pokedex.
How does catching Pokemon work in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?
Catching Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus works a little bit differently. You can control your trainer and sneak up on pokemon to catch them. Crouching makes you more stealthy and players even get a dodge roll to avoid incoming attacks. Chucking pokeballs at unaware pokemon feels very satisfying.
Simply select a PokeBall from your item wheel and you can throw it directly at any Pokemon you see. To catch a Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, follow these easy steps.
- Select a PokeBall from your item wheel.
- Hold the left trigger (ZL).
- Aim at the pokemon using your right stick.
- Tap the right trigger (ZR) to throw the ball.
Unaware Pokemon are more likely to be caught, as are Pokemon who aren’t facing you. You can also throw food at Pokemon to lower their guard and increase the changes of catching them. You may occasionally anger a Pokemon, which means you’ll have to battle it. You can still catch the Pokemon in battle mode.
How does battling work in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?
Throwing out one of your pokemon will initiate a traditional Pokemon battle. These turn-based battles play out much like the original Pokemon games with a few key differences. The combat order is based on speed, not turn order. That means a fast pokemon can attack twice in a row, while a slower pokemon may give faster pokemon a chance to attack twice.
Pokemon Masters can also give commands to Pokemon to attack in Agile and Strong style. Agile moves are much faster but deal less damage, allowing you to move twice before the enemy. Strong style moves do more damage, but may delay your next turn. These style moves consume double the Power Points (PP) as normal type moves, so use them strategically.
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