Open-World Pokemon Spin-Off, Pokemon Legends: Arceus announced for 2022

Game Freak has announced Pokemon Legends: Arceus, an open-world action RPG Pokemon game set in the feudal past of the Sinnoh region (the location of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl). It will arrive for Nintendo Switch in early 2022. Announced during today’s Pokemon Presents broadcast, the gameplay showcased a game world reminiscent of Breath of the Wild, covered in wild Pokemon to catch and seemingly employing some action mechanics to play. The goal is to create Sinnoh’s first Pokedex, which includes exploration, Pokemon capture, and a version of the series’ traditional turn-based combat.

Watch a gameplay trailer below:

The game is intended to “break new ground” for the Pokemon series and features Rowlet, Cyndaquil or Oshawott as partner Pokemon. The game revolves around the mythical Pokemon Arceus, but no further details of the story were given.

The player will travel to different parts of the region from the central Sinnoh village and use traditional Pokeballs to catch monsters. Judge more than traditional capture, but the official website says you should “observe them to learn their behavior, then gently sneak up, aim your Poké Ball and let it fly!”

It’s not the only new Pokemon game set in Sinnoh – remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl will be released in late 2021.
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