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Pokemon Legends Arceus Infuses Core Gameplay with Action RPG Elements, Announced for Switch

Pokemon Legends Arceus Infuses Core Gameplay with Action RPG Elements, Announced for Switch - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 June 2021 / 4,709 Views

The Pokemon Company during the Pokemon Presents video today announced Pokemon Legends Arceus for the Nintendo Switch. It will launch in early 2022.

View the announcement trailer below:

Here is an overview of the game:

Bold New Direction

The Pokémon Legends: Arceus game honors past Pokémon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements.

You’ll need to catch, survey, and research wild Pokémon in a long-gone era of the Sinnoh region to create and complete the region’s first Pokédex.

Catch Pokémon

To catch Pokémon in the Pokémon Legends: Arceus game, you can observe them to learn their behavior, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poké Ball, and let fly!

You can also have your ally Pokémon battle wild Pokémon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poké Ball holding your ally Pokémon near a wild Pokémon, and you’ll seamlessly enter battle and command your Pokémon by choosing from moves it knows.

An Adventure in the Sinnoh of Days Gone By

You’ll be brought to the Sinnoh region, the setting for the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games. But this story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokémon Trainer or having a Pokémon League even existed.

All around, you’ll find Pokémon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games.

The Poké Balls of old were apparently built a little differently from the ones we know so well. They were made mostly of wood, and steam puffed from their tops when Pokémon were caught.​

Meet Your First Partner Pokémon

As you start off on your adventure to create the region’s first Pokédex, you’ll be able to choose Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott as a partner.

These three Pokémon arrived with a Pokémon Professor, who encountered them on research excursions to various regions.​


A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.


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30 Comments
Pemalite (on 26 February 2021)

Graphics leave much to be desired, Breath of the Wild is still a step up and that is 4~ years old at this point and was a port from a weaker platform.

In saying that, it is a big improvement from Sword and Shield, so that is definitely a bonus.

Will probably be a day 1 purchase anyway.

  • +14
hunter_alien (on 27 February 2021)

From a tech POV it looks horrid. I mean I'm sorry but there are just so many amazing-looking games on the Switch by this point that this is simply unacceptable. The idea is decent IMO, and could breathe some freshness into the franchise.

  • +8
Real (on 26 February 2021)

Pokemon breath of the wild this is why gamefreak moved to Nintendo epd building ? can't wait

  • +8
Jranation Real (on 26 February 2021)

When did this happen?

  • 0
Real Jranation (on 26 February 2021)

Last November gamefreak moved their office to Nintendo HQ. They're learning a lot

  • -1
heavenmercenary01 Real (on 27 February 2021)

They need to learn a lot considering they're a bunch of uncompetent twats.
They need some kicks in the ass whenever it's needed because the Pokémon series doesn't deserve to be treated the way they're treating it. Hoping that things will change with Nintendo roaming around them.Also, Games need to be postponed if meeting the deadlines will lead to crap-like episodes such as Sw/Sh.

  • 0
Shiken (on 26 February 2021)

Between this being on the horizon for early 2022 and the remakes holiday 2021, clearly the cliff is nowhere to be seen. What I can see however...is a new peak.

  • +3
GamingRabbit Shiken (on 26 February 2021)

And why would people, who were not convinced by the switch with its current line up suddenly decide to purchase one, when the new Pokemon games cater to the same audience that was already served with Sword/Shield? If anything, the new games will prevent/soften a decline in sales, but a new peak is definitly overconfident

  • -5
Jranation GamingRabbit (on 26 February 2021)

What does that mean? Switch have been selling over 300k every week according to Vgchartz this year. And that is with o ly having 1 bog new game that released. Everytime a big new game releases hardware sales increases.

  • +1
Dgc1808 (on 27 February 2021)

Wish they went with Sun/Moon art style. Other than that, still need to see more gameplay. What was shown looks kinda meh.

  • +1
eva01beserk (on 26 February 2021)

I wish the battles where a bit more dynamic. Something like digimon world where your digimon did its own thing and you command him on top. Like real pokemon show.

  • +1
SecondWar (on 26 February 2021)

Quite an intriguing concept but not much said on what your in-game goal is, so feels a bit hollow at the moment. Also the video suggests the game still needs a lot of polish performance wise.

  • +1
Manlytears (on 26 February 2021)

Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott as a partner... not the best starters, they are all meh at best... i mean, Cyndaquil + Eruption + "choice" is a ok thing, but kinda boring and the other 2 are helpless.

  • +1
SecondWar Manlytears (on 26 February 2021)

I think they were just trying to be contrary to the norms and picked starters from a mix of generations. Anyway Decidueye, Typhlosion and Samurott aren’t that bad.

  • -1
Manlytears SecondWar (on 26 February 2021)

2 are bad and 1 is kinda meh. Imho, the 3 are at lower tier on the "starter rank" ( just above Meganium. )
i'm not asking for "all the best starter", i'm just asking for 1 "top starter"! Switch Samurott and put Greninja, or makes space for Blaizeken or even Chesnaught! well, at least they are not putting Gen. 1 mons, no need to use gen.1 again...

  • 0
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Manlytears shikamaru317 (on 26 February 2021)

you have a point.

  • 0
kems (on 02 March 2021)

I reeeealy like the idea, but don't like the execution as it looks right now. Empty world, meh graphics, chingling at 2fps, gameplay looks kind of static... I would say, give it time to develop, but I'm afraid it's gamefreak, probably won't be any big improvements

  • 0
TheLegendaryBigBoss (on 27 February 2021)

I always wondered if arceus has those plates for new pokemon types like fairy. He was introduced when ash was in sinnoh right?

  • 0
SecondWar TheLegendaryBigBoss (on 27 February 2021)

The Pixie Plate was added in Gen 6 to cover the fairy type.

  • 0
G2ThaUNiT (on 26 February 2021)

What's with the word positioning? lol

  • 0
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curl-6 (on 26 February 2021)

I'm not a Pokemon guy but this still piqued my interest, looks like an impressive step up over Sw/Sh

  • -2
JRPGfan (on 27 February 2021)

I'm no fan of pokemon, but it going action RPG? wtf? this looks like a bad idea imo.
Graphically, it also feels abit lazy, the switch has the horse power to do better than this graphically if the devs wanted.

  • -3
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HoangNhatAnh ClassicGamingWizzz (on 27 February 2021)

irony, this game can outsell all ps5 1st party games combined...

  • +1
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