This Gives Us Monster Hunter Vibes
The world of Pokemon has been around for a long time now and the shine has begun to wear off, so rather than introduce us to a new Region in a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of the past, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has opted to just show us the past directly. This game will chronicle the history of the Sinnoh Region and allow players to create the world’s first Pokedex–a task that will lead to the future of human-Pokemon cohabitation shown in the mainline games.
In this new trailer, we had a chance to take a look at some of the sprawling environments Sinnoh’s has to offer, including vibrant grassland, lush forests, shining beaches, and snow-filled mountains. Each of these vistas is brought to life by its Pokemon inhabitants, who are shown wandering around and minding their own business in the game’s open-world setting. The result is positively magical.
There’s something truly amazing about watching a herd of Ponyta trot through the grassland or a solitary Gardevoir out for a moonlit stroll. However, this trailer isn’t just dedicated to showing off the world of Pokemon–it also demonstrates a variety of ways the player can interact with them.
Interactions range from the standard Pokemon battles, which now include the player character’s location, to observing Pokemon in their natural environments and using them as transportation. Not only do you finally have the chance to watch Pokemon go about their business, this game allows you to ride, fly, and surf with Pokemon.
That all sounds excellent, but this is only the first half of the trailer–the wondrous half. The second half of the video shows what appears to be a meteor or lightning impact on the Sinnoh landscape. Whatever came falling out of the sky, wrapped in glowing energy, seems to have a dire effect on the Pokemon.
In the remainder of the video, a variety of intimidating Pokemon are shown with glowing red eyes, entering threat displays or even pursuing the protagonist across the open-world and trying to attack them directly. It all feels very Monster Hunter, though the evasion mechanics seem a lot more streamlined. This may be the first time we’ve seen Pokemon attack the player directly in-game, and it definitely looks like a thrilling struggle to escape.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will be available for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.
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