Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Japanese: Pokémon LEGENDS アルセウス Pokémon LEGENDS Arceus) is the fifth Generation VIII core series game.
| Pokémon Legends: Arceus Pokémon LEGENDS アルセウス | |
|---|---|
 Pokémon Legends: Arceus boxart | |
Basic info
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| Platform: | Nintendo Switch |
| Category: | Action RPG |
| Players: | 1 |
| Connectivity: | N/A |
| Developer: | Game Freak |
| Publisher: | Nintendo/The Pokémon Company |
| Part of: | Generation VIII core series |
Ratings
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| CERO: | N/A |
| ESRB: | E |
| ACB: | PG |
| OFLC: | N/A |
| PEGI: | 7 |
| GRAC: | N/A |
| GSRR: | N/A |
Release dates
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| Japan: | January 28, 2022 |
| North America: | January 28, 2022 |
| Australia: | January 28, 2022 |
| Europe: | January 28, 2022 |
| South Korea: | January 28, 2022 |
| Hong Kong: | January 28, 2022 |
| Taiwan: | January 28, 2022 |
Websites
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| Japanese: | Pokémon.co.jp |
| English: | Official site Pokémon.com Nintendo.com |
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Japanese boxart
 Pokémon Legends: Arceus Japanese boxart | |
The game was announced worldwide on the 25th Anniversary of the release of Pokémon Red and Green on February 27, 2021 at 12 am JST through Pokémon Presents. It was released on the Nintendo Switch worldwide on January 28, 2022. All copies of the game are playable in nine languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Plot
Arceus summons the player character to the Hisui region, commanding them to "seek all the Pokémon". After meeting Professor Laventon, they are recruited into the Galaxy Team's Survey Corps to aid in completing the first Pokédex.
Features
- The game features Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott as starter Pokémon, and Rei and Akari as player characters. Other NPCs include the members of the Galaxy Expedition Team. The player character that is not selected appears in the story as an NPC.
- The game takes place in the Hisui region, a past version of Sinnoh.
- All standard wild encounters now appear to be symbol encounters. Pokémon may exhibit different behaviors, such as fleeing, sleeping/waking, emoting, or becoming aggressive. These behaviors may differ depending on the in-game weather or time of day.
- The player may catch Pokémon from the overworld directly by throwing a Poké Ball. An aiming reticle appears on-screen during this. Hitting a Pokémon from behind with a Poke Ball when it has not yet seen the player greatly increases the likelihood of capture.
- Poké Balls have an "old-fashioned" appearance in this game, with a wooden bottom half, a buckle-shaped metal-colored implement instead of a button, and a valve on top that puffs out steam on a successful catch.
- To battle a wild Pokémon, the player must throw one of their own Pokémon's Poké Balls nearby. Hitting the wild Pokémon with the ball while it is unaware of the player will surprise it, causing it to skip their first turn.
- In the overworld, the player has access to action-related elements such as rolling and diving leaps.
- A feature similar to Ride Pokémon appears to be present, with Hisuian Braviary shown representing flying/soaring, Basculegion shown representing surfing, and Wyrdeer shown representing fast overworld movement.
- Some unique actions are shown during this, such as having Hisuian Braviary change its flight pitch angle, Basculegion leaping over an land obstruction in the water and down a waterfall, and Wyrdeer jumping.
- Particularly strong Pokémon with angry red eyes, known as Alpha Pokémon, can be found in the overworld and in battle. These Pokémon may be caught, but are far stronger than others of their species and may possess moves they might not be able to learn normally.
- Noble Pokémon, Pokémon sacred to the people of Hisui that have become frenzied through unknown causes, act as boss battles. To defeat a Noble Pokémon, players must throw special Balms to calm it down while avoiding its attacks. Occasionally, the Noble Pokémon will drop its guard and allow the player to engage it in a Pokémon battle; upon reducing its HP to 0, the Noble Pokémon will be temporarily stunned, making Balms more effective and allowing the player to throw them without any risk of being attacked.
- Pokémon may attack the player in the overworld, and the player may also take damage by falling from high places. Taking too much damage will cause a black out.
- A feature visually similar to Pokémon Camp can be seen, with six party Pokémon surrounding the player in an overworld setting.
- The concept of turns in battle has received an overhaul, with the game now presenting an Action Order showing which sides are to get the next six turns. Depending on speed and "other factors", one side may get multiple turns in a row.
- Moves can be "mastered" by leveling up. A mastered move may be used in the Strong Style, which increases that move's power but lowers action speed, or in the Agile Style, which decreases that move's power but raises action speed. Both styles increase the PP usage of the move when they are used.
- Outside of Jubilife Village, Pokémon Centers appear to have been replaced by base camps, which allow healing, item purchasing, and the new item crafting feature.
- Poké Balls require 1 Apricorn and 1 Tumblestone to craft.
- Heavy Balls require 1 Apricorn and 1 Black Tumblestone to craft. Heavy Balls are thrown in a shorter arc and work better on Pokémon that have not yet noticed the player.
- Smoke Bombs require 1 Sootfoot Root and 1 Caster Fern to craft. In the overworld, throwing one at the ground helps prevent wild Pokémon from noticing the player.
- Revives are also shown in the crafting menu, though its requirements are unknown.
- The player's Bag is now referred to as a "satchel".
- Completing a Pokédex entry now requires more than just catching a certain Pokémon once, with other requirements varying from multiple catches to seeing a Pokémon use certain moves multiple times.
- The player receives a device called the Arc Phone early in the story, whose design distinctly resembles Arceus. In one screenshot, it is seen displaying an area map as well as the player's current goal.
- Like in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, EVs have been replaced by Ganbaru Values
- The Freeze and Asleep status conditions have been removed; they are replaced by the new status conditions Frostbite and Drowsy.
- Entry hazards no longer exist. Former entry hazard moves such as Stealth Rock now cause direct damage along with further damage over later turns, similar to moves like Fire Spin.
New Pokémon and forms
- Seven new Pokémon (Kleavor, Wyrdeer, Ursaluna, Sneasler, Overqwil, Basculegion, and Enamorus) have been added, from which the three first evolve from already discovered Pokémon (Scyther, Stantler, and Ursaring respectively) and the three next from new forms of already discovered Pokémon (Sneasel, Qwilfish, and Basculin respectively).
- Sixteen new Hisuians (Growlithe, Arcanine, Voltorb, Electrode, Typhlosion, Sneasel, Qwilfish, Samurott, Lilligant, Zorua, Zoroark, Braviary, Avalugg, Sliggoo, Goodra, and Decidueye), one new regular form (white-striped Basculin) and two new Origin forms (Dialga and Palkia) have been added.
Connectivity
The game is confirmed to support online connectivity and trading with other players, but will not support Ranked Battles. The game is planned to receive Pokémon HOME connectivity at some point in 2022.
Staff
- Main article: Staff of Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Version history
| Version | Release date | Game File Size | Official note | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | Original release | 6.0 GB | N/A | Initial release. This version is officially playable using a physical Game Card in a Switch whose internet connection remains off. |
| 1.0.1 | January 26, 2022 | 6.0 GB | Fixed some problems for a better gaming experience. |
Gallery
Logos
English logo
Japanese logo
Characters
The male player character, Rei
The female player character, Akari
Commander Kamado
Captain Cyllene
Adaman, leader of the Diamond Clan
Irida, leader of the Pearl Clan
Warden Mai
Warden Lian
Warden Iscan
Warden Arezu
Merchant Volo
Merchant Ginter
New Pokémon
Trivia
- Despite its title not containing the full name of "Pocket Monsters" in Japanese, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is considered to be a part of the core series by the official website.[1]
- It is also the only core series game not to contain the full name of "Pocket Monsters" in that language.
- This is the first solitary core series game since Platinum, which also takes place in Sinnoh.
- This is the first core series game to not have a game mascot appear on its boxart, as well as the first to not have at least one alternate version.
- This is the first game to use Pikachu's old cry since Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, and the first to use Eevee's old cry since Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
In other languages
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References
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |