When the trailer released for the new open-world Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends Arceus, the internet exploded, comparing the game to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This got me a little hyped.
And I’ll admit, aesthetically and even compositionally, it does scream Breath of the Wild (the trailer apes a pretty iconic shot from Breath of the Wild, and even the music has some Zelda vibes).
But once the gameplay kicks in — chucking Pokéballs into the tall grass and having Pokémon battles — I was quickly dissuaded. This is going to be another Pokémon game, just in a more open-world setting.
Now, I could be wrong, premature in my pooh-poohing. But nothing other than the open world setting and the soft-color art style looks very Breath of the Wild. We don’t see gliding, we don’t see climbing, and we don’t see weapon degradation (thankfully). In the absence of those — and really, any other Breath of the Wild gameplay mechanics — I’m left to assume Pokémon Legends Arceus isn’t the game that I was initially hoping for.
Although this has Pokémon fans abuzz, I’m not a Pokémon fan myself, so I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. Personally, I’m gonna hold out for a more solid departure from the basic formula before I get my hopes up and actually contemplate buying a Pokémon game.
Pokémon Legends Arceus is slated for an early 2022 release. If you haven’t seen it, you can check out the trailer below.
