5 Things You Need to Know Before Playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus

This week players will have a brand new Pokémon game on their hands. If you’re new to Pokémon or have missed the hype around Pokémon Legends: Arceus we’re going to run down a few of the reasons this game looks to be one of the best yet.

What do you need to know before playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Action and exploration meets Pokémon

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is drawing attention for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being it’s the first Pokémon game to be done in an open-world RPG style.

Arceus takes place in a time before Pokémon and humans learned to co-exist. This means they are roaming free in vast open-world regions and are wildly untamed. This differs greatly from previous Pokémon games where a structure of turn-based gym battles and Pokémon trading was paramount.

In Arceus you’re able to customise your character and freely explore large open-world maps. You’ll encounter Pokémon randomly and can choose if you want to battle and capture them or run away. Players can also gather resources and craft supplies which can be used in battles.

Welcome to the Hisui region

Along with a brand new gameplay style, Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place in a whole new world. Well, kind of.

Arceus is set in the ancient Hisui region which will one day become the Sinnoh region (aka the world of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl).

The Hisui region is made up of a number of distinct environments that span the elements of land, sea and ice. It is also filled with equally distinct Pokémon.

Which Pokémon will you encounter?

The latest Pokémon game will have both new faces and some you’re familiar with.

Some new Pokémon that have been shown include the deer-like Wyrdeer and the fish Pokémon Basculegion. Others will look familiar but have a regional spin such as Hisuian Growlithe and Hisuian Voltorb.

Classics like Pikachu, Abra and Magikarp have also been spotted in trailers and you can expect plenty of other famous Pokémon to join them. The Hisui region may also have an impact on the evolutions of familiar Pokemon, so stay tuned for even more new creatures.

As for starter Pokémon, Arceus is again unique in that its three Pokémon options are from three different generations. Players will have the choice of Cyndaquil (Fire), Rowlet (Grass/Flying) and Oshawott (Water). You can only pick one so choose wisely.

You can ride Pokémon

Now that Pokémon is expanding into a much larger open-world, how are you meant to get around it? By riding Pokémon. That’s how.

A new and exciting addition to Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the ability to ride your Pokémon. Wydeer will help you across land, Basculegion will take you through water and you can even fly around thanks to Hisuian Braviary.

It’s a new and epic way to traverse the map regions of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and, hopefully, it’s a feature that sticks around.

Arceus is perfect for Pokémon newbies

If Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be your first Pokémon game, you’re not alone, and it’s actually not a bad thing.

Arceus represents a refresh for the franchise in a lot of ways, such as the new open-world style, crafting and battle systems, and the new Pokémon variants mentioned above. This means you don’t need a comprehensive knowledge of all the different Pokémon systems from previous games and can essentially start fresh.

Your main objective in Arceus is to research and build the Hisui region’s first Pokedex. This means it’s your job to go out there and discover new things – no prior knowledge required!

Completing research tasks is the perfect window into the Pokémon world for newcomers, so don’t be afraid to dive right in.

If you’re now completely sold on this new Pokémon game you’ll want to know when you can buy it.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be released for the Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022. Here’s where you’ll find the cheapest copies.