Pokémon's New legend grows closer

 Such is a Noble, I suppose

I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that many of us old school Pokémon fans are currently looking upon 'Legends Arceus' as the bold new hope for this series many of us have found wanting for quite a while. Even if it was something we'd never readily admit to ourselves, preferring to wear that strained smile and endure low effort repetition time and time again, waiting for the point where Gamefreak would burn themselves out and the series would just stop indefinitely. (Of course these games make far too much money, that would never happen, but I do wonder what would happen to mainline Pokémon if Gamefreak too a step back. I can't imagine it would be good.) Legends Arceus is a branch out in a new direction, challenging the series to see if it can stand on it's own two legs after more than 20 years. (I'd make a 'living in your parent's basement' joke, but given the cost of living these days: that's pretty representative of practically half my generation anyway.) 

Therefore I have a bit of a hop in my step whenever we get a little something new to pour over, anything that fleshes out this game just that tiny bit. And it may seem neurotic, the amount of attention I and others pay these tiny teases for a game that doesn't even seem that revolutionary, but you have to understand that for Pokémon, all of this is revolutionary. Looking at a trailer for an upcoming Pokémon game and not instantly recognising every square inch of the game in an instant is more than just a novelty, it's enough to shake a fan to their very core. Obsession is like the reflex core kicking into action; forcing us to study up so that our fragile pre-fab of reality doesn't come tumbling around us. And I think that the Pokémon Company are well aware of this, which is why they've been steadily spoon feeding new infomation for fear of half their fan base fleeing in shock. (I present that in jest, but after how Max Payne 3 managed to actually do that very thing, this may actually be a shrewd strategy from the marketing department.)

A new trailer dropped not that long ago, probably to make up for the fact we won't be seeing this game for the entirety of 2021 like we really should be, in which we've be introduced to something either very special or just this game's gimmick; Noble Pokémon. Now a new classification of Pokémon is very special, particularly given that most of the time these classifications are created by the players and merely adopted by The Pokémon Company whenever they feel like it. Legendary Pokémon came from them, sure, but Mythical was like the community's way of saying "these guys are stupid rare, likely exist only to promote wider Pokémon projects and thus are limited in capacity, and you should pick them up as soon as!" And then you have the 'pseudo Legendary Pokémon', which is a tag to refer to Pokémon, typically with the full three stage evolution tree, who have such average high base stats that they compare well against the artificially boosted up Legendries from each entry. So how do these Noble's fit into that ecosystem? 

Poorly, I suspect, given that they very much seem to just be big boss fights against Pokémon in the game. As presented, this Noble Pokémon is a completely new Pokémon with axes for hands called 'Kleavor', because scissor-hands weren't metal enough, I guess. It appears to be a large, glowing, Pokémon who charges around the gameworld presenting something of a hazard to the player in the live action playspace and dealing punishing heavy moves on Pokémon in the RPG battle mode. So I'm seeing their narrative weight as being just special boss monsters you have to fight in order to catch them. Maybe they'll even be unique, which would probably allow them to classify as 'Legendary', but the whole 'new classification thing' seems a bit manipulative to perk up the ears of collector fanatics out there who suddenly realise "Wait, my collection is as-of-yet incomplete? THIS CANNOT STAND!" But hey, I love a new Pokémon, so who am I to complain?

Also shown off were glimpses of some of cast of the game, including some Wardens who are presumably going to be taking the place of 'trainers' within this world and whatever connected movie or show comes alongside this game if it becomes a hit. There was also a decent look at customisation showing off that yes, once again they're going to giving a full range of options to the player so that their avatar can look as silly as possible, with even Pokémon themed accessories to stick in your hair like some sort of ghoulish war trophy. And, of course, what modern video game would be complete without a crafting system in order to make those expeditions to the wider world feel just that tiny bit more worthwhile as you scourge about to make an elixir or some such nonsense.

These are all just little things, but together they could equal the next generation of Pokémon and that's something to be excited for if nothing else. I also feel like some shots of this trailer were specifically made in order to put out those self generated fires that fans seem insistent on starting about the contents of this game that none of them have played yet. Such as the glimpse at PC Boxes, now called Pastures, wherein you can still foster a team of six Pokémon and don't have to pick one to lug around for each mission. Where was that rumour even started? Well it's squashed now. Oh, and they teased that there is going to a photo mode, which squashed my worries, because every game needs to have a photo mode always.

Going back to the Noble monsters, although the trailers are trying their best to obfuscate it, I really do like the concept of undergoing some sort of openworld puzzle fight against these monster before you get a chance to properly fight them. Don't get me wrong, I know the target audience of these games probably means that every 'puzzle' is going to be blindingly easy and hardly worth mentioning, but even setting this precedent opens the possibility for some really set piece moments against the cooler monsters. Imagine a Final Fantasy XV style cinematic platforming section around some terrifyingly titanic Pokémon who is thrashing and tearing up chunks of the world as you climb. We won't get anything anywhere close to that, but the Arceus duel, however it turns out, might be a lot better than just 'here's a boss fight, try not to down the legendary.'

Now I can't lie and call this my most anticipated game on the Switch coming out, that would still be reserved for Breath of the Wild 2 (which apparently has open preorders over at GAME despite not having a title, boxart, or release date yet. What do they know that we don't?) but Legends Arceus could feasibly be the prelude to that game. At some point. I know it seems odd and reductive to say that this game could be the first in a series of games that could one day be amazing, but that's just the level of removed we have to work with in a series that moves as slowly as Pokémon does. In the meantime you better bet I'm going to play Arceus, support the games you wanna see more of, always. I love Monster Hunter and Pokémon, they pretty sold my copy of the game to me when they announced it, everything else is just icing on the cake.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus and changing the unchangeable

What? Pokémon is evolving!

Okay, it's been a busy week of gaming and one that's only going to be trounced next week when Gamescon hits and we all start hearing about cool stuff like the upcoming Saints Row reboot that I literally only just heard about, or some more Dying Light 2 details. (I swear, it's like Dying Light 2 has been delayed for an entire generation at this point; when is that game coming out?) But before any of that takes the centre stage there is a lingering niggling little thing I've neglected to talk about up until now: The Nintendo Direct! And that's because I didn't watch it- I know, the longest Direct ever and I couldn't be bothered to show up, but I got back around to it and now I can say, with an informed eye, gosh they gave us what we wanted, didn't they? There was no faffing about with Pokemon apps that make you brush you teeth, no shovel-ware mobile game flying our way, no updates to the rooster over at Pokemon G- wait no, there was a bit on that. But it was short, I forgot it already. No, instead we were slammed with the two big boys everyone has been waiting to hear from; Pokémon Crazy Diamond and Pearl J- dammit I did it again! And Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Now I never played Pokémon Diamond and Peral back in the day, so I'm lucky enough to be sitting in a position where all the content being thrown my way is totally new. I'm watching these trailers with the eyes of a newbie, marvelling at the customisation, this underground area, the significantly better full character models, and the fact that this game features Team Galaxy. I didn't know Team Galaxy were from this game! They're one of the Pokémon villains that lightly advocated for genocide and we don't really pay it any serious mind because it's a kids game. (Although Team Magma and Team Aqua remain my personal choice for two most homicidal teams of the franchise. At least Team Galaxy's plan would have been relatively quick and painless, Aqua wanted to drown everyone!) But ultimately I must say that I don't particularly care about this game because it's more of the same. (Even if that same is new to me) There's no great additions to the plot or formula that we've been made aware of, meaning that we won't be getting any glimpses of the future of the Pokémon franchise from this game. In fact, these titles almost feel like comfort food in the wake before something truly jarring flying Pokémon's way. And I'm here for the shake up, baby!

This shake-up goes by the name of 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus' and the more I see the more I steadily fall in love with the new face of the Poke-future. Taking us once more to the Sinnoh region, Pokémon's own Hokkaido,  Legends: Arceus promises a rare glimpse into the origins of the modern Pokémon world and how human and Pocket Monster society would become so intrinsically linked. In this pursuit it takes us to a rural, practically uncolonized period of Sinnoh's history, where you assume the role of explorer/researchers sent to discover the unique climates of Sinnoh, it's prehistoric Pokémon, and complete the region's very first Pokédex. Which has me wondering what exactly it is that modern professors of the series are doing sending teenagers round the world to make Pokédexs. If presumably all regions got mapped several hundred years previously, what's the purpose of using child labour now? I always got the impression that Pokédex technology was supposed to be rather new, shows what I know...

For the gameplay this seems to be shaping up as a total switch-around of everything we assume to be 'sacred' about the Pokémon formula. There won't be this linear journey across the various towns of the nation, fighting gyms and making rivals, but instead a centralised base from which you span out and explore the different climates and peaks of Sinnoh in search of research subjects. What was proposed first as a sort of Breath of Wild sort of game has revealed itself to be more akin to Monster Hunter, which the various regions of the world cut up into 'hunt zones' that players travel to with goals and targets in mind. Which means we're probably looking at a gameplay loop of building up resources and tools at the central hub village, watching as the place slowly grows into a well-oiled machine, whilst going on expeditions to the homes of impressive monsters and trying to survive their dens long enough to capture the target.

It's that latter part of the loop which has me most excited, clearly, because for the first time in the history of these games we're going to get the chance to see these monsters roam the wild in thier fullest form. That's right, all Pokémon will be rendered to their correct sizes and will roam the map simulating the activities you would expect from them. Will this end up making the monsters look like part of believable ecosystems similar to how the Monster Hunter team have pulled off? You'd hope so, but then the MH team have been at this for over a decade so who can say how Gamefreak's first draft will end up? Either way, this means we'll be getting hounded by the odd vicious Pokémon looking to tear us apart, which paints this interesting image of Pokémon being wild animals that the Pokémon Company seemed to shy away from in the past. To think that now they've grown confidant enough to okay a game which shows teenagers being electrocuted until they pass-out is... an improvement? I'm going to say it's 'progressive for the franchise' at least.

Of course, the highlight of this reveal event to me was the way in which the core RPG battle system of Pokémon got turned on it's head. Unlike what some had assumed, we're still dealing with the turn-based systems of our ancestors, but it's not going to be a simple case of a rigid turn order which pans out to one player attacks and then the other responds. No, this time around a Pokémon's speed stat will determine how often they can attack, which means a speedy Pokémon can strike two times in a row before the enemy can react. (So I can import by Zeraora when?) Ontop of this, each Pokémon has the ability to strike with speed or brawn, meaning that the attack is either weaker and quicker (thus speeding up the turn order) or slower and stronger (slowing it down) thus creating a turn order system that can be dynamic and shift throughout a single fight. I don't know if there's going to be any competitive systems attached to the game but if there are then this has the potential to change the face of online match-ups forever!

But even more than all the things that were revealed, Legends: Arceus' greatest draw is it's mysteries and that which we don't yet know, a refreshing divergence to the usual state of affairs when we approach games knowing it's utter ins and bitter outs. Right now I'm deathly curious to know what the God of all Pokémon has to do with the events of this game, and even more curious to know if we can catch the bugger in order to fill up our Pokédex. (Do we have the power to contain a god?) I'm also curious about how much freedom the game will offer, seeing as how we've already seen various modes of travel in this game through both Pokémon handgliders and Pokémon Jet skis. (Mobius would be jealous.) There's still some tricks up Gamefreak's sleeves, and that's more than we can say for the typical Pokémon outing which we usually approach with the utmost knowledge of what it roughly is and how it'll play. We're in uncharted waters this time around; isn't that exciting?

Pokémon maintained the status quo for far too long, to the point where many were long since burned out of the franchise, but this step (small though it may be) is exactly what Gamefreak need to rejuvenate the fans and probably the studio too. (How long can you make the same game year after year before you start to lose your mind?) 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus' isn't everything I hoped for: it's not total freeroam, the graphics look severly dated, we don't get to explore a bustling Pokémon city; but it's further towards my dream Pokémon game than we've been in over twenty years now. My only worry is that by releasing the Diamond and Pearl remakes, The Pokémon Company are pitting the past against the future to see how they perform, deciding where the direction of the franchise is due from how many actually buy this new game over their old remade one. Which is why it's the duty of Pokémon fans out there to turn up for Arceus on the day of- for the good of Pokémon everywhere!

Pokémon Legends Arceus

 The real New Generation of Pokémon

For all the changes, improvements and gimmicks that the Pokémon Games have owned over the years, somehow this year (or, more appropriately, next year) feels like the biggest step forwards that the games have ever agreed to make. It seems almost unheard of for any level of unilateral change to come to the Pokémon games, with their most substantial up until now being the jump from sprites to models. (And even that one still gets criticised by some the hardcore oldschool players) And just now, we're finally getting that sleight glimpse into what the Pokémon franchise could look like going forward, and I'm sure that this sudden shift from making essentially the same type of game for the past 20 years has absolutely nothing to do with the recent Pokémon competitor game that was becoming popular. (Simply nothing at all.) So now, for the first time ever, we have a Pokémon game that's free roaming?

Yes, technically all Pokémon Games allow players to roam about freely, but this marks a shift in letting players experience a fully realised 3D world in which they can travel anywhere in the region. We saw the absolute beginnings of this idea form in Pokémon Sword and Shield through the wild areas (Proof that those were a beta for something) and now it's been actualised I'm actually quite excited with the way in which it's all turned out. Let the diehards have their Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond, I could care less, let me indulge in this new frontier for one of gaming's most enduring franchises. (Which, honestly, is probably what the team intended for; announcing both these projects at the same time) Things are too early to say for certain if this new the new face of Pokémon, the team themselves don't even seem absolutely sure given the title's suffix, but I'm going to take a side and say that I think this is a bold leap in the right direction advantaged by their firm steps in Gen VIII. Let's get excited for 'Pokémon Legends Arceus'.

First it should be noted that we aren't actually experiencing a new region with this game. No, instead rather like Diamond and Pearl we'll be travelling to the Sinnoh region, based off of the Japanese island of Hokkaidō. (Hitman flashbacks intensify) Already this serves as evidence that the team perhaps aren't ready to put their future in the hands of this new direction, which makes sense given how safe they're known to be. However, there is something rather new coming to the setting in that this doesn't take place in the modern day version of the island but rather an undisclosed number of generations in the past when the island was first being settled. That means just one town, acres of open space to roam, and a set of protagonists who appear to resemble their modern day counterparts except for vaguely more frontier-esque attire for some inexplicable reason. (Which has led to me affectionally naming our hero Proto-Lucas or Feudal-Dawn)

I will admit that this change to time period is perhaps what I'm most anticipating. Just glimpsing the change in aesthetic alone has been interesting, with the early Pokeballs standing out for their rustic zeal. The setting do allows the team to touch on  something which the Anime has always represented far better than the Games, in that the manner through which Pokemon are part of the everyday ecosystem of the world has been lacking. They essentially should be as plentiful as the animals of the world we live in and somewhat even more so, considering the amount of everyday household tasks that are apparently left to Pokemon over normal appliances. Just Look at Ryme City from the Detective Pikachu movie and you'll see Pokemon everywhere just going about their day and not necessarily with trainers guiding them; I think that's something which really needs to be bought to life if Pokemon is determined to make the jump to 3D. However, creating several cityscapes worth of worlds with Pokemon seamlessly weaved in is difficult to say the least, and so I think it's easier, yet just as cool, to see them really bought out in the wild first.

Speaking of 'Wild', I know I wasn't the only one who saw the clear 'Breath of the Wild' analogues that this reveal had going for it. It seems that Genshin Impact has really opened the floodgates when it comes to what can and cannot be done in 'inspired by' projects, because there hasn't even been a whiff of discontent over the similarities. I, personally , love this new slightly windbrushed style to the Pokemon world and appreciate it leagues above that gross Diamond and Pearl hybrid abomination. (I can see which new project is getting the full team behind it already.) Watching the Pokemon mill about in the wild whilst trainers sneak up on them and free-throw Pokeballs seems imbued with an explorative spirit that we've never seen captured in this series before. Even the lack of background music in the trailer felt invocative of the serene natural open-space atmosphere that BOTW coveted. And yet as I said for Genshin, as far as influences go you could hardly pick better.

Yet with as much as we've seen, there's always that lingering wanting for more, and in this case it almost feels like we're getting the tip of the iceberg. We saw Pokemon being captured seemingly without having to fight them first, battles that are rendered in the open world seemingly realtime, and a look at the starter lineup that bring no new comers but curiously picks from several different regions instead. But I wonder ever further about the nitty-gritty, like how Pokemon battles work in this new space and if trainers are even a thing. Knowing that the story places us as new settlers to the region, I wonder if building the home village will prove to be some sort of meta-game. And most of all I wonder if Gamefreak have learnt from their Sword and Shield DLC to spread their content in such a manner that encourages replayability and grants value to the whole map space, rather than just some overleveled end-game section.

Of course, the real mystery that we're supposed to be taking away from all this is how Arceus factors into everything, because he's one of the most interesting Mythical Pokemon released to date. Known as the Alpha Pokemon, Arceus is said to have crafted all that there is with his power and thus is something of a god-like figure to the community. Whatsmore, in the Anime he has been identified as a sentient being with a vengeful streak to him, one time even deciding to wipe out all of humanity for conservationist reasons or something. Could 'Legends: Arceus' draw from the antagonistic leanings of their eponymous mythical in order to tell a more nuanced tale that doesn't need another daft team or megalomaniac millionaire to fuel it? It certainly wouldn't be in keeping with Pokemon tradition, but we're looking at a 3D free roaming new dawn for the franchise, 'traditional' might as well be off the table for good!

I won't be alone in rubbing my hands together and proclaiming "Finally! We need something new!" For all the love I have for Pokemon, the formula has passed the best-by-date for growing stale and they ran the risk of making too incremental of improvements to keep up with the tide. Although this is still yet to address all concerns as people still long for an MMO-type Pokemon world where they can experience a whole adventure with their friends, but that can't be far off after this, can it? 'Pokemon Legends' might be the name of the new mainline for the franchise, and if that ends up being the case I don't think anyone is going to be too heartbroken when everything's said and done. I, for one, welcome our new 3D modelled openworld overlords.