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The Pokémon Company has clarified the structure of next year’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus after some confusion over the weekend.
Following the trailers released at the end of last month, the webmaster of Serebii.net—Joe Merrick—spotted that they indicated the game may not be as open-world as once thought. While early trailers seemed to imply a Breath of the Wild-style open world, Merrick noted that a closer look at released map screens implied segmented open areas. This is similar to the structure used in games like Monster Hunter and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Kotaku reached out to The Pokémon Company for clarification, and they sent the outlet an official statement. “In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Jubilife Village will serve as the base for surveying missions. After receiving an assignment or a request and preparing for their next excursion, players will set out from the village to study one of the various open areas of the Hisui region. After they finish the survey work, players will need to return once more to prepare for their next task.”
The information tracks with what the August Pokémon Presents presentation told us. The broadcast detailed told how you’ll be a member of the Galaxy Expedition Team, exploring the Hisui region. You’ll also come across new types of Pokémon in the series, including Alpha and Noble Pokémon. Something’s been driving these monsters into a frenzy, and it’ll be up to you to find out what.
There’s still a few months out before we get to see how this works for ourselves. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set to launch on January 28, 2022 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Before that, of course, there’s also the small matter of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, landing on November 19.
