Nintendo and The Pokémon Company just celebrated 25 years of the mega-franchise that is Pokémon, finishing off a fulsome Direct presentation with a tantalising look ahead to its future. It's safe to say we're incredibly impressed.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an upcoming adventure developed by Game Freak, and it looks like it's finally set to deliver the dream open-world Pokémon game we've all waited so long for. The brief teaser trailer, which you can see below, offers a glimpse at a gorgeous open-world version of Sinnoh - one set many hundreds of years before its first appearance in 2006's Pokémon Diamond & Pearl.
Players are tasked with exploring the world as they put together Sinnoh's very first Pokedex. At the same time, they'll work to uncover the legend of Arceus, the legendary Pokémon thought to have created all life as we know it.
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As you can see, this looks far more to be the kind of open-world game fans were expecting from 2019's Pokémon Sword & Shield, although it also does not seem be Gen 9, so who knows if we'll see any new Pokémon this time around?
The camera can be freely controlled as players explore lush open fields, mountains, and forests, while wild monsters roam freely. In a neat touch, and for the first time ever, battles look to be a seamless part of the world. Rather than being taken to a different screen to do battle with trainers and wild Pokémon, we'll simply summon our companions on the spot and get stuck in. As a longtime Pokémon fan who was left pretty cold by Sword & Shield, this looks to be the bold, brilliant shot in the arm the series needs on Nintendo Switch.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set to release on Nintendo Switch in early 2022. I'm already counting down the days.
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo