Legends: Arceus Reverses A Longtime Pokémon Trope

Pokémon Legends: Arceus reverses a longstanding trope in the famous Japanese role-playing franchise. It’s not the first time The Pokémon Company has tried to do something different with the series, though. From Pokémon Snap in 1999 to Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! in 2018, development teams have attempted to branch out and implement various gimmicks in spin-off games for years now. This time, however, Pokémon Legends: Arceus retains the core gameplay of catching Pokémon with one small twist – this time, it’s the trainer hiding in the tall grass.

Launching on January 28, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an upcoming Nintendo Switch game set in the ancient Sinnoh region, which most fans will recognize from Pokémon DiamondandPearl (and their recent remakes). However, in this latest visit, the region is actually called Hisui, and the events of the game take place in a historical version of Sinnoh rather than the Pokémon equivalent of the present day. Even without taking gameplay into account, Legends: Arceus is shaping up to be a rather different experience than most Pokémon games, even including prior spin-offs.

Because the setting is so far in the past, technology in Hisui is a little more primitive than it is in Pokémon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, and humans and Pokémon aren’t used to having a beneficial relationship. To catch Pokémon, the player’s character has to gather materials and craft Poké Balls, carefully approaching the wild monsters to attempt a catch. By doing so, the trainer sometimes needs to remain hidden in the grass, flipping the Pokémon formula on its head.

Humans Hide In The Tall Grass In Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is more of an open-world Pokémon game than previous entries, letting players explore the vast plains of the Hisui region and encounter Pokémon face-to-face instead of its typical exploration system. While exploring, players are, of course, encouraged to catch Pokémon, except they can be aggressive or skittish, either completely running away from the trainer or causing direct damage to the protagonist. To avoid being seen by these Pokémon, the player needs to hide in the grass.

The grass should be familiar for any seasoned Pokémon player since that’s where the little creatures appear for battles. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is changing this 20-year-old mechanic in a fun way by forcing the player to retreat into the tall grass to hide instead. From there, the player can throw berries or throw Poké Balls without being seen, hypothetically increasing the chances of success. Compared to the rest of the changes in trailers so far, it’s a small detail, but it’s still exciting to see Pokémon take a new direction and switch up gameplay mechanics that have been established for over two decades.

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