Pokémon Celebrates 25 Years With An All-New Open World RPG Called Arceus For Nintendo Switch

by Nathan Ord — Friday, February 26, 2021, 03:47 PM EDT

new pokemon games announced for nintendo switch

Over the past 25 years, players have been catching and battling Pokémon from around the world in a variety of different blockbuster games. During today's Pokémon Presents stream, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara announced a continuation of the 25-year adventure on the Nintendo Switch with three new games coming late this year and early next year.

In 2006, Pokémon trainers entered the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl on the Nintendo DS. Just over 15 years later, players can return to the region in faithful recreations of Diamond and Pearl in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. Developed by ILCA, Inc., both games have been revitalized over their original counterparts and should look great on the Nintendo Switch. While there are some original features and locations, the games have also been updated with, as Ishihara explains, “easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences introduced in recent Pokémon core series video games, in addition to up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.”

Besides Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, players can even go further back in time with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which will introduce players to “the Sinnoh region of old—before the existence of Pokémon Trainers and Pokémon Leagues.” Interestingly, this game was designed to deliver the Pokémon experience “infused with new action and RPG elements.” You can see the game in its current state in the video embed above, but here's the general scope of what trainers can expect:

As trainers explore the natural expanses in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, they’ll encounter pokémon that call these grand vistas home. To catch wild pokémon, players can study the pokémon’s behaviors, sneak up to them, then throw poké balls. Players can also battle wild Pokémon with their ally pokémon. By throwing the poké ball holding their ally pokémon near a wild pokémon, players will seamlessly enter battle. This new gameplay angle is intended to provide trainers with an immersive experience.

The art design of the game reminds us somewhat of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And it appears that we aren't the only ones with that idea, as you can see from the tweets below:

lol they did the shot pic.twitter.com/6wFNuRKZbO
— Akfamilyhome (@Akfamilyhome) February 26, 2021

THE LEGEND OF POKEMON: BREATH OF THE WILD 2 CONFIRMADO!!!!!!! #PokemonPresents pic.twitter.com/lMoQnxSjVz
— Diegotovisk 🎮 (@dihego) February 26, 2021

Overall, these games look incredibly exciting and should be fun to play (or replay) once they come out. Both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl should be out this year, but Pokémon Legends: Arceus is not slated for launch until some time in early 2022. Either way, it will be worth keeping an eye on, so stay tuned to HotHardware for Pokémon updates.

Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, pokemon, nintendo-switch

Pokémon Celebrates 25 Years With An All-New Open World RPG Called Arceus For Nintendo Switch

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