Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ stealth-infused open world hits Switch in 2022

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  A vast, ancient wilderness ready to be explored.

Today's online Pokémon Presents stream, which celebrated the series' 25th anniversary, included at least one major surprise: the announcement of a new, more action-oriented Pokémon game set in a period resembling feudal Japan. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is in full development by Game Freak and is targeting an early 2022 release, according to the announcement.

While the new game will be set in the now-familiar Sinnoh region, it will move things back to "a long, long time ago, when the Sinnoh region was still only a vast wilderness." Players will operate from a base in a feudal-style village, starting out with one of three familiar starter pokémon (Rowlett, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott) to explore that wilderness and fill in the region's first pokédex.

A short trailer for the game showed a few changes from the series' usual RPG format. Using a Sword and Shield-style over-the-shoulder camera, players can "study the pokémon’s behaviors, sneak up to them, then throw pokéballs" to catch them directly, as the game's official description puts it.

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