With the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus right around the corner, Nintendo has released a new gameplay overview that shows off the downsides of adventuring in the time before pocket monsters and humans became the best of friends. Avoiding the tall grass is not going to save you when Garchomp and Snorlax are coming for your blood, kids.
The ancient Sinnoh region, known in Legends: Arceus as the Hisui region, is not always a walk in the park. Sure, you’ll be able to toss magical spheres at tiny adorable starters, plucking them out of their natural habitats without a care in the world. But if you hope to triumph over some of the area’s more massive denizens, then you’re going to need a bigger set of balls. The image of an angry-eyed Snorlax charging at the game’s main character is going to stick with me for a long time.
The video itself, currently only in Japanese, is an overview of the game’s features and systems, most of which we’ve seen in action previously. Your character wanders the open areas of Hisui, collecting Pokémon to fill out the first Pokédex. Some monsters will come easy, others will require weakening via battles with you and your stable of friends. In town you’ll be able to craft, buy, and sell items, and pick up missions. In the field, you’ll set off from your base camp. As your explorer rank increases, you’ll gain access to new locations, and rideable Pokémon are the key to getting to hard-to-reach areas.
If you watch closely, you can catch a glimpse of something even more horrific than an angry, aggressive Snorlax. Imagine you’re wandering the region, come across a shiny Pokémon in the wild, and then this happens.
Ah, the joy of watching overworld shinies fly off into the sunset before you’ve even thrown a single Pokéball. This game is going to be good, or at least good at generating salty sweet tears. Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrives on Nintendo Switch on January 28. Good luck.
Update: 1/13/21, 10:20 a.m. ET: The Pokémon Company has now released a 13-minute gameplay trailer in English as well: