A recent leak suggests that Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be making some severe mechanical changes to the beloved role-playing franchise, including removing several key features.As reported by CENTRO Leaks on Twitter, notable Pokémon leaker @Riddler_Khu stated that Pokémon Legends: Arceus will not include unique abilities for player's pocket monsters, nor will it allow held items or breeding. Beyond this, the game will also feature an entirely new stats system that won't use Individual Values (IVs) to calculate a Pokémon's statistics. These numbers can be increased via candies, similar to how Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! handled incremental power gain. The leaker also notes that players will need to complete the Hisui Pokédex if they want to capture Arceus, which is ostensibly the goal of the game.
While many long-time Pokémon fans may be questioning why so many beloved mechanics are supposedly absent from Legends: Arceus, it's worth taking this leak with a pinch of salt. Shortly after posting the information, @Riddler_Khu switched their Twitter account to private, suggesting some of the information may be inaccurate. Some fans are suggesting that because Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a prequel seemingly set in a time where people don't fully understand Pokémon, mechanics like breeding and items would be out of place. Neither Nintendo nor The Pokémon Company has addressed this supposed leak.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a spin-off game that tasks players with exploring the Hisui region, a province within Sinnoh, a location fans will recognize from the recently released Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shing Pearl. In this wild and untamed land, trainers will need to journey across various biomes as they research and capture a wealth of Pokémon. The game is set to establish several major changes to the core franchise, focusing more on action-adventure gameplay and discovery.
Apart from these new mechanics, Legends: Arceus will also introduce a range of new evolutions and regional variants for a small collection of Pokémon. Not only will these new forms add to an already packed roster of pocket monsters but they'll be able to help players better navigate the world. As evidenced by one of the recent gameplay trailers, trainers can traverse large bodies of water by riding on Basculegion or glide through the air with the help of Hisuian Braviary.
Anticipation for Pokémon Legends: Arceus is at an all-time as the game is scheduled to launch on Jan 28 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Twitter