Felix “xQc” Lengyel, recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Pokemon Legends Arceus, which will be set to release this week. And also revealed that he has a positive impression of the game while watching the overview trailer on stream, but that there is one point of concern that could make PLA “boring.”
Pokemon Legends Arceus has undoubtedly been the talk of the town in the weeks leading up to its release. The new mechanics that are set to shake up the Pokemon world are to blame for a lot of the buzz and intrigue. Because PLA is an open-world RPG, it does not follow the typical Pokemon adventure storyline.
The Hisui region boasts a vastly different landscape than what fans have grown accustomed to in previous generations, based on what we’ve seen so far in the trailers (and through leaks)—and it’s not just the change of camera angle or player perspective. Aside from Hisuian forms, Legends Arceus brings new mechanics to wild encounters, such as Shiny and Noble Pokemon, and the battle system.
As he watched the PLA trailer on his stream, xQc remarked that all of these changes could be beneficial.
His thoughts echo some of the sentiments circulating in the neighborhood. Many fans are concerned about what Legends Arceus could mean for the future of the Pokemon universe. At the same time, it’s clear that a decade into the video game series, the franchise needed to shake things up in order to attract new players while also keeping long-time fans engaged. After all, complaints had already surfaced following the release of Generation V (or VI) that Pokemon was becoming repetitive.
One way to approach it is to think of Legends Arceus as a distinct entity from the Pokemon games we’ve grown accustomed to.
Many of the same creatures and types appear, but there are enough differences (such as the Agile and Strong Styles) to make it seem like a separate or alternate universe. Finally, xQc is excited to see how all of these changes play out once PLA is released.
xQc, on the other hand, mentioned one factor that could “make or break” Legends Arceus (and future Pokemon releases of the same nature). His main concern is the storyline, which he believes is becoming too linear. Fans may not know how to progress through the game until it’s finished unless they’ve seen complete leaked playthroughs.
Unlike previous Pokemon games, where trainers have a clear goal of collecting gym badges and becoming champion (while also taking out some goons), PLA’s arc isn’t about becoming the “very best like no one ever was” because it’s an open-world game. It could become too “linear,” as xQc put it, where it’s not as exploratory as the wilderness suggests and it’s just a matter of visiting one location after another and completing missions. Legends Arceus would become “boring” to play as a result.
On January 28, 2022, Pokemon Legends Arceus will be released for the Nintendo Switch platform. Until then, fans can take advantage of a few pre order bonuses while also getting a taste of what the upcoming open-world RPG has to offer, which includes everything from new Hisuian forms and Frenzied Noble Pokemon to space-time distortions and intriguing sidequests.