The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Perfect Pokemon Legends Game

Highlights

Different gameplay styles are evident in Pokemon: Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, with the former exploring innovative concepts. A sense of disappointment arose among fans due to the absence of certain quality-of-life improvements from Legends: Arceus in Scarlet/Violet.

Pokemon Materials in Scarlet/Violet enable trainers to create TMs, providing an opportunity to broaden the range of moves that can be taught to Pokemon in a new Legends game.

Incorporating Auto-Battle, which facilitates rapid leveling and efficient farming in Scarlet/Violet, into a new Pokemon: Legends game would enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet were released in the same year, but their gameplay couldn't be more different. While Scarlet/Violet stuck to the traditional Pokemon formula, Legends: Arceus took a bold new approach. Despite being released almost a year apart, some fans were disappointed to discover that Scarlet/Violet, which debuted in November 2022, did not incorporate several quality of life improvements introduced in Legends: Arceus, which premiered in January 2022.

While it is likely that future Pokemon: Legends games will continue to follow the gameplay style of Legends: Arceus, it would be wise to consider incorporating certain concepts from Scarlet/Violet for potential spin-offs. Pokemon: Legends should not sacrifice the elements that made Legends: Arceus so memorable, but there is no harm in incorporating a few elements from the mainline games as well.

7 Pokemon Materials

Technical Machines (TMs) have always been a part of Pokemon gameplay, teaching a Pokemon a new move before disappearing after a single use. However, in Generation 5, they were given permanent use. Unfortunately, TMs became breakable again in later generations, including Generation 9. To address this drawback, Scarlet/Violet introduces a solution by allowing trainers to obtain Pokemon Materials. These materials are dropped items that trainers receive when they defeat or capture a wild Pokemon. Similar to Pokemon GO's Candy, Pokemon Materials are used for crafting TMs instead of powering up or evolving Pokemon.

In Legends: Arceus, there is a limited "TM Pool" where trainers must take their Pokemon to the Move Tutor in Jubilife Village to learn exclusive moves, such as Shadow Ball for Eevee. In a new Pokemon: Legends game, the concept of Pokemon Materials can be retained, and players can trade them in to learn new moves. This would hopefully broaden the range of moves that can be taught to Pokemon by a Move Tutor.

6 Auto-Battle

In mainline Pokemon games, trainers can use the Auto-Battle feature by pressing the R-button to send out their Pokemon to challenge nearby wild Pokemon without officially entering a battle. This feature allows for quick leveling up of Pokemon and farming of Pokemon Materials for TMs. However, if a Pokemon has a Type Disadvantage and is at a lower level, it may become exhausted and return to its trainer.

In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon can be released from their Poke Balls and roam the field, but they cannot walk alongside their trainers. They can gather items and interact with other Pokemon, but throwing them at wild Pokemon starts a battle. Including auto-battle in the new Pokemon: Legends game would be beneficial, given that it follows the battle style of Legends: Arceus. Auto-battle would provide a convenient method for leveling up without the need for constant Apricorn farming or EXP gained from catching or battling.

5 Pokemon Battles

In the world of Legends: Arceus, the presence of Pokemon instilled fear among the villagers of Jubilife Village and beyond, leading to various quests focused on familiarizing them with these creatures. The concept of Pokemon Battles was unfamiliar to most characters, with only a few trainers serving as mandatory opponents to advance the storyline. However, defeating them would not reward players with any Poke Dollars.

It is likely that Pokemon: Legends will maintain the same approach towards Pokemon, resulting in fewer trainers available for battles. Unfortunately, this can pose challenges in terms of earning money and experience points for Pokemon, as battling may not be readily accessible. In line with Scarlet/Violet, players should have the choice to engage in battles rather than being compelled to do so upon being noticed.

4 Evolutions Added in Gen 9 (Cross-Gen Evolutions)

Pokemon: Legends Arceus is set in the Hisui Region, which means that the majority of the Pokemon available to capture in the game are part of the Sinnoh Dex. However, this does not mean that Pokemon with later evolutions (such as those from Unova and beyond) cannot be found in ancient Sinnoh. Sylveon, for example, was first introduced in Pokemon X/Y but can still be obtained in Legends: Arceus, unlike in Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.

Scarlet/Violet introduces new evolutions for Pokemon from previous generations. These new evolutions include Annihilape, Dudunsparce, Farigiraf, and Kingambit, which are the evolved forms of Primeape, Dunsparce, Girafarig, and Bisharp, respectively. If there were to be another installment of Pokemon: Legends, it would be great to include the new Cross-Gen Evolutions from Generation 9. In fact, Primeape's evolution aligns well with the evolution methods of other Pokemon, such as Stantler evolving into Wyrdeer or Hisuin Qwilfish evolving into Overqwil, making it a perfect fit for the gameplay of Pokemon: Legends.

3 Pokedex Entry Visuals

The Pokedex Entries from Scarlet/Violet can be transferred to a less-demanding game like Pokemon: Legends. Players can unlock Pokedex Entry artwork whenever they catch a new Pokemon and register it in the Pokedex App. While it doesn't contribute to the gameplay, it provides an artistic cover for each entry.

Pokedex Tasks, which were not part of the Pokedex requirements in Scarlet/Violet, should be retained in the new Pokemon: Legends. Since Legends is set in a distant past as a spinoff, it is highly likely that Pokedex Research Tasks will make a return. It remains unclear whether these tasks will be accompanied by hand-drawn art.

2 Let's Go! Pokemon Swimming Animations

In the event that Scarlet/Violet trainers throw their Pokemon's Poke Ball into the water, one of two outcomes would occur: Either a raft would materialize beneath them to keep them afloat, or they would possess the ability to swim in the water. Pokemon that require rafts are unable to engage in automatic battles compared to those that have their own swimming animations.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus introduced a feature where players could throw their Pokemon into the water, but the majority of them would have makeshift rafts supporting them. The exceptions would be able to stay afloat but would not follow their trainer. This is something that should be incorporated into the next Pokemon: Legends game, inspired by Scarlet/Violet. It would enable Pokemon to swim while outside of their Poke Ball and allow them to partake in automatic battles. Additionally, a potential Pokedex Research Task could involve a Pokemon swimming a specific distance in water.

1 Pokemon Eggs

Pokemon: Legends Arceus lacked a crucial feature - Pokemon Eggs. In Pokemon Gold/Silver, breeding and hatching eggs provided an easy way to obtain multiple rare Pokemon, including starters. To efficiently farm Pokemon Eggs, trainers relied on Ditto, a Pokemon that could breed with any other Pokemon (with a few exceptions). Pokemon Scarlet/Violet simplifies the Breeding/Egg process, requiring trainers to pair up compatible Pokemon of opposite genders and enjoy a picnic. Checking the basket at the end of the table reveals the newly laid Eggs.

Considering the potential time frame of Pokemon: Legends, where Pokemon are still feared, it's highly unlikely that Eggs will play a role in the gameplay. Moreover, it was Professor Elm from the Johto Region who first discovered Pokemon Eggs, making it unsuitable to introduce them in this particular installment. However, if we consider Professor Laventon's theory that "Pokemon can change their size to fit into Poke Balls," it wouldn't be the first instance of Pokemon: Legends deviating from established canon.

From a gameplay perspective, Pokemon that hatch from Eggs possess a higher base level of Friendship compared to those captured in the wild. Additionally, they begin their journey at level 1, allowing ample opportunity to increase their friendship through leveling up. This advantageous starting point makes evolving Pokemon with Friendship Evolution, such as Togepi or Eevee, slightly more manageable.