Highlights
Pokemon Legends: Arceus sets a precedent for future games to explore past versions of existing regions, like a potential Pokemon Legends Alola.
The Alola Region, which draws inspiration from Hawaii, provides a varied terrain and a vibrant Polynesian heritage that could impact the selection of starter Pokémon and their subsequent evolutions. Possible starter options for a Pokemon Legends Alola game might consist of Sprigatito, Tepig, and Piplup.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is hopefully just the beginning of a series of games that transport players to different eras of existing regions, shedding new light on them and showcasing the diverse creatures that inhabited them in the past. Among the potential future locations for a sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the captivating lore and enigmatic history of Alola, the region featured in Generation 7, stands out as a strong contender. If a Pokemon Legends game were to explore the distant past of Alola, there are already several exceptional starter Pokemon from previous generations that could make a reappearance in this game.
While Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes place in a bygone era of the Sinnoh Region, known as Hisui, it does not include any of the Generation 4 starters as options for players to choose as their first partner. Instead, starters from different generations are provided, with players having the opportunity to select either Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott, each of which possesses a regional variant of its final evolution. Given the approach taken by Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it is highly likely that a sequel would follow a similar pattern, and a Pokemon Legends game set in Alola could potentially feature a range of fantastic starter options.
The Pokemon Most Likely to Be Starters in a Legends Alola Game
The Alola Region in the Pokemon universe is based on Hawaii and consists of a group of islands mirroring the real-world location. Hawaii's tropical climate and diverse landscape of beaches, jungles, and volcanoes heavily influenced the design of the Alola Region and could determine the availability of certain starter Pokemon. Furthermore, the rich Polynesian culture embedded in Hawaii's history provides an opportunity for incorporating thematic elements into the starter choices and the evolutions of their final forms.
Considering the abundance of lush flora in Hawaii and Alola, Sprigatito would be an excellent Grass-type starter for a Pokemon Legends Alola game. Sprigatito is known to crave attention from humans and can become sullen if neglected, which aligns with the game's theme of a somewhat isolated relationship between Pokemon and people. Additionally, Meowscarada is renowned for its flower-carrying abilities and attacks. Given Alola's numerous flower fields, a Grass/Fairy-type variant of Meowscarada could take this design concept to the extreme by equipping the Pokemon with an entire bouquet to use in battle.
In considering Hawaii's native fauna, Tepig emerges as the ideal Fire-type starter for a previous version of the Alola Region. The wild boars, which are abundant on the major islands of Hawaii, have a reputation for consuming various types of native fruits. Hence, Tepig, who has a fondness for roasted berries, seamlessly blends into Alola's natural surroundings. Moreover, the iconic Hawaiian delicacy, the whole roasted kalua pig, could serve as the somewhat eerie inspiration for a regional variant of Emboar. As a result of its evolution, this variant would acquire the Fire/Ghost typing.
Although it may seem unusual for a region with a warm, tropical climate, Piplup presents a compelling case for being the Water-type starter in Pokemon Legends Alola. While most real-world penguins are commonly associated with the frigid conditions of Antarctica, there are several species that thrive in warmer climates. Despite not being indigenous to Hawaii, species like the African black-footed penguin can flourish in its tropical environment. Consequently, Piplup and a potential Water/Rock-type Empoleon, inspired by the warm climate-loving Rockhopper penguin, unexpectedly emerge as excellent candidates for the Alola Region.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available for Nintendo Switch.