For the entirety of the mainline Pokémon series, the act of catching Pokémon has remained largely the same, though it seems Pokémons Legends: Arceus will be seeing a change. In most games, players enter a battle, weaken the desired monster a sufficient amount, then throw a Poké Ball. Many Poké Ball varieties have been introduced since the first generation of Pokémon games, but the general gameplay structure persists. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is reinventing the catching mechanics, adding new gameplay elements while retaining a recognizable set of steps.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ setting is largely responsible for the changes to catching Pokémon. The game takes place in a historical era of Sinnoh, known as the Hisui region to the people of that time period. The lives of Pokémon and humans are not yet intertwined, and players will have to explore the wilderness to complete the region’s first Pokédex. Many game mechanics typical of Pokémon games will be missing due to this narrative backdrop, and the new gameplay it promotes will fundamentally change the way players approach the task of catching a Pokémon.
The trailers have shown a few succinct clips of Pokémon being caught in Legends: Arceus, but the Pokémon website offers some more insight into how the gameplay will operate. The developers have broken down the process of catching a Pokémon into four stages: seek, observe, weaken, and catch. The final two should be familiar to Pokémon fans, but the more open ended design of Legends: Arceus has changed the way players will approach the roaming monsters.
The Process Of Catching Pokémon In Legends: Arceus
The first step to catching Pokémon in Legends: Arceus – seek – is fairly obvious. A Pokémon has to be found before it can be caught, after all. Gone are the days of players running through tall grass, hoping for RNG to put a desirable Pokémon in front of them. Much like in Pokémon Sword & Shield, the catchable creatures will be visible in the overworld, with “a particular time of day or in certain kinds of weather” required to find specific ones.
The second phase – observe – is intrinsic to the game’s objective of completing the bygone Hisui region’s first Pokédex. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the player character is in danger from Pokémon attacks, as well as other environmental factors like long falls. Some Pokémon may attack the player on sight, requiring careful observation in order to determine the best course of action. Others might be skittish, forcing the player to sneak into Poké Ball range.
The third step – weaken – is familiar to Pokémon players, but the biggest change coming in Arceus is that it’s not entirely necessary anymore. Players can opt to engage a wild Pokémon in battle like usual, or throw one of Pokémon Arceus: Legends steam-powered Poké Balls immediately, provided they’ve properly snuck up on the creature. Additionally, the final act of actually catching the Pokémon will require players to aim their Poké Ball throw, with a special variety of Heavy Balls to increase the chances of successfully catching those that are unawares. Fundamentally, catching Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the same process as previous games in the series, but the interactivity has increased because of the new gameplay mechanics.
