Will Pokemon Scarlet & Violet be like Legends Arceus?

With Pokemon Scarlet & Violet coming to Switch later this year, many are wondering if it will keep the positive changes added in Legends Arceus or go in a different direction entirely.

Whenever a new mainline Pokemon game is announced, it’s only natural that trainers will compare it to the most recent generation to see how it’s improved and whether their favorite gameplay mechanics will stick around or be cut.

But with the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the game that most players are referring back to isn’t 2019’s Sword & Shield, it’s Legends Arceus, the well-received spin-off title that was released in January this year.

Although early footage got a mixed reaction, Pokemon Legends Arceus eventually won gamers over with its addictive gameplay and loads of quality-of-life updates. In fact, many saw it as a much bigger step forward for the franchise than Sword & Shield was.

As a result, Pokemon fans are eager to see if Scarlet & Violet will follow the path laid by Legends Arceus or if it will be more similar to Sword & Shield. While there are still plenty of unknowns, we do know enough to make some early comparisons.

The Pokemon Company

How will Pokemon Scarlet & Violet be similar to Legends Arceus?

While Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and Legends Arceus have quite a few differences, most of the basics are the same. You’ll be exploring a new region, filling out your Pokedex, and battling other trainers. As usual, catching ’em all will be one of the biggest goals here.

Another similarity between the games is how you’ll explore the overworld. In Legends Arceus, you could unlock different creatures to fly, swim, and climb through different areas. In Scarlet & Violet, your Legendary Pokemon (either Koraidon or Miraidon) will take on all of those roles.

Just like how there were Hisuian variations of existing Pokemon in Legends Arceus, there will be Paldean variations of creatures like Wooper to discover in the new games. It’s also been confirmed that some Hisuain Pokemon like Hisuain Zoroark will return in Scarlet & Violet.

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How will Pokemon Scarlet & Violet be different from Legends Arceus?

One of the biggest differences in Scarlet & Violet is that it will be a truly open-world game. Legends Arceus may have felt open world at times, but each area was connected to a central hub via loading screens and you couldn’t freely travel between them.

While the main goal of Legends Arceus was to fill out the very first Pokedex, Scarlet & Violet will once again task you with defeating Gym Leaders – although there will also be two other storylines to follow, and the game is non-linear so you can tackle them in any order you like.

When it comes to battling and catching, it looks like Scarlet & Violet will be more similar to Sword & Shield, as features from Legends Arceus like being able to sneak up and catch Pokemon without entering a battle sequence aren’t being carried over to the Paldea region.

The Pokemon Company

Early footage also seems to confirm that quite a few of the smaller quality of life updates from Legends Arceus, like the EXP animation appearing outside of battle and being able to switch up your Pokemon’s moves on the fly, won’t be included in Scarlet & Violet.

As for the features that are brand new in Scarlet & Violet, players can look forward to the Terrastallizing phenomenon that will change a Pokemon’s typing mid-battle, the ability to play co-op with up to four friends, and of course, plenty of new Pokemon to catch.