Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an open-world game coming to Switch

The Pokémon Company has officially announced a new open-world Pokémon game for Switch.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be set during the early days of the Sinnoh region and will be released in 2022.

The game appears to be set in a large, open area similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The three starter Pokémon available to players are Cyndaquil, Oshawatt and Rowlett. The three were brought to Sinnoh by a new professor, who had previously explored other regions.

Players are tasked with completing the Sinnoh region’s first ever Pokédex, and the aim is still to capture Pokémon.

Based on the first gameplay trailer released by The Pokémon Company, it appears that wild Pokémon can be caught in the open world sections without having to engage in battles.

However, turn-based battling is still featured in the game, as seen in the initial announcement during today’s Pokémon Presents video.

As the name suggests, the game will revolve around the ‘god’ Pokémon Arceus, but it’s not clear yet what part it plays in the story.

Also announced Friday were Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, remakes of the DS Diamond and Pearl games. The pair will be released in late 2021, before Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

The Pokémon Company released a New Pokémon Snap trailer on Friday too, showing off photo editing and Illumina orbs ahead of the game’s release on April 30.