Pok\u00e9mon Legends: Arceus <\/em>is celebrating its second anniversary, and with it comes a reminder of how special the game was for so many franchise fans. But beyond that, the massive release of Palworld <\/em>has even more players looking back and wanting more of Game Freak\u2019s black sheep.<\/p>
Legends: Arceus <\/em>dropped on Jan. 28, 2022, marking the first time since Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> <\/em>first launched in 1995 that Game Freak truly changed the formula for the series. Sure, Let’s Go, Pikachu! <\/em>and Let’s Go, Eevee! <\/em>altered how catching and encounters worked in 2018 but the battle system remained mostly unchanged\u2014and things quickly shifted back to normal with Sword <\/em>and Shield<\/em>. On the other hand, Legends: Arceus <\/em>changed basically everything about Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s <\/em>core gameplay loop to bring it closer to an action game.<\/p>
Whether it be the freedom of catching Pok\u00e9mon without having to battle them, the \u201cStyle\u201d system<\/a> and other changes to the franchise\u2019s turn-based combat, or the actual danger of facing down creatures who will damage your trainer, Legends: Arceus <\/em>was a bold departure fans praised at the time. Now, two years on, the game is getting even more love after the launch of Palworld<\/em>, which iterates on things Legends: Arceus <\/em>did and shows what another entry in that style could do for Pok\u00e9mon<\/em>.<\/p>
Palworld <\/em>has exploded in popularity, selling more than eight million copies<\/a> and becoming the second most-played game in Steam history (by peak player count) in less than a week. Pocketpair\u2019s blend of monster catching and training with a survival core paid off big-time, giving players a huge world to explore, Pals to encounter, and content to mess with. Ark <\/em>may be a more apt comparison<\/a> for this mega-hit, but the areas where Palworld <\/em>does share similarities with Legends: Arceus <\/em>highlights just how well the model works for Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>
“Legends: Arceus<\/em> was proof that a vastly different approach to the Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> formula can coexist with the normal one and not compete with each other,” Twitter user Kuyonn wrote<\/a>. “Really hope Legends<\/em> becomes an ongoing series because it was by far one of the best new additions to Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> in awhile [sic].”<\/p>
If you really take a close look at Palworld<\/em>\u2019s gameplay it has an entirely different feel to Pok\u00e9mon <\/em>outside of that Legends: Arceus <\/em>approach to catching Pals. Its focus on survival and base-building mechanics sets it apart, but the visuals and world filled with things to discover and creatures to capture gave players a glance at what Pok\u00e9mon <\/em>could become if there was a little more time put into development<\/a>.\u00a0At the very least, the hope is Scarlet <\/em>and Violet’s <\/em>performance issues and backlash<\/a> will keep something similar from happening in the future.<\/p>
The comparisons between Palworld <\/em>and Pok\u00e9mon <\/em>won\u2019t stop any time soon, with the former continuing to dominate Steam<\/a> and The Pok\u00e9mon Company openly noting it is going to<\/a> investigate Pocketpair for IP infringement<\/a>.<\/p>
