However, as short and sweet as the event was, not everyone was able to follow it closely. Thankfully, we are here to help. Scroll down below to find out everything that the Pokemon Company announced at the most recent Pokemon Presents event.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl
President and CEO of The Pokemon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, was the one to announce three upcoming Pokemon games himself. The first two, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl, are no surprise. However, it was still a welcome surprise for many Pokemon fans. After all, it’s been more than 6 years since Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, released for the Nintendo 3DS. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, respectively, and will see old and new players alike explore a faithfully remade Sinnoh region. Both titles are expected to launch in late 2021 for the Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
One of the more surprising announcements during the presentation was Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Unlike Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl, the game is not a remake. Instead, it will feature an all-new story. Not only that, but it will be set in a time when Pokemon Trainers and Pokemon Leagues had yet to exist. The game will reportedly have players embarking on an adventure to create the first-ever Pokedex in the region. In addition to a very different era, gameplay will also be slightly altered as it is actually an open-world Pokemon game. Yes, you heard that. This means gameplay will not be your typical Pokemon gameplay. Sure, the traditional turn-based battles will still be there. However, there will be a lot of things going different For example, the game will let players catch Pokemon without actually having to fight them. They can simply sneak up behind the Pokemon in the tall grass and throw Pokeballs, This is just like how Ash Ketchum and his friends do it in the anime. With that said, because it’s set in a different era, there’ll hardly be any towns and buildings in the game. Whether or not Pokemon Legends Arceus is finally the open-world Pokemon game that people have been begging for years is something that we’ll find out real soon. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is expected to release some time in early 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Snap was teased in 2020 and earlier this year. The game is set in the Lental region and will feature a radically different take on the usual Pokemon gameplay. Instead of battling other trainers and Pokemon, Snap will have players working closely with Professor Mirror. Their job? To take photos of the Pokemon living on the island in their natural habitat by using a variety of methods to catch their attention. It seems that Pokemon Snap is really going all-in on this new type of gameplay. It features a scoring system and will let players edit their snapped photos to either customize them depending on what they want and so much more. Pokemon Snap will also feature an online component where players can share photos and compete against other Pokemon photographers from all over the world. Pokemon Snap will release on April 30, 2021, on the Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon 25th Anniversary In-Game Celebrations
Of course, the Pokemon Company did not forget about their current games. In line with the 25th Anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, there’ll be multiple in-game events available across multiple titles. For example, in Pokemon Go, a Kanto-themed celebration event is currently ongoing. The said event will feature Legendary Raid Battles with the legendary bird trio, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, all making an appearance. Also included in the event is everyone’s favourite Pokemon, Mewtwo. Meanwhile, in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, a Gigantamax Pikachu is set to make an appearance in what they refer to as a special Max Raid Battle. For Pokemon Masters EX, Leon (Galar region Champion) and his trusty Charizard will appear from February 26 to March 18. Lastly, 2,500 golden acorns await players who log in to Pokemon Cafe Mix from February 26 to March 1.