The game Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an open world adventure set in the historical Sinnoh region. The gameplay will focus on the creation of the first Pokédex, and potentially explain the origins of trainer journeys and Pokéballs. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be available on the Nintendo Switch early in 2022, and the announcement trailer showcases a beautiful, hyper-realistic world that can be fully explored. However, the game could have been just as beautiful in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's signature pixel art style.
Recent Pokémon games have put a focus on 3D designs, stepping away from the original pixel worlds and adorable sprites of the earlier generations. While 3D spaces can offer a more detailed experience, it has been shown in other games like Minecraft and Terraria, among many others, that a pixelated art style is still appreciated by gamers. Currently, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has a style similar to the popular Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with bright colors and sweeping landscapes which create intriguing, semi-realistic environments for exploration.
While the Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer showcases the exciting new take on the Sinnoh region, this hasn't stopped fans from imagining what the game could look like in a retro Pokémon style. N.A.R. on Twitter has shared fanart of what the main characters could look like if done in a pixelated art style for the Nintendo DS, instead of 3D models. Pokémon Legends: Arceus would look much different with these more classic designs, but wouldn't be a bad alternative if developers had chosen to go down such a path.
Retro Pokémon Legends: Arceus Characters Are Looking Good
Landscapes would likely be simplified if Pokémon Legends: Arceus was modeled after Nintendo DS games like the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. A top-down view would obscure parts of the map, changing landscapes to be less sweeping and more sprite-based, and the game likely wouldn't have Pokémon spawning in the overworld. Grass would be clumped in square patches and water features wouldn't sparkle realistically. It would also set a different mood compared to the undeveloped, wild expanses of the Sinnoh region seen in the Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer.
Because many mechanics shown in the trailer for the game rely on different camera perspectives, like sneaking up on Pokémon to catch them, a Nintendo DS design choice wouldn't have been possible for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This new game relies on the specs of the Nintendo Switch to breathe life into large concepts which make up the known gameplay. However, imagining what Pokémon Legends: Arceus could have looked like on the Nintendo DS is a fun way for fans to link the newly-reimagined Sinnoh region with Diamond and Pearl's original designs.
Source: N.A.R./Twitter
