In retrospect,Pokemon Legends: Arceuswas a brilliant way for Game Freak to kick off a new kind of sub-franchise.Legends: Arceushas been lauded for its changes to thePokemonformula, sending players into open environments with a greater focus on capturing monsters to complete their Pokedex than on battling to become a Champion. By setting the game’s story in the past, Game Freak also took an opportunity to flesh out the lore of its universe by introducing the ancestors of recognizable characters.
Generation 4’s Sinnoh region is the perfect playground to test out this idea. The original DS gamesPokemon DiamondandPearlcentered a people who treasured their history, exemplified by Champion and archeologist Cynthia. Arceus the creation deity also makes sense as a box art Legendary for more philosophical reasons than in Koei Tecmo’s combat-heavyPokemon Conquesta decade prior.Pokemon Legends: Arceus' salesall-but guarantee more games in this style, and traveling to the past ensures every region has more stories to tell.Pokemon SunandMoon’s Alola region has some of the more interesting potential to dig into.
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Alola’s Ultra Wormholes Present Familiar Opportunities
GivenPokemon Legends: Arceusoffered Game Freak the opportunity to revisit an older region, it would make sense for that pattern to continue.Pokemonfans have expressed interest in aLegendsgame about Johtofor example, as that region is also steeped in history and could tell traditional tales about Ho-Oh and Lugia - such as the destruction of Ecruteak’s Burned Tower and the creation of Johto’s Legendary beast trio. One could also make a strong argument for a Generation 5-themedLegendsgame about Reshiram and Zekrom’s split, especially if Game Freak creates this title in place of its next traditional remakes.
Alola is comparatively modern, only one Generation removed from the most recentPokemon SwordandShield. Yet its regional lore and archipelago design present a great opportunity to imitatePokemon Legends: Arceus' formula and improve upon that foundation.
Pokemon Sun,Moon,Ultra Sun, andUltra Moonintroduced Ultra Wormholes, which in practice were similar to the Space-Time Rift that opens over Mount Coronet in Hisui. Ultra Wormholes were often torn open by interdimensional Pokemon-like creatures dubbed Ultra Beasts, notably Cosmog and its final evolutions Solgaleo and Lunala. People who pass through these Wormholes are known as “Fallers,” with the most prominent example being Anabel. Similar toIngo, the Gen 5 Battle Subway boss who is pulled back in timeto Hisui and loses his memory, Anabel was a former Frontier Brain in Gen 3’s Battle Frontier who loses her memory and becomes part of the International Police.
Ultra Wormholes could just as easily set up a time-travel narrative as Hisui’s Space-Time Rift, and the region overall could be re-imagined to match. The Hawai’i-inspired Alola is split into four islands: Melemele, Akala, Ula’ula, and Poni. Even disregarding the “fifth” island - a massive floating structure designed by the Aether Foundation - these could be turned into large open-world areas akin toPokemon Legends: Arceus' five locales. Nintendo also just announced it willshut down the eShop for 3DS and Wii U consoles, meaningSunandMoon(as well as theirUltrasequels) have a limited shelf life.
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Alola’s Royal Family and Tapu Are Ripe to Explore
If Game Freak does repeat its time-travel conceit, it will need to create a new narrative that avoidsLegends: Arceus' focus. Luckily, there are numerous teases regardingAlola’s historythat offer an interesting place to kick off a tale surrounding its Polynesian culture. One key figure to dig into is Acerola, the Ghost-type Trial Captain-turned-Elite Four member. At one point in Generation 7’s narrative she offers Lillie a book not available at the library, crediting this access to her position as the last living member of Alola’s ancient royal family.
What exactly the royal family was isn’t examined very thoroughly, but aPokemon Legendsgame could do exactly that. Whether it be set in a far distant past or within the last few hundred years, a queen who appears to be an older Acerola could guide the player’s hand; perhaps based on figures like Queen Lili’uokalani. This could lead to a story about the colonization of Alola that riffs off real-world history between Hawai’i and the United States, but Game Freak could also just have players quell the wrath of the Tapu similar toHisui’s Noble Pokemon.
The Alola region’s four guardian deities; Tapu Koko, Lele, Bulu, and Fini; are all half Fairy-type beings that protect the four islands. Generation 7 games allude to wars for supremacy between the Tapu, battles that would inspire the wrestling-themed Battle Royal matches in Alola, and the player could be caught up in one of these bouts. However, a more likely storyline would revolve around an invasion of the Ultra Beasts and thecreation of Z-Crystals. While Lillie and Gladion’s father Mohn is credited with confirming the existence of Ultra Wormholes, the Tapu are said to have a history of beating back invaders like Solgaleo and Lunala. Focusing on Ultra Beasts also gives Game Freak the chance to introduce new, unique creatures.
Alola and Kanto Region Ancestors Deserve Some Love
As one of the most inspired elements ofPokemon Legends: Arceus, it would be silly for an Alola-themed game (or any otherLegendstitle) to not present more ancestor characters. While exploring Hisui, players also encounter numerous individuals who make reference to other regions existing - including aGalaxy Team member who gives out Alolan Vulpix. Pearl Clan Warden Calaba is likely the ancestor of Alola’s Trial Captain Mina, and Wally’s ancestor Beni references moving to a more tropical climate during the post-game, so this region-hopping trend can continue.
A past Alola would likely feature a number of Kanto region ancestors, as the two locales are said to be close by one another:SunandMoon’s player character is from Kanto,Lillie and Lusaminetravel there in the post-game, and Alolan Forms are all based on Kantonian Pokemon. This would help fill in gaps left byPokemon Legends: Arceus, which primarily seems to draw from Sinnoh, Galar, and Unova characters for its ancestors.
Whatever Game Freak decides to do next, it’s sure to be interesting. While the developer doesn’t seem intent to drop its traditional formula entirely, and probably shouldn’t if it wants to maintain a competitive scene, theinnovations ofPokemon Legends: Arceusshould carry forward. Creating more games in this new sub-franchise is a surefire way to iron out its kinks, and Alola feels like a solid option to experiment with next.
