Pokemon Legends: Arceus is only a months away, and although there have been just a few trailers, more information is starting to leak about the highly anticipated game. In particular, Pokemon Legends: Arceus seems to be focusing on new Hisuian variants of well-known Pokemon. A few monsters are going to be in the game as well, but for a region that will become Sinnoh in the distant future, regional variants make a lot of sense.
A few regional variants have already been confirmed, such as Hisuian Growlithe and Braviary. Variants of Zorua and Zoroark were also recently revealed, and rumors have been circulating that the Pokemon Legends: Arceus starters; Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet; will have new final forms.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Leaked Starter Evolutionary Forms
Rumors began circulating about potentially new starter evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus a while ago, but none of these came from credible sources. Now that appears to have changed, with Centro Leaks on Twitter revealing suggesting the three starters may have new evolutionary forms. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, the account has a history of leaking correct information about Pokemon. According to other leaks, the final evolutions will all be dual types, whereas Samurott and Typhlosion are traditionally single types.
The new evolutionary forms for Pokemon Legends: Arceus starters' are still just rumors, but if true, Typhlosion will be Fire/Ghost-type, Samurott will be Water/Dark-type, and Decidueye will be a Grass/Fighting-type. No photos have been revealed yet, but if the typings are correct it'll be interesting to see how different these Hisuian variants appear. Arceus is the most ambitious Pokemon game to date and is mixing up a lot of traditional elements, so it would make sense to include starter evolutions.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus May Feature More Variants
Leaks also suggest there will be a Hisuian Electrode line and a rideable Ursaring. Trailers have shown several rideable Pokemon, so there's a strong possibility this one is true. There's also a new evolutionary form for Scyther called Kleavor, and a new Basculin evolution called Basculegion. Normal/Ghost-type variants of Zorua and Zoroark have also been confirmed, and that's probably just the beginning of what's to come. New evolutions of older Pokemon have already been a consistent theme for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, so there are likely several other Hisuian variants that haven't been revealed.
Another leaker on Twitter claimed that there are a total of 17 Hisuan evolutions, which means only a small handful have been revealed so far. A Hisuan Electrode line was mentioned again, as well as variants of Sneasel and Voltorb. As with any leaks, it's important to take everything with a grain of salt, but Pokemon fans already have a lot of new evolutions and regional variants to look forward to.
Having Different Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus Makes Sense
Pokemon Legends: Arceus stands out from other Pokemon games for a few reasons, but one of the biggest differences is that it takes place in the distant past when humans were still learning about how to build relationships with Pokemon. The time period is a game-changer, even altering things like the traditional Pokemon Gym system. It only makes sense that the setting would alter Pokemon themselves as well.
The Hisui region depicts the Sinnoh region's past, so fans should expect to see a lot of classic Sinnoh Pokemon in the game. It makes sense to assume that Pokemon evolutions can change or go extinct with time, so placing a focus on having some different versions of Pokemon helps establish the setting further.
Pokemon in the Sinnoh region weren't the same hundreds of years ago when the region was formed, and it would be strange if the game portrayed them that way. As the area became more developed and the relationships between humans and Pokemon changed, evolution should have naturally taken off in a new direction too.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.
