Anyone who has engaged with the Pokemon franchise is probably familiar with the motto, "Gotta catch 'em all." A primary focus of Pokemon games has always been catching Pokemon in order to have a completed Pokedex, usually for research purposes. There are hundreds of Pokemon and most of them have multiple forms, so completing a Pokedex can be a big task. Collecting Pokemon is fun, but catching all of them is usually an endgame objective that casual gamers might not attempt.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus changes that in a big way. Rather than having the Pokedex as an optional, secondary objective, it's woven into the core of the story and gameplay. Because Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in the distant past, this makes a lot of sense. The Pokedex objective is usually overshadowed by a gym tournament, but the absence of gyms in Arceus puts collecting Pokemon at the top of the priority list.
Other Games Don't Require Pokedex Completion to Progress
Everyone who starts a Pokemon game has a dream of completing the Pokedex, or at least catching as many monsters as possible. Many players achieve this dream, but a lot of players don't. Completing a Pokedex requires hours of commitment and grinding. In some cases, it also requires a Nintendo Online membership. Casual players often aren't willing to spend that amount of time completing it, especially after they've already finished the game.
The good thing for those players is that catching Pokemon really isn't required to progress. Completing it is usually rewarded, and it certainly helps diversify battle teams, but it's not an absolute requirement. All you need is a full team to complete the stories. Even though the slogan of the Pokemon franchise is "Gotta catch 'em all," it's never been embodied by most Pokemon games. Rather, the primary objective is to win a gym tournament and become the best Pokemon trainer.
From a world-building perspective, it makes sense. In all mainline Pokemon games, the player is in a world that's very familiar with Pokemon. Players don't need to catch every Pokemon in order to learn about them. They could just ask a professor or research data that's already been compiled. It's nice to have bragging rights and get the reward, but it makes no meaningful difference if the player completes the Pokedex or not.
Completing the Pokedex is Required in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
In contrast, completing the Pokedex is everything in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This objective is made clear in the game's opening scene, where the player is instructed to find all Pokemon in order to reach the endgame. The task is further reinforced by NPCs early on. The reality of Arceus is that if you aren't interested in catching all 242 Pokemon in the game, it's not going to be a great time. Unlike previous games, Arceus locks player progression behind Pokemon collection.
Again, it does make sense from a world-building standpoint. The people in the Hisui region know precious little about Pokemon and, because of their lack of knowledge, are often frightened of them. When the player enters Jubilife Village for the first time, they are immediately introduced to the Galaxy Expedition Team. In most Pokemon games, this would be a training group or rival team, but the Galaxy Expedition Team is made up of trailblazing Pokemon researchers.
When players complete the Pokedex in Arceus, it makes a meaningful difference because in many cases, the player is finding Pokemon for the very first time. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the only Pokemon game that actually requires players to fill out the Pokedex in order to complete the main story. "Gotta catch 'em all," may have been the Pokemon motto for the past 25 years, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the first game that really means it.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.
