A breath of fresh air for the franchise, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has been a revelation regarding the potential the Pokemon series holds. After gameplay of their main series games had been following the same formula for decades, getting something so drastically different and innovative yet almost unanimously positively received seemed impossible.

Game Freak pulled it off, though, and fans are already hoping for more. If not another full Legends game down the line, some features could immeasurably improve the franchise going forward. Even if Game Freak does want to go back to their standard formula for Generation 9, integrating just some of Legends’ better elements could make for something incredible.

10 Engaging Pokemon Catching

It’s amazing that it took over 25 years for a Pokemon game to center primarily around the catching of Pokemon, but that’s the situation we’re at with Legends. Whilst catching Pokemon has always been a major part of the franchise, there has always been more emphasis on battling as the primary gameplay.

Catching wild Pokemon was always just an element of battles, a different outcome that players had to battle slightly differently for. In Legends, catching Pokemon is the driving force of the gameplay, and all the mechanics seek to emphasize it. While battling will no doubt remain the driving force of regular Pokemon gameplay, having a system like this for catching wild Pokemon would bring that experience to life.

9 Differing Pokemon Behaviour

One of the ways Legends made Pokemon feel more alive than ever was a notable difference in how they behaved. There was an element of this in Sword & Shield, where some Pokemon would come after the player, while others would simply watch, but Legends took it to another level.

What’s more, is it’s not just determined by Pokemon species. Some Machoke, for example, will attack the play on sight, while others remain neutral and just flex their muscles. It’s unclear precisely what determines this, but it makes every Pokemon feel just that little bit more special, and a unique personality is crucial to the appeal of a Pokemon.

8 New Status Conditions

Several moves were altered for use in Pokemon Legends to mesh properly with the new style of turns. This led to some Status Conditions no longer being fit for purpose. For example, Sleep would immobilize a Pokemon for up to 5 turns, which is way too long in Legends’ quicker battle system. So it was replaced with Drowsy.

While those conditions will likely revert to normal in a more battle-focused game, keeping things like the"hard-hitting stance" condition could be really interesting. That condition, in particular, makes moves hit harder, while the Pokemon takes more damage. A risk-reward system like that could add some real depth to competitive battles.

7 Dynamic Turn Order

For all of Pokemon history, a “turn” in battle has included one action from every Pokemon on the field. The order in which these played out was determined by the Speed stat. In Pokemon Legends, things are different. Now, how quickly a Pokemon’s next action comes around is determined by several features, from their Speed to modifiers from moves or battle styles.

Keeping or modifying this system to include things like Abilities and Held Items could completely overhaul the competitive scene of Pokemon. New strategies, moves, and Pokemon would have to be considered to make the most of this system. It takes turn-based battling to a whole new level in the Pokemon franchise.

6 Agile Style & Strong Style

Even if the Dynamic Turn Order system is thrown out for the next game, there could still be a great use of the battle-style mechanics. Having stronger but slower and weaker but faster versions of moves would give players such a wide array of options.

For singleplayer, Agile Style moves can be used to chip away at a wild Pokemon’s health without KOing it, while a Strong Style move can put away a dangerous opponent before it gets going. Players who participate in online battles would have plenty to think about as well, knowing when to strike fast and when to strike hard.

5 No Version Exclusives

One of the most surprising things about Pokemon Legends: Arceus is that there was only one version of it. Pokemon has been releasing two near-identical versions of its games since the very beginning, to the point where most people don’t really question it now.

It has always been a fact of life in Pokemon that to actually “catch ’em all”, players will either need to buy two games or have a friend who bought the opposite version to them. Legends does away with this, allowing all players to get everything. Even when it seems like it presents a choice between Dialga and Palkia, players still have the opportunity to catch both. Fans would really appreciate it if this generosity stuck around going forward.

4 Multi-Stage Boss Battles

Pokemon Legends doesn’t have many challenging battles. It makes sense, as the idea is that most trainers don’t have proficiency with commanding Pokemon yet, however, there is one beacon of hope. Inarguably the game’s best battle is the climactic showdown with Volo atop Spear Pillar in the post-game.

Volo has six strong Pokemon of his own, but the shocking twist is that once the player has beaten him, they’re not done. Instead, he summons Giratina from the Distortion World, a powerful boss Pokemon. Players have no opportunity to heal in the middle, and even if they defeat Giratina, it transforms into its Origin form, and players must beat it again. It’s a battle that requires careful planning and forward-thinking to beat, which is the kind of challenge the franchise hasn’t brought into singleplayer in a long time.

3 Legendary Pokemon Feel Special

The atmosphere surrounding the Legendary Pokemon in Legends feels like no other game in the franchise to date. The Creation Pokemon all get spotlighted in the plot, which gives them all the importance they could ever want, but the game still goes above and beyond with the rest of the Legendary roster.

Rather than just stumbling across them in a cave, players have to go on quests to find these Pokemon which add to their mystique. Even just talking to people who have maybe caught a glimpse enhances their aura significantly.

2 Side Quests

Side Quests have existed in RPGs since almost the dawn of the genre, and yet Pokemon has never really bothered with them. Pokemon Legends finally brings them into the game, and they’re the fun little diversions everyone had hoped they would be.

Whether they focus on a Pokemon or a person, they really bring the world to life and encourage players to see every little detail the game has to offer. The rewards feel appropriate too, and mainline Pokemon games could really benefit from more of these to distract players when they want a break from the main quest.

1 Progress Based On Pokedex Completion

While the plot is still the main driving factor of progression in Pokemon Legends, it pays a little bit of extra care to ensure players are doing their job and filling their Pokedex. Due to some plot being locked behind Pokedex completion, the game stops the player at regular intervals to ensure they’re completing their Pokedex as they go along in their adventure.

The Galaxy Rank system stops players from entering a new area unless they’re a high enough rank, and the only way to increase rank is to catch Pokemon and fill up the Pokedex. The Pokedex has always felt secondary to the main story in the franchise, but Legends brings it into focus like never before. It’s something the series should absolutely learn from and continue pushing.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.