Pokemon Legends: Arceus made significant changes to traditional Pokemon battles, but it seems things were almost drastically different. According to a recent leak, the game nearly featured a system where Pokemon would have auto battled one another by default, with an option where the trainer could command which moves it used. As noted by Centro Leaks, rumors about this option were circulating online in 2021, but the recent leaks from Game Freak have now confirmed that the developers were at least experimenting with the option. We also now have footage, showing how these battles would have played out in the game.
Footage of these in-game battles was shared on YouTube by user DaBomb772, and can be found in the video below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While the change would have been an interesting one, it’s possible these auto-battles would have made Pokemon Legends: Arceus a lot less strategic and less enjoyable. The game offered some of the most challenging battles in the mainline franchise, and it would have been a shame if we lost that. A lot of RPG franchises have abandoned turn-based systems over the last few years, but Pokemon has remained one of the most notable holdouts. It’s possible the auto-battle system would have proven enjoyable, but it could have turned off a lot of diehard fans of the series. Over the last few years, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has become one of the most highly-regarded games of the Switch era, so it seems things worked out for the best!
It’s worth noting that Game Freak continued to experiment with auto-battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. However, auto-battles in that game became something of an extra, as opposed to replacing the classic turn-based system. It’s possible that the auto-battles from Legends: Arceus evolved into the Scarlet and Violet option, but it’s hard to say for sure. Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Game Freak continues to experiment with the concept in Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the next full Pokemon generation.
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Game Freak tends to be a very secretive company, offering little information about the development process; we’ve actually heard nothing official in about a year regarding Pokemon Legends: Z-A. However, a recent leak offered fans an unprecedented amount of information about existing and cancelled Pokemon games, as well as concept designs that didn’t end up used. The Pokemon Company has publicly acknowledged that the leak happened, but it has avoided discussion or acknowledgement of any leak in particular. That’s par for the course with these types of leaks, and it makes sense for Game Freak; the company often repurposes cut content in subsequent games. Sometimes, an unused Pokemon design evolves into another, or a feature gets fine-tuned and added in a future game.
Are you happy that this auto-battle system was scrapped from Pokemon Legends: Arceus? Do you think it was a smart move to keep the traditional battle system? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
