Pokémon Legends: Arceus does a lot of things different from its predecessors. Many features were added, such as the real-time battle system in the overworld instead of the generic turn-based instance battling that the series was known for.
But along with some additions, there were some removals as well. Many long-time players of the franchise were disappointed to know that one of the fan-favorite features was removed in this game, namely, the breeding system.
What caused the change?
Breeding was a feature that dates back all the way to Gen 2’s games of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. It was a feature that players used to acquire Pokémon of a specific nature with customizable IV’s and EV’s. Or maybe, just to acquire rare shiny versions of their Pokémon.
And now, after 7 generations, Pokémon Legends: Arceus does away with the breeding system entirely and fans are left asking: Why? So far, there is no official reason as to why breeding was entirely scrapped, but it is theorized that this has something to do with Pokémon lore.
When breeding was introduced in Gen 2, the lore implications stated that breeding was discovered by scientists fairly recently. People in the Pokémon world had not worked with Pokémon closely enough to know how they bred. What this means is that since breeding was recently discovered, there is no chance that ancient Hisui even understood how Pokémon repopulated themselves!
Conclusion
As of now, it is fair to say that breeding as a feature will be prominent in the mainline Pokémon games going forward as well, but unfortunately, players that are enjoying Pokémon Legends: Arceus will have to forego the option of breeding their Pokémon. But with the myriad of features that the game also brings, players will have their hands full conquering this beast of a game!
Published: Jan 28, 2022 02:22 pm