An Older Protagonist Makes All The Difference In Pokemon Legends: Arceus

thegamer.com:

Ever since its inception, the Pokemon series has seen you stepping into the shoes of a child as they’re unleashed by irresponsible parents to explore the world and involve themselves in fantasy dogfighting. You’ve hit double digits, now go and see the local doctor for a wild animal to start fights with strangers. Here’s some running shoes now fuck off. Thanks, Mum. She can’t live, laugh, or love with me around the house anyway.

The age of our protagonist and all of their neighbouring allies and rivals have often ranged from 10-12, allowing young players and viewers to easily insert themselves into an experience designed to make you feel as if you’re escaping into a fantasy world. It was mirrored in the anime and future entries, which makes the sexualisation of such characters all the more creepy when you stop to think about it. Editor-in-chief Stacey Henley recently wrote about the noncification of Pokemon if you’re interested in such a thing.

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus changes this perception for the first time in decades. Having them be 15 offers them a level of dramatic agency that simply wasn’t afforded to children in the past. I suppose the idea of being transported back in time and suddenly being expected to fend for your survival might be overwhelming for a young child, and thus Game Freak decided to change things up so the situation was much easier to swallow.

While it might seem like a minimal change in the grand scheme of things, having an older protagonist alters so many dynamics across Legends: Arceus. We have a newfound level of independence, and within moments of arriving in the first homestead we are given a small place to call home and responsibilities to