Pokemon Legends: Arceus Solves One Major Franchise Problem With a Wholesome Solution

gamerant.com:

Throughout the Pokemon franchise, friendship has always been a central theme. Both major and minor human NPCs constantly talk about the loving, symbiotic relationships they have with their Pokemon, whether those humans train their Pokemon partners for battle or not. Friendship is so important that it's a central statistic in the Pokemon franchise, and Game Freak has come up with a fair few mechanics that let players earn a Pokemon's friendship in fun ways, like the Pokemon-Amie feature from Pokemon X and Y. Relationships with Pokemon are important in franchise newcomer Pokemon Legends: Arceus too, even though the player starts out surrounded by humans who fear and distrust Pokemon.

That notion of friendship also historically clashes with the way that the Pokemon protagonist and their Pokemon trainer peers handle Pokemon outside of battle, however. Tamed Pokemon don't always lead cozy lives when they're not traveling with a trainer; on the contrary, they're often confined inside their PokeBalls, which are sorted through a computer system. Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes a completely different approach, however. While Pokemon Legends: Arceus characters may not have sophisticated technology with which to study and accommodate Pokemon, pastures and specialized habitats suggest a much more comfortable home life for domesticated Pokemon.

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Whenever a Pokemon is traveling with a trainer, it gets all kinds of opportunities to form a strong relationship with the trainer. Friendship has been a hidden statistic of all Pokemon since Generation 2, determined by just about every core function of the game. Aspects of battle like keeping Pokemon healthy and