A couple weeks back, we reported on the upcoming Pokémon Day Virtual Concert, which is set to premiere tomorrow. February 27th marks the 25th anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green. To celebrate 25 years of Pocket Monsters, The Pokémon Company streamed a special Pokémon Presents. This 20-minute presentation streamed on their official YouTube channel and featured many new announcements. A release date for New Pokémon Snap and 3 all-new Pokémon titles coming to Nintendo Switch.
New Pokémon Snap Pre-Orders Are Now Live
The Pokémon Company first revealed that New Pokémon Snap launches onto Nintendo Switch on April 30th, 2021. Pre-orders for the game are available now.
In-Game 25th Anniversary Celebration
They also revealed special in-game anniversary events taking place across many already released titles. Pokémon Sword and Shield will have special Max Raid battles, putting players up against Gigantamax Pikachu. These battles will only be available from 2/25/21 to 2/28/21. Pokémon Café Mix will be rewarding players with 2,500 golden acorns. All players must do to acquire the bonus is log into the game sometime between 2/26/21 and 2/28/21. Pokémon GO will be celebrating Kanto style, with special legendary raid battles. Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo will be available to fight until March 1st. Finally, Pokémon Masters EX will feature a special appearance from Leon, the Galar region Pokémon League champion in Sword and Shield. He, alongside his trusty Charizard, will be available until March 17th.
New in-game events for Pokémon Sword/Shield, Pokémon Café Mix, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Masters EX are here!
More Remakes Are On Their Way
The real meat and potatoes of today’s Pokémon Presents was the announcement of 3 brand new titles. The first two titles announced were Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. Continuing the franchise’s plans to remaster all previous generations, these are complete overhauls of Diamond and Pearl, which originally launched on the Nintendo DS in 2006. These remakes are being developed by ILCA Inc, who previously worked on Pokémon Home. Both titles were revealed to be releasing worldwide in the latter half of this year!
The Open-World Pokémon RPG We’ve Been Waiting For
The most shocking announcement in the presentation has to be Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Arceus is the open-world Pokémon game many fans have been asking for. The title appears to be a prequel to the franchise. The title will also see the return of the Sinnoh region. In this title, players control the trainer and must stealthily catch wild Pokémon. While the trailer doesn’t reveal much, it does show a Lucario fighting alongside the player. This hints at caught Pokémon acting as allies in the battles against stronger Pokémon. The presentation later reveals that Pokémon fight alongside their trainer, in a more traditional Pokémon fashion. This opens up the franchise to all-new gameplay unlike anything in the series past, while also retaining the core “rock paper scissor” fighting concept.
What excited you most in this special Pokémon Presents? Did the company pay proper tribute to their 25-year strong pop culture phenomenon?
