Pokemon Legends: Arceusis the franchise’s most ambitious game yet, and a rather grand plot goes along with it. Pulling in elements of time travel, distortions of space, and characters out of their time, players have a lot to grapple with in this plot.
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Unfortunately,Pokemonas a franchise has never really been known for its stories, withthe possible exception of theMystery Dungeongames. As such, it may come as a surprise to players that many threads get left hanging. Even once the player has completed all of the post-game activities, several plot details are unclear at best or outright ignored at worst.
8Alola Already Has Ride Pokemon
The main feature players will know about before even picking up the game for the first time is that they are in a time period where humans and Pokemon have minimal relationships. The vast majority of humans see Pokemon as terrifying creatures, and the Pokeball has only very recently been invented.
However, there is a clear reference made early on inLegendstothe Ride Pokemonof Alola, which help trainers around the region. While it is possible different regions developed relationships with Pokemon at different rates, it seems hard to believe that people of this time period were willing to charge around on a Tauros' back.
7Exactly How Far In The Past Is The Game Set?
One thing the game never states, probably deliberately, is how far back from the modern-dayPokemon Legendsis set. The setting would imply upwards of 100 years, but some characters, likeDrayden fromthe Unova games, say they can remember a time before Pokeballs.
While it’s perhaps likely that technology evolved very rapidly thanks to Pokemon, the idea that every city, road, and building in the Sinnoh region was built in under 100 years seems ridiculous. It leaves the game in a weird middle-ground, where a case can be made for it being set anywhere from one hundred to one thousand years ago.
6Stark Mountain Is Too Close
There are several instances where the topology of the Hisui region doesn’t make any sense compared to modern Sinnoh. Firespit Island is home to a violent volcano, which can be assumed is Stark Mountain. However, in modern Sinnoh, Stark Mountain is just one feature of a much bigger island known as the Battle Zone.
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While continental drift can move locations like this around, it takes millions of years. It could be suggested that this isn’t actually Stark Mountain. However,given Heatran can be found inside, everything adds up mythology-wise. How the island moves from a short swim to a long boat ride away is never explained.
5Ingo’s Memories
One of the most surprising characters to see inPokemon Legendsis Ingo.Ingo was a character in the Unova games, as one of the leaders of the Battle Subway, that game’s equivalent to the Battle Tower. He seems to have suffered a similar fate as the player, being taken out of his time and suffering memory loss.
As the player explores the Coronet Highlands alongside him, he shows signs of his former self but doesn’t ever quite seem to click back into place. Furthermore, why is he in Hisui at all? The player was chosen by Arceus, but Ingo seemingly just tripped and fell through a gap in spacetime.
4Snowpoint Temple Is In The Wrong Place
Another big screw-up with the topology of the region is the location ofSnowpoint Temple. Putting it close to Lake Acuity is fine, but on top of a massive cliff doesn’t make any sense. The simple reason this is a problem is that there is nowhere for Snowpoint City to be built in the future.
Players could theorize that Snowpoint is actually on a massive cliff, the player just never sees it. However, that doesn’t make any sense due to the river. Snowpoint’s southern side has a dock with a river that flows out to sea. The problem is, in the Alabaster Icelands, the river in question is at the bottom of the cliff, not on top.
3Is The Protagonist The Same As In Diamond & Pearl?
The game says very little about the protagonist inPokemon Legends, but it doesn’t take much to see the physical resemblance to Lucas & Dawn, the protagonists ofDiamond & Pearl. The game identifies these characters as being 15 years old, which suggests they’re older than in the Sinnoh games.
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As such, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to suggest that the protagonists of these two games are, in fact, the same person. We know little about the time period they came from, other than they were wearing modern clothing and had modern technology. As such, it must be a considerable blow to modern Sinnoh to lose their region’s Champion.
2Why Did Arceus Choose The Protagonist?
Arceus' motivations are horrifically unclear throughout the entire story, which is a big problem considering it’s the one to set everything in motion. The player proves to be the right choice, not only sealing the Spacetime Rift but also completing the mission to “Seek out all Pokemon”.
At the very end, oncethe player has faced Arceus in battle, it states that it’s glad it choose the player but doesn’t elaborate as to why. It clearly thought the player could save the world, but plucking them out of their own time with seemingly no way to get back seems like a drastic measure to take.
1The Protagonist Doesn’t Care That They’re Stuck
Perhaps the most unbelievable thing about the game’s entire plot is that the protagonist expresses absolutely no desire to return home throughout the story. They have been taken from their own time, away from their family friends, and forced into an ancient version of their homeland.
It’s ok for them to accept the need for their heroics and do their duty to save the world, but once all that’s done, they seem to have no interest in finding a way home. Even when coming face to face with Arceus itself, the question doesn’t even come to mind. It’s a fate most people would be distraught over if they had to suffer it, but this emotionless husk of a protagonist doesn’t care, and that’s weird.
Pokemon Legends: Arceuswas released on July 28, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
