Rumors have been circulating about a potential sequel toPokémon Legends: Arceus, similarly titledPokémon Legends: Celebi. The latest installment of the massively popular franchise has been very well received by critics and fans alike, seemingly beginning a new era for the long-runningPokémon video game series. With the upcoming release ofPokémon Scarlet and Violet still a ways off, attention has turned toLegends: Celebi, a speculative title that has come froma couple impressive fan-made trailers.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus just recently released in late January of 2022, but its reinvention of the series' formula has already caused a lot of excitement in regards to future games.Pokémon notoriously releases games very frequently, often iterating on gameplay mechanics only slightly, a trend which causes ire with certain players in the fandom.Arceus was the most refreshing entry in a long time, and the reveal of Scarlet and Violet prove Pokémon's open-world future may actually come to pass and wasn't a one-off occurrence for theLegends spin-off. The excitement for where the series is headed, combined with the community'spropensity for fan-made content, has resulted inPokémon Legends: Celebi, a fictional sequel toArceus that continues its exploration of historicalregions.
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So far,Pokémon Legends: Celebi is entirely speculative, and there are no known plans for a dedicated follow-up toArceus. There is frequently multiplePokémonprojects on the horizon - likeBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl andLegends: Arceus being promoted simultaneously and releasing months apart - but Game Freak and Nintendo have yet to reveal any plans beyond Scarlet and Violet, which are expected to release sometime before the end of 2022. The ending of Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes a sequel in Hisui unlikely, so fans have turned to the Johto region as a possible next setting for a futureLegends spin-off. Each region could theoretically find a way to housean interesting story in a bygone era, but 3D animator YassiR has released a couple convincing trailers on YouTube for the non-existentLegends: Celebi that havefueled more discussion.
Why Fans Want An Arceus Sequel Like Pokémon Legends: Celebi
An open-worldPokémon game has been requested for a very long time, and even thoughLegends: Arceus isn't seamlessly explorable, its more open format excited many who felt the series had grown stale. On top of the revamped game world,Legends: Arceus made many important tweakstoPokémon's core systems of catching and battling. The game is incredibly streamlined and keeps the player engaged more consistently than previousPokémon titles, but as a spin-off, therewas a fear thatPokémon would go back after Legends: Arceus, abandoning the new mechanics with a returnto a fixed-cameraperspective and instanced battles.Those fears have so far been unfounded, with theScarlet and Violet reveal trailer hinting that much of the new format remains intact.
Another major draw toLegendsbecoming a spin-off series is the chance for players to return to old regions in ways that aren't just remakes.Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl took players to Sinnoh (formerly Hisui) as well, butArceus offered a look at the region from a unique perspective. With Celebi first coming to the series in Generation 2, aLegends game with the Mythical Pokémon in the title could take players into the history of Johto, the setting ofGold and Silver andCrystal. Just like how Sinnoh was calledHisui in Legends: Arceus, there would likely be a historical title given to Johto, which has remained a popular region since it debuted in Japan in 1999.
Johto's History Would Be Interesting In Pokémon Legends:Celebi
Pokémon Gold and Silver already had a strong focus on its fiveLegendaries -Ho-Oh, Lugia, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune - who have a backstory that would makea good framefor aLegends: Arceussequel. Ho-Oh and Lugia used to roost atop Bell Tower and Brass Tower respectively in Ecruteak City, until the Brass Tower was struck by lightning, subsequently burning to the ground. Three Pokémon perished in the blaze, and were later revived by Ho-Oh, becoming the Legendary Beasts Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. APokémon Legends: Celebi wouldn't have to explore this narrative directly, but it could engage with a Pokémon theory alleging the Legendary Beasts were Eeveelutions originally. This time period could also offer some variation fromArceus, since there were apparently more humans living in Johto roughly two centuries ago - at least enough to build two nine-story towers in Ecruteak City.
Related:When Pokémon Legends: Arceus Takes Place
The events of the burning tower are mentioned explicitly by YassiR in the video descriptions for thePokémon Legends: Celebi trailers, and provide an example of how Celebi couldcome into play. Like Arceus, Celebi would be the narrative device in bringing the player character backward in time. YassiR suggests that Celebicould bring the player character into the past in order to stop a war that ensued following the Brass Tower's burning, but inadvertently sent the player too far back. Little else is known about the history of Johto, meaning there's plenty of room for big Pokémon Legends story beats if this is where Game Freak decided to take the spin-off series.
Pokémon Legends: Celebi Trailer ShowsPossible Improvements
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is widely celebrated but it isn't without issue, and the fan-made trailer forCelebi contributed to the discussion about a sequel by hinting at improvements that can be made. One such change would be the addition of follow Pokémon, a feature that has been in multiple games. DespiteLegends: Arceus letting players release their Pokémon from their Poké Balls for a short time, none could be designated to appear as a follower while exploring Hisui. Another is showing whataPokémon Legends game could look like with more densely filled environments. Barren areas is a common criticism, and while Pokémon Legends: Arceus' empty environments ultimately don't matter, theCelebi trailers show thicker forests in a variety of biomes.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the more exciting releases for the series recently, and just the idea of it getting a sequel has sparked discussion and rumors. ThePokémon games aren't unfamiliar with bringing players back to previous regions, but the historical setting offers another reason to play beyond the new gameplay mechanics. The fan-made trailer from YassiR for the fictionalPokémon Legends: Celebi kickstarts the imagination on what another game in Johto could look like, with iterations on the changes made byArceus. There hasn't yet been any confirmation of aPokémon Legends: Arceussequel, but the swirling rumors at least point to there being plenty of fan interest.
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Source: YassiR/YouTube
