Ever since its announcement, fans have been abuzz with excitement over Pokemon Legends Arceus, whose trailers appeared to show off a more “open-world” type experience different from traditional Pokemon games.

However, since then, closer analysis of the game’s promotional material suggests that the game is not a fully “open-world” game on the level of The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild, but more accurately features “open areas” that players can venture to and explore from a hub world, akin to Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2:

It is coming increasingly clear that Pokémon Legends Arceus may not be full open world but rather segmented open areas like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Monster Hunter etc. separated into different areas like the Wild Area/Crown Tundra did

I'm fine with this really. pic.twitter.com/llpCUUvQGx

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) September 30, 2021

In a statement released to Kotaku, The Pokemon Company has seemingly confirmed this is the case, specifically describing the gameplay as having players set out from Jubilife Village to study “various open areas” in the Hisui Region.

“In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Jubilife Village will serve as the base for surveying missions. After receiving an assignment or a request and preparing for their next excursion, players will set out from the village to study one of the various open areas of the Hisui region. After they finish the survey work, players will need to return once more to prepare for their next task. We look forward to sharing more information about exploring the Hisui region soon.”

Although the difference might not be that significant to some, this clarification will likely go a long way in managing expectations for the title as we get closer to its release. We will be sure to report back on more details as they come.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.