Pokémon Legends: Arceus has been let loose a week ahead of release

Pokémon Legends Arceus
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Copies of Pokémon Legends: Arceus are reportedly already in some peoples' hands ahead of the game's release on January 28.

As a result, screenshots, gameplay footage, and general info about the game has begun to crop up online, meaning fans who wish to avoid being spoiled will need to take pre-emptive measures.

According to Nintendo Life, copies are even being sold on eBay and some retailers have shipped copies early.

We obviously won't be sharing any spoilers, but we advise you mute any words related to the game, and maybe even the series, on social media platforms like Twitter.

Hisui 360°

Earlier today, the official Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel uploaded an interactive 360° YouTube video that shows off Pokémon Legends' Hisui region from a first-person perspective.

It's only a couple of minutes long and sees the player character travel around a small part of the region while cycling through the three different ridable Pokémon available in the game: Wyrdeer, Braviary, and Basculegion.

Set in the distant past, Pokémon Legends shakes up the formula and tasks players with creating the Hisui region's first-ever PokéDex. The game features a vast overworld where Pokémon roam freely, prompting many comparisons to Capcom's Monster Hunter games.

Beyond that, very little of the game's plot has been shared, although there is a mystery surrounding why certain Pokémon are being sent into a vicious frenzy, causing them to attack people.

Arceus' own role has yet to be explained either and it hasn't even appeared in any promotional material aside from the original teaser.

Michael Beckwith

Michael is a freelance writer with bylines at the Metro, TechRaptor, and Game Rant. A Computer Games Design and Creative Writing graduate, he's been passionate about video games since the Game Boy Color, particularly Nintendo games, with Xenoblade Chronicles being his favorite game ever. Despite everything, he's still a Sonic the Hedgehog fan.