Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a action role-playing game. It is part of the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series and serves as a prequel to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021). The game follows the protagonist, who is sent back in time and travels through the Hisui region, which is based on the island of Hokkaido during early Japanese colonization. The game is centered around exploration of the region's several open areas populated with Pokémon, with its main objective being to complete the Pokédex by catching all Pokémon.