How Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Stealth Compares To Other Games
The newly-released Pokémon Legends: Arceus has introduced stealth as a major gameplay aspect to the series for the first time, and it's comparable to some other big stealth-heavy titles. Elder Scrolls and Fallout, Breath of the Wild, and the Metal Gear Solid games all feature stealth, and their mechanics vary widely. Pokémon may be a newcomer to the world of cloak and dagger gameplay, but it's already proved that it can sneak about with the best of them.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players explore an undeveloped Sinnoh filled with vast wilderness, Pokémon, and little else. In order to complete their primary objective of creating the region's first Pokédex, they need to capture a great deal of Pokémon, to say the least. There are two ways to go about making a capture, and the quicker and more fun way is to sneak up on them and throw a Poké Ball manually. Catching Pokémon in Legends: Arceus is more complicated than in past games, but it's also better. If players don't like stealth, on the other hand, they can just start a battle and push a button to attempt a capture. Stealth becomes a major mechanic of the game, so players will have to be patient if they don't want to battle every wild Pokémon they wish to capture.
There are a few factors to keep in mind when comparing the stealth mechanics of various games. How easy it is to go undetected, how important it is to do so, and how many factors and nuances there are to it are all things that affect the quality of a games' stealth, but they're not the only ones. Given Pokémon's creature-capture genre, it's a bit tough to compare it to other, more gritty games, but it's not impossible, even if catching Pokémon for Legends: Arceus' Pokédex is a far cry from sneaking through a bandit clan's cave. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, BOTW, and Metal Gear Solid are all big names that feature stealth as a major or semi-major mechanic, and while Legends: Arceus may never be known for its sneaking mechanics, they're good points of comparison.
The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series are Bethesda's most popular game series, and have many similar mechanics. There are a great many commonalities between the two, so they're somewhat interchangeable when it comes to their stealth. Sneaking in either series can be a core part of the game's combat depending on what kind of character build that players are making, and it might not be vital to the game, but it can be highly important for those who wish to play a certain way. Stealth archer builds in Skyrim are one of the more popular, and similar builds in Fallout are far from uncommon. Both have items that will help them sneak past enemies unnoticed, and with effort and perks, it can be very easy to do so. The handy indicators of when players are at risk of being detected are a great help.
Compared to Fallout and Elder Scrolls, Pokémon Legends: Arceus features many more items to help the main character avoid detection. Berries to lure Pokémon to advantageous spots, Smoke Bombs to create a cloud of blinding smoke, and Stealth Sprays to quiet players' footsteps are just a few of the things that they can use to keep wild Pokémon from noticing them. Compared to Elder Scrolls' and Fallout's invisibility items, there's much more variety if not too many overpowered items. In terms of redirection, Legends: Arceus is different from both series. One of the worst possible choices a Skyrim player can make is treating the game like Fallout. Gunshots will blow players' cover very quickly without a silencer, whereas in Elder Scrolls, shooting an arrow is silent, and can draw attention away from them. Comparatively, Legends: Arceus' items are more designed to stun and draw in Pokémon than to shoo them away. The detection indicator is also shared between the three, even if Legends: Arceus' only kicks in after the player has been seen.
In Breath of the Wild, stealth is a vital part of the game. There is one main mission and two side missions that absolutely require players to sneak past enemies, so there's no completing the main story without it. It is, however, fairly difficult. There isn't much room for error when Link is trying to sneak into a camp of Bokoblins, especially since there are scouts that will alert all the rest almost right away. Cooking better meals in BOTW is crucial to many things, including stealth. Potions and food will help Link move silently, in addition to a special set of clothing that will have the same effect. There are also giant barrels scattered across the map that Link can pick up and hide in order to avoid being detected.
Although the amount of sound that Link makes will affect whether or not the monsters of Hyrule will find him, the mechanics are mostly based on line of sight, whereas in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon's ability to detect Akari or Rei is mostly proximity-based. There's almost no chance of sneaking in BOTW if there's nowhere to hide, which Pokémon has in spades in the form of tall grass that conceals the player while they're in it. Players who get close to a wild Pokémon outside of an area of tall grass, however, run the risk of getting caught. The hardest Pokémon games have made players run around in tall grass for ages trying to get their favorite monsters, but Legends: Arceus reversed the trend and included extremely strong cover. Without it, players may find their quarry turning to face them just before they throw their Poké Ball, and they're liable to run away or attack if they're not a passive species. Fans need to keep their distance in order to not spook the Pokémon they're trying to catch.
It doesn't need to be said that sneaking in Metal Gear Solid is a must. It's one of the biggest names in the stealth genre, and arguably one that shaped it and helped it grow in the gaming medium, so there's no disputing its importance. How easy the stealth is, however, depends on the game, and what method players are using to sneak. An MGS pacifist playthrough is allowed, even if they might sometimes be difficult to pull off. Sometimes, it's necessary to silently creep past foes like how most imagine stealth to be. Other times, players need to don a disguise and blend in with the crowd. No matter what they do, they'll need to do it carefully, as one wrong move or careless mistake can bring their whole mission crashing down on them. When all else fails, however, they can always rely on an old classic: the games' signature cardboard box.
A big mechanic in Metal Gear Solid is the ability to perform stealth kills and nonlethal takedowns in order to incapacitate enemies from behind. Similarly, it's advantageous to players to sneak up to a Pokémon in order to get the best chance of capturing them in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If they can hit them in the back with their Poké Ball, which is much easier to do when undetected, then they get a back strike capture, which has a higher catch rate and gives better rewards from the Galaxy Team. Catching 'em all in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is simply easier when performing captures from the back, much like MGS' stealth takedowns. When starting a battle, the back strike will also give an advantage in the form of an extra turn or two, which can make all the difference when facing off powerful creatures like the game's Alphas. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is lenient compared to other games when it comes to stealth, but that doesn't make it any less fun.