Summary
Dataminers claim to have found evidence inthe recent Game Freak hackthat voiced dialogue was cut fromPokemon Legends: Arceusahead of its 2022 launch.
When I say voice acting, I don’t mean a script read line-by-line. These are grunts, laughs, and little phrases that, going by the format ‘Dialogue#(NUMBER)’, would have likely triggered when talking to different NPCs, much like inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You can hear themfor yourself here.
There are hangovers of this scrapped idea in the release build of Arceus, as you may hear the player’s voice briefly while throwing a Pokeball or when taking damage. But for whatever reason, the rest of the recored dialogue appears to have been scrapped completely.
Some phrases include “hello”, “thank you”, and “arigato”.
Pokemon Games Have Featured Voiced Dialogue Before
As broken down in an incredibly handy list byBulbapedia, spoken dialogue inPokemongames isn’t completely unprecedented.
Pokemon Black and Whiteused synethesised beatboxing for the Village Bridge theme, and when speaking to Russo, enka vocals are added to the background track. In Black and White 2, you can hear the phrases “Give me what I need” and “Are you ready?” while inside the Nimbassa Gym, seemingly sung by Elesa.
More recently, inPokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’re able to hear students talking and playing on the title screen. InPokemon Snap, there are short voice lines for certain characters like Professor Oak, performed by the anime actors. And in Pokemon Puzzle League, the introduction scene is fully voiced.
Regardless, opinion is split on whether including as little as grunts, phrases, and laughter in Arceus would have been better or worse. Some commenters are adamant that the Pokemon series should stay away from voice acting altogether, while others argue that these little snippets would have given each NPC far more character.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
WHERE TO PLAY
Visit the ancient region of Hisui, the predecessor to Sinnoh, and help create the first Pokedex. Pokemon Legends: Arceus introduces a more action role-playing, open-world style of gameplay.
