In typical Nintendo fashion, a new gameplay video was shadow dropped just now. We've got 13 minutes of Pokemon Legends: Arceus to comb through. A lot was shown in the video.
First and foremost, we got a good look at how battling and capturing wild pokemon works. Some, like Bidoof, are passive and will let you get near them, but others, like Shinx, are aggressive and will attack on sight. Be careful, as they won't be afraid of attacking you and can even knock you out, causing you to lose items.
If you fail to throw a sneaky ball, you'll have to start a battle by throwing one of your 'Mons out into a fight. In these battles you see your trainer stand by and have control of the camera as you issue commands. It's a much more dynamic battle scene than we've had before. You can also choose between strong and agile style moves, but doing so will cost more PP. Be careful, as wild Pokemon can also use these styles. At least, Alpha Pokemon can. These are larger than their contemporaries and have glowing red eyes.
You fight Pokemon so you can catalogue them for the Galactic Survey team. To do this and complete the Pokedex, not only will you have to catch them, but you'll have to observe their various behaviours and can even note their favourite foods. It's a nice addition that seems inspired by Pokemon Snap.
Knowing this stuff is actually useful, too. You'll need to calm down the frenzied Noble Pokemon by throwing balms made of their favourite snacks to quell their rage and restore peace to the region. These are boss fights that will make you duck and weave away from deadly attacks as you try to throw as many balms as possible.
As well as finding Pokemon, you can do missions and favours for various townsfolk. These range from catching a number of Pokemon, to defeating a powerful one, or bringing a specific one to a curious person.
You can also craft found items and resources into useful things such as healing items, lures, smoke bombs, and Poke Balls. Use your partner Pokemon to help you smash rocks and shoot objects out of trees so you can gather more resources.
Pokemon will aid you a lot in Legends: Arceus. Ride Wyrdeer to speed across the lands, use Hisuian Braviary to soar over the region, and mount a Basculegion to surf along the rivers and coasts. Swapping between transport modes looks quick and easy.
And, like the wild area in Sword & Shield, different Pokemon appear based on time of day and weather condition in different areas, so you'll be travelling a lot to catch-'em-all. You can do this in style as the game allows you to change your appearance quite a bit.
Finally, you can trade caught Pokemon with other players using the trading post in Jubilife village.
Also, Stealth Rock deals damage now, which is pretty cool.