Pokémon Legends: Arceus has a hidden feature that instantly makes the game better

Why wasn't this in the tutorial?

Pokémon Legends: Arceus girl trainer battling Electivire
(Image credit: Nintendo / The Pokémon Company)

Pokémon Legends: Arceus has now launched on Nintendo Switch and fans have been exploring everything and anything that the new open world-like Pokémon game has to offer. Oddly though, there's a major feature not disclosed in the tutorial that makes a significant difference to gameplay.

The feature I'm referring to is gyro controls, or as it's listed under the settings menu: "motion sensitivity". By turning this on, players can use motion controls to aim Poké Balls at any wild Pokémon they encounter on their travels instead of opting for the already enabled analogue option, bringing about more accuracy and realism to the experience. 

During the opening hours, Pokémon Legends: Arceus runs the player through an extensive tutorial of how the world works and how to catch Pokémon, yet leaves out this vital bit of information. If you do happen to open up the settings menu and discover the feature, you'll see that "motion sensitivity" is set on zero. Only when moving the sensitivity to anywhere between one to three do the new controls come into action.  

The regular method for catching Pokémon has the player locking onto any wild Pokémon with ZL before then pressing the ZR button to throw the Poké Ball. Whether or not the Pokémon is caught heavily depends on the accuracy of your throw, and for a lot of people (myself included), motion controls make it better. It works across Joy-Cons, the Switch Pro Controller as well as handheld mode. 

Additionally, it adds that little bit of extra challenge when encountering Alpha Pokémon, as you have to hold your nerve to land the catch. It all comes down to personal preference of course, with the feature being disabled just as easily by sliding the toggle back down to zero.

Despite only being on the market for a few days, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has gotten off to a terrific start in terms of sales (via GamesIndustry.biz), shooting to the number four spot for the biggest Pokémon retail launch of all time in the UK. As a result, numerous retailers have stated that the product is sold out. 

Looking to pick up the game? Head on over to our handy buying guide to see which retailers still have Pokémon Legends: Arceus stock.  

Matt Poskitt
Freelance Writer

Matt is a freelance writer for T3, covering news and keeping up with everything games, entertainment, and all manner of tech. You can find his work across numerous sites across the web, including TechRadar, IGN, GamesRadar, Tom's Guide, Fandom, NME, and more. In his spare time, Matt is an avid cinema-goer, keen runner and average golfer (at best). You can follow him @MattPoskitt64