When I saw Ancient Russia on the Instagram Post for this game, I was super intrigued. I know there's a lot of controversy with Russia at the moment, but I've always been fascinated with the landmass as a whole. It's a huge place, and after watching The Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman traversing the country by motorbike, I've enjoyed the melting pot of cultures and the people who live there.
Pokémon Axón has arrived to give me a look at what Ancient Russia would have looked like from the comfort of my sofa here in the UK. It's set in the new region of Karelia and has lots of unique areas and places that try to capture the spirit of the Russian people. There are 25 towns and 36 cities to explore, as well as places with extra secret locations.
Credit: Pokémon Axón
While the setting is classed as 'Ancient Russia', the Spanish dev behind the project has explained that the region of Karelia isn't too far behind our own time, but there are a lot of people inspired by the Slavic cultures that you'll find spread throughout Russia. There's also one thing that plays a big part in this game, and that seems to be the drinking of Vodka. It's huge in Russian culture, and as well as having a stall selling it on the street and an Ursaring drinking it while kicking back on the ground, there's also a Pokémon based on it
✨¡Se ha descubierto una nueva especie convergente que recuerda a la línea evolutiva de Gholdengo! ✨ Se trata de Gimmishot y Vhodkengo. 🍾🍶✨ A estos Pokémon les encanta acumular grandes cantidades de un misterioso licor... 🥴 ¿Qué os parecen?🤔 Se agradecen los RT🔃y MG❤️
— Pokémon Axón (@pkmaxon.bsky.social) 22 August 2025 at 15:54
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A new species reminiscent of the Gholdengo evolutionary line has arrived in the form of Gimmishot and Vhodkengo. There are also regional variants of Snivy, Totodile, and Litten to pick from as your starters. Head to Pokémon Axón's website to download and start playing!
