Pokémon Legends: Arceus is brilliant in some ways, and disappointing in others. The revamped combat and new action-based gameplay loop are enormous and welcome changes to the Pokémon formula. On the other hand, the world and textures look rough and could use a few more secrets to encourage exploration. This is an amazing new step for the franchise, it just could have been even better.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Developer: Game Freak
Price: $70
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a Switch code for review.
I love Pokémon and have since it came out when I was just a kid. This long-standing admiration for the franchise has me look at it fairly critically now, as I’ve said for years that the series could use a shake-up. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is that shake-up, and for a lot of reasons, I really appreciate that. Some tried and true issues are still present, but for the most part, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the much-needed evolution of the core Pokémon franchise.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you play as your own avatar who has been dropped into the past world of Sinnoh, then known as Hisui, through a mysterious space-time rift. You are taken in by the Survey Corps of The Galaxy Expedition team, whose goal is to explore Hisui and learn about Pokémon. You’re tasked with filling a Pokédex and calming down the mythical Noble Pokémon– guardians of sections of Hisui who have been driven mad by a lightning strike from the portal that delivered you. As the game goes on, you befriend countless Pokémon and uncover the truth behind the rift and why you were sent here. It’s a straightforward story that gets more interesting towards the end, as certain characters show their true colors and the mysteries begin to unfold.
The real appeal of Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the gameplay, which is the most addictive formula in the series yet. You can now throw Poké Balls in real-time at monsters, in order to catch them outside of battles. Sometimes though, being spotted by a Pokémon means you can’t catch them until you battle or hide from them. This makes stealth worthwhile, and the irony of sneaking up on Pokémon from the tall grass is entertaining. It might sound repetitive to constantly catch Pokémon after Pokémon and report it to the professor, but it’s actually a blast the entire way through. This is what I imagined my Pokémon adventures on the Game Boy were like, so I’m down to run around and throw balls all day long.
“Things like trade-based evolutions now have items that can prompt evolutions in single-player, while evolution stones and the like can be purchased using special currency. This makes completing your Pokédex way, way easier, and I truly appreciate these changes.“
Battles have a great deal of additional depth to them this time around, largely thanks to the ability to do regular attacks, Agile attacks, or Strong attacks. Agile attacks are faster (altering the turn order on the top right of the screen) but weaker, while Strong attacks are more powerful but delay your turns in the turn order. This system is a lot of fun and adds a new, though definitely gameable, twist to the usual Pokémon combat. Plus, being able to run around during a fight is a lot of fun for whatever reason. It does seem weird that opponents can gang up on you with their monsters while you can only throw out one at a time, though, so I wish that was more balanced.
I do wish there were a few more secrets to explore in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, as there aren’t too many rare Pokémon that make exploration feel worthwhile. Though I explored each map thoroughly, I feel that I really didn’t need to. Outside of a few rarer creatures being in a nook here and there, it’s mostly just empty space. Every time I got a new mode of transportation, I got excited to visit new areas of previous maps, but I never really felt like what I found was worthwhile. If the Pokémon games continue down this path, I hope they fill out the world a bit more.
“I get that visuals aren’t the end-all-be-all, but it’s harder to get immersed in an open world that looks comparable to Oblivion in 2022.“
Lots of features have been streamlined nicely or improved upon in general. You can choose when to evolve your Pokémon after they reach a certain level, and frequently change your monster’s move pool without losing old moves. Things like trade-based evolutions now have items that can prompt evolutions in single-player, while evolution stones and the like can be purchased using special currency. This makes completing your Pokédex way, way easier, and I truly appreciate these changes.
The visuals of Pokémon Legends: Arceus are rather disappointing, as everything but the Pokémon models feels straight out of the late PS2/Early 360 era. I get that visuals aren’t the end-all-be-all, but it’s harder to get immersed in an open world that looks comparable to Oblivion in 2022. The worst part is that I know Game Freak can do better, so I’ll hold on to a bit of hope that future Legends entries will focus a bit more on the visuals. I also had a few frame drops here and there when lots of Pokémon were on screen, which shouldn’t be happening with visuals like these.
The Final Word
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is best described as two steps forward, one step back. The new catching mechanics and open-world concept are perfect for the Pokémon franchise, and I never got tired of them. On the other hand, the game is pretty ugly, and has a few confusing issues when it comes to exploration and performance. If Game Freak can fix these issues while keeping the catching and open world ideas, we could get the best Pokémon game ever made. For now, though, it’s just a cool next step.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
