8.5
Pokemon Legends Arceus is the game that many Pokemon fans have been dreaming about for decades. In classic Pokemon games, players must venture into tall grass, walk around, and wait for that iconic battle music to play to catch their favorite Pokemon. Those early Pokemon games are all-time classics, but they leave much to be desired in getting the Pokemon experience fans have envisioned since the series’ inception. Legends Arceus does away with this tradition and creates an exciting new formula that is both challenging, rewarding, and highly immersive.
Long-time fans of Pokemon have always envisioned seeing Pokemon frolicking about in their natural habitats, then carefully sneaking up to them and being able to throw a Pokeball in hopes of catching them. Now, that dream is a reality in Legends Arceus. Unlike Sword and Shield, Legends Arceus has a mechanic for players to physically throw Pokeballs at wild Pokemon, making capturing Pokemon all the more exciting and rewarding.
You can use many different strategies aside from simply battling Pokemon, as in games in the past. Maybe you need to throw an Oran Berry at that skittish Vulpix to draw its attention before hurling a Pokeball at it, perhaps you need to craft some smoke bombs to hide yourself from the aggressive Scyther you’ve encountered, or maybe you need to creep in that tall grass to surprise an unsuspecting Gastly.
Arceus makes capturing Pokemon challenging and highly enjoyable; it feels fresh and is exactly what the Pokemon series needs. If you are a fan of the traditional capture method and don’t want that to change, then you need not worry. The game allows you to return to this method also; in fact, most legendary Pokemon require the player to battle it first, weaken it, and then capture the Pokemon the good old-fashioned way, so it has something for everybody.
Perhaps the most intriguing new feature of Pokemon Legends Arceus is that Pokemon can attack the player character. Having to duck, dodge, and roll away from Pokemon attacks that can damage the player is a fun new concept that many fans will surely enjoy. This is especially fun in the featured boss battles, where players will face off with a Giant “Noble Pokemon” (more on this later). I had a blast avoiding the flamethrower of a giant Arcanine or the ice beam of a massive Avalugg in the game’s boss battles. When receiving too much damage, the player will only get a Game Over or “whited out” screen. That means your entire team of Pokemon can faint, and you’ll still be able to continue until your character receives too much damage.
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Another novel concept in Pokemon Arceus is the story and setting of the game. Players are put into the ancient Hisui region, in a time long before the advent of technology. There are no Pokemon gyms or Pokemon Centers; the Pokedex is written down on notepaper and is in its infancy, while the idea of using Pokeballs to capture Pokemon is still somewhat foreign to many of the inhabitants.
Players are made to feel like they are the pioneers of Pokemon research, uploading and recording some of the very first data to complete the newly conceptualized Pokedex. Collecting gym badges, moving on to the Pokemon league, and challenging the Elite 4 has been done away with. Instead, the player must quell the fury of five aforementioned Noble Pokemon, which are worshipped and revered as Gods amongst the people of Hisui. These noble Pokemon start acting strangely and behaving erratically, which the people of Hisui need your help with.
As mentioned earlier, players will have to use their characters and their Pokemon to defeat and restore these Pokemon to normal. This fresh new story idea and setting are sure to win over those who have long been jaded by the same Pokemon story that has been repeated ad infinitum while also still appealing to die-hard fans of the series.
One thing that may disappoint fans of the series is the lack of challenge in Pokemon battles. Many battles in Arceus are over quite quickly and relatively easily. I did not lose one single battle during my entire playthrough. Legends Arceus is more focused on capturing, observing, and researching Pokemon so that competitive players may be a little let down by the simplicity of the Pokemon battles. Despite this, the game is a whole lot of fun.
Overall, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is an exciting new direction for the franchise and a great game for both long-time fans and newcomers.
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Pokemon Legends Arceus Review | The Pokemon Game of Your Dreams
Positives
Fresh new story and setting
Exciting mechanics help reshape the Pokemon world
Negatives
Lack of challenge
Too much focus on simplicity
8.5
