Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the latest instalment in the mainline series of Pokemon games. It completely changes up the formula by introducing semi-open world locations and a much more in-depth and battling and catching system. The game is a huge step forward in the Pokemon franchise and it was sorely needed after 25 years of the same style throughout every instalment. So, let’s begin with the obvious.
Yes, the game looks awful. It’s 2022 and Gamefreak need to up their game in the graphics department, I will simply not sugar coat it, because there is no good reason it should look the way it does. However. It does not look bad all the time, some sections of the game actually look quite pretty especially when considering the art style they were going for. From my perspective they were going for a Woodblock Printing style which is a very typical style of Japanese art especially in books throughout the 1600s to the 1800s and since this game is set in the past is does work quite well.
The game has received a lot of hate for the way it looks and I simply cannot justify calling this a bad game simply because it doesn’t look like other AAA titles such as Horizon: Forbidden West or Cyberpunk. I like gameplay to do a lot of the talking for a game and Legends has done an amazing job at winning me over with it’s incredible gameplay, enough so that I fear I will not be as interested in the next Pokemon game if it does not adopt this style of gameplay. (This is a lie, I will still enjoy any Pokemon game they put out, regardless of gameplay).
Just to clarify, I have not even finished the main story of the game yet and have put nearly 150 hours into since launch, I will go over why this is later but I believe I have played enough to make this review.
A New Beginning
The game begins with a cutscene of the almighty Pokemon, Arceus, talking to you in a deep black void of nothing, he requests you seek out all Pokemon (in the Hisui region) and only then will you be granted an audience with him. You are then dropped on “Prelude beach” and introduced to the most important character in the game, Professor Laventon.
The Professor is trying to create the worlds first Pokedex, as the game is set in a time when people and Pokemon feared one another he informs you that this will be a dangerous and gruelling task. One that risks your own life in certain situations. Pokemon are dangerous creatures and it is up to you to find out all about them, this is where the fun begins.
This is potentially the most intriguing plot of any Pokemon game to date and definitely contributes to why I love this game so much. In any conventional Pokemon game you would choose your starter and be making your way to your first gym by now, however as there are no gyms and very little trainers for that matter you only have the Pokedex. With no “routes” to follow or cities to visit in Hisui the world is a vast open plain for you to explore so let’s talk about that and how Gamefreak did a wonderful job making it feel alive despite what others say.
The Open Road
A question I actually asked someone recently, when you go for a walk in the woods or country side, are you surrounded by animals with every step you take? No, of course not. Animals are shy and timid, so why would Pokemon be any different? Even in the anime Ash and his friends seem to walk for hours and sometimes never see a Pokemon.
There are 5 different maps that complete the Hisui region and each one feels vastly different to one another. Each map section is populated with Pokemon, some are common in each map and others are only specific to that area in a logical and immersive way.
It doesn’t just stop there, each biome has specific Pokemon. For example, Starly and Wurmple are found in forests and tall grass but you won’t find them in open plains as they are shy and wish to hide away from humans and other Pokemon. Shinx however are the opposite and have no issue attacking humans on sight, so they like to be out in the open and stroll freely, which is why you never find them near tall grass only out in the open. The mountains are filled with bird and rock type Pokemon, there are ore deposits that rock type Pokemon will leap out of if disturbed. Burmy, a bug Pokemon, is based off of a cocoon and logically can only be found in trees.
The world feels immersive and genuine, I know where I need to go for specific Pokemon types and it feels so much better than running back and forth throughout the same grass patch hoping to run into the 5% encounter rate Pokemon I am looking for. This actually sets up my next point which is, wild Pokemon fights simply do not feel like chores anymore.
Throughout all other mainline games, when I am trying to get from point A to point B running into wild Pokemon was simply a nightmare and repels were considered your best friend. Now though, I can just ignore them and if I don’t want a specific species I don’t even look at them and can continue on my way! This was a huge improvement and one I hope they decide to keep.
Battling 101
A surprising twist and one that just makes sense from a gameplay perspective is that the wild Pokemon are difficult and some of them are a real challenge to fight if you do not come prepared. Since there are no trainers and wild Pokemon are not mandatory a lot of players must wonder where the actual difficulty and gameplay comes from, so to answer this Gamefreak created an entirely new battle system for this game. One that makes speed oh so more important.
With this change a wild Pokemon battle can become much more a challenge if you do not know your opponent well. If the opposing Pokemon is faster than you, it will move first. This means type match-ups and prior knowledge are important before engaging a battle. Wild Pokemon can also gang up on you and what you thought was a 1v1 can quickly become a 4v1, so they built around this and added the new “style mechanic.”
This battle style is something that is good for this game due to how it plays but not a feature I want continuing into mainline series games in the future as I could see it being easily exploitable and simply cheesy.
It allows you to change the order of attacks in battle by either reducing your damage or increasing it. By selecting the Agile version of an attack it’s power goes down but may give you a second turn to attack soon after, this allows for strategy against boss Pokemon, more on that soon, but also can save you if a battle is looking a little grim. The strong style however, increases the power of your move but may give your opponent an extra turn to attack you, it is a good pay off and some times wild Pokemon can use the styles against you for added threat.
With updated battle mechanics also comes updated status mechanics and Gamefreak have actually blessed us with these changes. They are a much needed improvement and if carried over I can see stalling getting the much needed toning down that it has needed since the early competitive days. I adore the new status changes, some are incredibly simplistic such as sleep being completely removed and replaced with drowsiness. This means your Pokemon is not just sitting there like a practice dummy taking damage till it either wakes up or getting KOd. Instead much like paralysis, you have a small chance to simply not attack that turn.
Ice type Pokemon were buffed significantly with the status changes too, receiving the ability to proc frostbite on an enemy Pokemon instead of freeze. Frostbite is the opposite of burn, where burn would cut the Pokemons Attack in half frostbite cuts Special Attack in half. This is actually a welcomed new mechanic as it allows you to reliably deal with strong Special Attacking Pokemon. Ice type Pokemon also have double speed in the snow now which is also a huge buff, a welcomed one too.
The final and most incredible change is that status effects are no longer permanent and will either run out after a certain number of turns or after the battle ends. Without trainer battles however the new status changes feel sort of lacklustre and half implemented as a wild Pokemon battle simply doesn’t last long enough for these effects to feel significant, but these quality of life improvements will be incredible in future titles. Bring it on.
They Are Alpha, You’re Beta
Throughout the Hisui region there are many spots with larger than average incredibly strong Alpha Pokemon. These are boss Pokemon, capable of using the agile and strong styles whenever they feel like and with higher invested stats than their other wild Pokemon counterparts. Yes, they are catchable, but the most entertaining part is that any wild Pokemon can actually spawn as an Alpha. These juiced up Pokemon are not only stronger in battle but are just as dangerous outside of battle.
While exploring the wilds you may come across one and think you are safe, however they have the ability to roar a significant distance away and stun you. This gives them the opening to then unleash all manner of hell upon you, including actual Pokemon attacks such as Hyperbeam and Rockslide. Whilst normal wild Pokemon can also do this, they don’t do it to the degree that these Alphas do. They are dangerous and need to be approached stealthily or with your strongest Pokemon out front.
Not only are they challenging bosses used for many tasks throughout the Pokedex, they are also catchable and can be considered trophies by some. They are all maxed sized and sometimes it is rewarding to see your favourite Pokemon towering above its non-Alpha counterpart. I definitely believe Dynamaxing from Pokemon Sword and Shield influenced the creation of Alphas quite a bit because as uninspiring as that gimmick was, it was definitely comical.
I actually really like how they have been implemented and used in the game as ways of “blocking” players from certain areas within the game, however I fear if they keep Alpha as a Pokemon staple they need to be balanced correctly and have steep requirements to catch as they could easily be used to trivialize story based content. I for one implemented the rule throughout my own playthrough to not use Alphas as they are incredible strong.
The Original Pokedex
Now for the meat and potatoes of the whole game, the Pokedex. Easily the most in-depth, enjoyable and quite frankly best part of the game. What was normally a chore in any other Pokemon game has been so vastly improved that it could be the best part of every future Pokemon game to come.
Instead of scouring the region looking for every Pokemon in any spot you can, evolving them, boxing them and then never using them ever again you are tasked with catching a multitude of a species of Pokemon and then documenting them. Seeing them evolve multiple times, catching a certain amount of them using stealth or seeing them use a number of attacks. All of these are used to create the perfect Pokedex, a goal actually in the game. Here’s the best part though, it is not mandatory in the slightest.
The only “goal” in the game is to capture one of each Pokemon and then capture Arceus, that is the main goal. However, Gamefreak has allowed the completionist such as myself to spend countless hours in this game completing every Pokedex page to its finest detail. While there is no need to actually “perfect” the Pokedex you are rewarded for doing so and for fans of shiny hunting, lets just say that it is worth it.
While completing these tasks you actually feel like you are documenting these animals and it seriously helps with the immersion of the game, while others could see some of these tasks as a boring waste of time, for players such as myself it is a welcomed challenge and a good way to keep playing the game. It has definitely been created for all the completionists out there but could also be a good way for newer players to the franchise to experience and use a vast variety of Pokemon.
Final thoughts and concerns
I could talk about this game for hours and incredibly small details Gamefreak have put into this game, such as how Pokemon interact with each other and the very simplistic crafting system but I feel like they are not that overly important to talk about in the grand scheme of everything else I mentioned. The crafting is as simple as it could possibly be and the interacting between Pokemon is so in-depth I would need another post just dedicated to that.
Legends: Arceus is easily the best Pokemon game in the 3D era of mainline titles, it changes up enough to keep it fresh but keeps enough to keep it familiar and welcoming. I fear however that if Gamefreak do not keep up this formula of Pokemon games it could cause issues within the wider community and further games may not do well unless they are this style of catching and semi open-world. I believe Gamefreak have created a fantastic starting point for the future of the franchise and they need to capitalise on this hype that has been generating from this game and keep that momentum going. Rather than what I fear they will do and go back to old formula of games in the next generation of Pokemon, which is rumoured to be announced this year.
Whilst I do praise and love this game, it isn’t without it’s problems. The controls for mounts verses walking is so confusing and controls for one are different for others which creates awkward controls and some times an unpleasant experience. As I said earlier, the improvements to battles are awesome and a welcome change but under utilized by the lack of trainer fights and finally, Gamefreak seriously need to work on the load distance in their games. It is incredibly distracting and honestly I feel like a lot of players would cut them some slack over the graphics if they fixed that.
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