For more than 20 years Nintendo and the Pokémon Company have been releasing games, shows, trading cards, and the a slew of different merchandise related to their trainable partner pocket monsters. Until fairly recently in the franchise’s history, Niantic and the other partner developers stuck with a sprite art style with limited animations to accommodate their ever-expanding roster of mons to do with as you would. With Pokémon: Sword and Shield, the titles made the jump to 3D renders. This was met with mixed criticism and praise from longtime fans. There was a lot to get excited for, but there were still issues that hadn’t been addressed.
After some time at the drawing board, Nintendo and the Pokémon Company came up with their newest major Pokémon title for the Nintendo Switch: Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The game was unveiled last year alongside the remakes: Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. We would be going back to the Sinnoh Region for this new title, the area created for the original Diamond and Pearl, but it would be in the ancient past when it was still known as the Hisui Region. There we would be charged with completing the first ever Pokedex, the comprehensive list of all Pokemon in a region. We all waited patiently as more and more teaser videos and gameplay footage came out with crossed fingers and bated breath. Having had a couple weeks to lay hands on it I can confidently say that Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the best direction they could be going.
I got that Hisuian Growlithe the first chance I had.
Once More Unto the Breach
It’s not perfect by any means. You can take to Twitter and see for yourself just how upset people were with the less than amazing graphics in a few sections. A certain commander’s Abra springs to mind. The overall art style is cohesive and interesting, but it can be a bit sparce in places. Grass and sand textures don’t always mesh perfectly, and water doesn’t always look great when you’re at a distance. Trees can be hit or miss. Sometimes they look great and there’s not really an issue with them, but in certain lights they can look particularly flat. That being said, the graphics are not terrible. The typically bright and saturated colors that most associate with Pokémon have been muted a bit in favor of a slightly more naturalistic color palette. It works for the most part. The Pokémon fit well in their environments and look like they’re supposed to be there.
The environments are all very unique as well. While not as densely filled as those of Hyrule Field in Breath of the Wild, Pokémon Legends does a pretty solid job of filling this world with things and places to explore for all manner of different supplies as well as a large cast of catchable Pokémon. While not a singular open-world that you can explore to your heart’s content, the individual sandbox areas are all large enough to not feel confining and there is enough variety to each of them to keep you interested in the world as you continue to explore. There are beaches and mountains and forests and fields and all manner of large sprawling areas to explore that all have a distinct and unique feel to them. Pokémon populate these places in a way that makes sense. Combee and Wurmple are always in more tree-filled areas where bugs typically are. Hippowdon and Croagunk languish in the muddy waters of the Crimson Mirelands. I could go on.
On top of this, there is now the inclusion of giant “Alpha” Pokémon. These mons are much larger than their normal counterparts, a feat that doesn’t change post-capture, and much stronger as well. They typically take the form of an evolved Pokémon like Parasect, Rapidash, Luxor, etc. Their lesser-evolved forms will almost always be around them, adding to the “alpha” aspect and subtly preparing you for what you’re heading into as you make your way. They all have glowing red eyes and let out a very deep version of their usual cry as they stomp around their area. First encounters can be really tense and force you to think about how you’re going to advance through certain areas. As you go on and you gain access to better PokeBalls, however, these giants eventually become powerful allies if you can capture them.
The Pokémon battle system has changed a lot over its tenure, but never more than with this game. The battle visuals are a huge improvement on previous titles, in my opinion. Attacks look crisp and powerful. Stun Spore blew me away the first time Parasect blasted me with it.
Almost got dropped by a giant mushroom, and I wasn’t about to go out like that, but that’s beside the point.
These creatures feel powerful, and it absolutely makes sense why the citizens of Jubilife Village would be afraid of them. Being able to freely move around during combat is another huge step up in terms of immersion, even with combat still technically being turn-based. Pokémon Legends: Arceus incorporates two new styles of attacks that can radically change how a battle flows and how you deal with encounters. Agile Style attacks use more PP, power points, and they aren’t as strong, but they’re faster. If your mon’s speed stat is high enough, you can potentially use this to attack multiple times in the span of a single turn. On the other hand there are also now Strong Style attacks. These also use more PP but they are much stronger versions of the regular attack. They also slow you down. Using them can be an instant KO, or it can leave you vulnerable to multiple attacks.
The Story and Goals
Your character falls from the sky suddenly into this strange land, presumably from our time/present day, and is taken in by Professor Laventon of the Galaxy Corps. They’ve recently arrived in the Hisui region where the Diamond Clan, headed by Adaman, and the Pearl Clan, headed by Irida, have been enjoying a tenuous peace. Here the Galaxy Corps intends to establish settlements and study the region’s Pokémon in the hopes of understanding them and eventually living in harmony with them. To do this, the Galaxy Corps have invented strange new devices called called PokeBalls which force Pokémon to activate a latent ability to shrink down to incredibly small size in order to fit inside and capture them. After demonstrating that you’re not afraid of Pokémon and you can use a PokeBall better than anyone has any right to, Laventon brings you into the Corps and asks you to help him while they figure out how you got there.
The main mission of the game is to complete the Hisui Region’s first ever Pokedex. To do this you’ll need to observe Pokémon in their environments and interact with them in specific ways. Some require you to catch them without being seen or to throw food at them a set number of times. Other Pokémon have battle specific requirements like using Strong and Agile Style attacks a set number of times or seeing a specific attack. As you accomplish these tasks your rank in the Galaxy Survey Corps will rise and allow you to use better and better PokeBalls and Pokémon of higher levels will more reliably listen to your commands in battle; much like the gym badge system of previous games. As you advance in the Galaxy Corps, the villagers and higher ups will ask you to complete various missions for them. Some are simple fetch quests, while others require a little more time and effort to complete. You’ll find everything from grains to a blue-flame Ponyta and then some for these quests. All the while, your “ArcPhone” will slowly guide you to the ultimate climax of the story as you make your way through the game.
The Final Word
8/10: A Fun but Flawed excursion that gives me a lot of hope for the franchise going forward
There are definitely parts that are more fun than others. Getting to ride on a giant bear that can sniff out treasure for example. Overall though, Pokémon Legends: Arceus provides a really solid experience from start to finish. The expansive areas are full of secrets to find and different Pokémon to try to catch. It feels genuinely rewarding as you explore and find new things. Even when things aren’t at their most crisp, graphically, it’s never enough to completely take you out of the experience. You can always hone in on something that will keep your attention far more than the Gyarados clipping a bit as it flies in the distance.
I’m very interested to see what the next Pokemon game looks like. Until then, I’m going to be finishing up my Pokedex in Pokémon Legends:Arceus and enjoying every minute of it. Let’s go Cyndaquil! Fire starters for life!
I’ve worked my whole life to become a comic book illustrator, writer, and stand-up comedian. Batman and Captain Benjamin Sisko helped put a good head on my shoulders. I spent most of my childhood saving Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom and seeing the Justice League save all of creation time and time again. I live in Johnson City, TN with my wife Kary and daughter Laila enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery and occasional show. Three puppies round out the family and take up the rest of the time that isn’t spent debating which Wes Anderson or Studio Ghibli movie to watch. I spend an inordinate amount of time binge watching SVU, Futurama, and Letterkenny, and when I’m not watching I’m listening to “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” or playing the occasional game of D&D. If there’s a nerdy endeavor out there, I’ve probably at least tried it.
