Pokémon Legends: Arceus Reviews

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is ranked in the 91st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Mar 22, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus comes as a much-needed refresher for the franchise, with new gameplay mechanics that make capturing pocket monsters more fun than ever.

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4 / 5.0
Feb 23, 2022

For the first time since I was a child, I finally feel excited for the future of Pokemon. While it’s true that Pokemon Legends: Arceus has some problems that do feel inexcusable in this day and age, there’s no doubt that the game is a milestone for the franchise. I can only hope that Game Freak decides to build on the ideas that work well here and grow the concept into something even better.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 11, 2022

Looks aren't everything in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which does a great job in pushing the series forward while showing a willingness to take risks and step outside of the series’ comfort zone. It’s still rough around the edges and could use some more polish. That being said, it’s an exciting teaser for what’s to come and should have many fans looking forward to what Pokemon has in store next.

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GameXplain
GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked-a-lot
Feb 5, 2022
Pokémon Legends Arceus REVIEW video thumbnail
9 / 10.0
Feb 3, 2022

In short, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a refreshing experience that the franchise needed after all these years. The focus on capturing is one of the game's biggest strengths, due to the fun gameplay loop of discovering a Pokémon's behavior prior to catching it. It may not be the best-looking game available on Nintendo Switch, but the addictive nature of exploring the various biomes to discover new things makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus one of the best Pokémon experiences in a long time.

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85 / 100
Feb 1, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the step of innovation that the series needed. At the end of the day, though, that installment feels more like a grand experiment than the franchise's standard going forward.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Feb 1, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the most daring title for the franchise in a long time. With its wide-open zones full of creatures to encounter, as well as an engaging story, this could be the game that reinvigorates your love for the series.

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GamePro
Top Critic
92 / 100
Jan 26, 2022

Pokémon Legends Arceus breathes a breath of fresh air into Pokémon thanks to great new ideas, making it one of the best games in the series.

Review in German | Read full review

Will Greenwald
Top Critic
Jan 26, 2022

Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn't the open-world Pokemon game fans have been waiting for, but it's still the most ambitious Pokemon experience yet, and a fun collect-a-thon in its own right.

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8.3 / 10.0
Jan 26, 2022

Legends Pokémon Arceus is exactly what it promised to be: a new frontier for the series. Like all experiments, however, the title has room for improvement and on a technical level shows more than one shortcoming.

Review in Italian | Read full review

RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
Feb 11, 2022

Pokemon Legends: Arceus reinvents the series' typical turn-based combat and blends it with satisfying, fresh features including crafting, exploration, and dodge rolls.

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90%
Feb 10, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a welcomingly new take on the franchise, designed precisely for getting lost in.

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9.5 / 10.0
Feb 8, 2022

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a massive leap forward for the franchise in terms of substance and gameplay. Improvements have been made across the board to battle mechanics, world exploration, Pokemon interactions, and more. From Pokemon enthusiast to casual fan you need to play this game.

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90 / 100
Feb 4, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus still has some lingering flaws from the series' rough transition to 3D, but is still an incredibly fun time from start to finish. Catching and battling Pokémon hasn't been this fun in over a decade, and despite the wealth of things to do in Hisui I'm still hungry for more.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 4, 2022

Although the storyline is a little dry, and the graphics could use some work, Pokémon: Legends of Arceus is an extremely entertaining title. It hooks you, inviting you to research every inch of the game. It's challenging, and the Pokémon are fun.

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Feb 9, 2022

Pokemon Legends Arceus is a game that no one was sure what to expect from it, but what they'll get from playing it is a game that is truly an experience, one long-desired by Pokemon fans. Filling up your Pokedex and exploring the Pokemon world has never been so much fun.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2022

Still, Pokémon Legends: Arceus turns over a new leaf for the Pokémon franchise. Not only does it prove that a new game doesn't need a hundred or so new Pokémon and a shiny new region to feel fresh, but it also shows that Game Freak and The Pokémon Company are actually willing to experiment within core Pokémon games. It defies fan skepticism to deliver a truly rare thing: an ambitious Pokémon game that realizes so many players' dreams of bringing everyone's favorite pocket-sized monsters to life in an open world.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the future for Pokémon games. The graphics are disappointing and the combat is very simple, yet it’s undeniably fun to play. Exploring areas with roaming Pokémon has been a distant dream for a long time and it’s finally here. With improvements and tweaks, this is how the mainline series should stay.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a small revolution that this famous series needed for a long time. I recommend this game to all Switch owners – not just Pokémon fans – because it really is entertaining. It doesn’t look great, but it will keep you glued to the screen.

Review in Polish | Read full review

GamingBolt
Pramath
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2022

Pokemon Legends Arceus is indisputably the best game in the series in a very long time, and a welcome and triumphant revitalization of the long standing formula. For the first time in a very long time, there is reason to be excited for the future of the franchise.

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