Pokémon Legends: Arceus Reviews
If this is the future of the franchise, it’s a very welcome change – and while the game is certainly in need of some visual improvements, there’s promise and excitement here that shines through every pore.
This title is certainly a promising stepping-stone for the future of Pokémon, and I feel a lot of excitement for what comes next for the franchise. If Game Freak can work on its mistakes, create more interesting environments, and keep the changes to battling and catching Pokémon, I think the next Pokémon game we see could be one of the best yet. Finally, regardless of what Pokémon Legends: Arceus didn’t quite master, it was still a fun experience to play Pokémon in this new and evolved way, and experience a game that truly felt different for the first time in years.
[Pokémon Legends: Arceus] is mired in an unimpressive world, both unattractive and devoid of meaningful secrets. Its battle systems are uncooked, its characters and bosses boring, its map and fast travel UX cumbersome, and the collect-a-thon that comprises the game's final act is not only absurdly grindy but also practically inaccessible, forcing you to rely on either guides or sheer dumb luck.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a massive step in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise which has started to feel a bit stale in recent years. An exciting new way to catch and battle Pokemon is a much welcome introduction and is a lot of fun. The open world experience of having wild Pokemon roaming free in the wild is what the franchise has been screaming out for and we finally got it. Despite getting the most important things right, the game falls a little short of the levels of quality you might expect from a Pokemon game. The visual quality is poor, the map feels like an AI could have designed it and the games menus for tracking progress and travelling are in need of a lot of quality of life improvements. Flaws and all, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a lot of fun and should be used as a stepping stone to help the Pokemon franchise evolve.
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.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus has finally ushered in the next stage of the franchise's development - even if we still firmly hope that many more will follow. The Pokémon spin-off feels more organic, motivating and coherent than ever thanks to the semi-open game world and the many modernized gameplay mechanics. The free-roaming areas in particular have a lot to offer, if you're into the iconic pocket monsters. Otherwise, you'll quickly be confronted with the harsh reality that Pokemon Legends is just a cheap copycat of the great 'Breath of the Wild', which doesn't reveal much more than empty and statistical worlds. However, those who have a soft spot for Pokémon will probably find their Eldorado with Arceus: Everything around you - be it the free-roaming Pokémon, the new Pokédex assignments, or the motivating progression system - pays off on the 'Gotta Catch Em All' principle and pushes your own collecting mania to the extreme. In contrast, however, the game looks absolutely out of time and shouldn't even bring a tired smile to the last console generation. Despite all the complaining about the graphics, Pokémon Legends knows how to motivate us, spur us on, and captivate us with its gameplay. What's a bit of 'mud' graphics, right? If Game Freak doesn't let so much time pass until the next update, exciting years could be ahead for Pokémon fans.
Review in German | Read full review
It transcends the limits of battle and depicts the Pokémon world more freely. In addition, the design of the game often includes stories that place more importance on humans than on Pokémon.
Review in Korean | Read full review
It is a different Pokémon, one that bets on a reinterpretative and not cloned formula, which is a step for the saga. It should be taken care of and improved for the future, we should expect a lot more from a title that comes from an advantageous and established position.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a legitimately good game, but it could have been so much more. The franchise has the breath of fresh air it so desperately needs, resulting in enjoyable and addictive gameplay in the wild of the Hisui region. Sadly, the game loves to also hold itself back, with a poor presentation, average visuals, and the same tried and true combat.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a frantic game about violence and tension. The most defining moment for its gameplay is running away in fear from a larger Alpha Pokémon, whilst you haphazardly toss Pokéballs at smaller, unsuspecting Pokémon in your path. Despite the grind, I felt motivated to catch these mons, rather than dreading random encounters like in previous games.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus wants to be the best – and it’s certainly the best there ever was when it comes to Pokémon games. It is slightly held back by the issues on the technical side, but the gameplay kept me invested throughout. I’ve been a fan ever since the original Pokémon Blue, but I’ve never had so much fun with this series before.
Legends respects everything that came before it while looking ahead at what the series can do with its story when it sheds the tried and true formula its wore like a badge of honor for years.
Pokemon Legends Arceus, while a really fun experience, feels like a very confused game. It tries to blend the traditional Pokemon style of gameplay together with aspects of Breath of the Wild and Monster Hunter, yet unfortunately fails to do anything as good or better than any of them.
Back when Skyrim launched in 2011, a fake mock-up of a Blastoise emerging from behind some trees in glorious 3D did the rounds on the internet. Pokemon fans everywhere, myself included, salivated at the thought of such a game coming to fruition. Pokemon Legends Arceus is the closest thing we've had to that dream yet and while performance issues and lack of graphical fidelity do throw a spanner in the works, not to mention the often lonely open world with lack of meaningful landmarks, this shake-up of the formula is a return to form for Game Freak.
Long-time fans of the Pokémon franchise should be very excited about the future of the Pokémon games, even if not everything in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a home run. Despite the flaws, I really enjoyed my time and can’t wait to see what comes next!
Certain elements of Arceus remind me of action games such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Monster Hunter, but with the battle, trade, and collection of previous games still intact. Pokémon Legends: Arceus has undergone significant changes, ultimately making the game better for it. After having played all the previous Pokémon games in the series, I can say I love it, give it a go, and you might love it too!
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an excellent adventure that proves it can pay off to do things differently. The recipe has been reworked on several levels and all these changes enhance the player’s experience. In short, if the last titles bored you a little by their redundancy, this new title should definitely reignite your flame.
Review in French | Read full review
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the most ambitious Pokemon game to date and while it may be flawed, it offers a fun and exciting adventure that sets the bar for the future of the series.
The best choice you can make on January 28th is to buy Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Review in Greek | Read full review