Catch, survey and research wild Pokemon to create and complete the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex. Honours past Pokemon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements. Story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokemon Trainer or having a Pokemon League even existed. All around, you’ll find Pokemon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. To catch Pokemon, you can observe them to learn their behaviour, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poke Ball and let fly. Have your ally Pokemon battle wild Pokemon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poke Ball holding your ally Pokemon near a wild Pokemon, and you will seamlessly enter battle. Command your Pokemon by choosing from moves it knows.
Catch, survey and research wild Pokemon to create and complete the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex. Honours past Pokemon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements. Story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokemon Trainer or having a Pokemon League even existed. All around, you’ll find Pokemon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. To catch Pokemon, you can observe them to learn their behaviour, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poke Ball and let fly. Have your ally Pokemon battle wild Pokemon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poke Ball holding your ally Pokemon near a wild Pokemon, and you will seamlessly enter battle. Command your Pokemon by choosing from moves it knows.
Catch, survey and research wild Pokemon to create and complete the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex. Honours past Pokemon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements. Story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokemon Trainer or having a Pokemon League even existed. All around, you’ll find Pokemon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. To catch Pokemon, you can observe them to learn their behaviour, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poke Ball and let fly. Have your ally Pokemon battle wild Pokemon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poke Ball holding your ally Pokemon near a wild Pokemon, and you will seamlessly enter battle. Command your Pokemon by choosing from moves it knows.
Catch, survey and research wild Pokemon to create and complete the Sinnoh region’s first Pokedex. Honours past Pokemon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements. Story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokemon Trainer or having a Pokemon League even existed. All around, you’ll find Pokemon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. To catch Pokemon, you can observe them to learn their behaviour, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poke Ball and let fly. Have your ally Pokemon battle wild Pokemon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poke Ball holding your ally Pokemon near a wild Pokemon, and you will seamlessly enter battle. Command your Pokemon by choosing from moves it knows.
Last updated at 06/08/2026 16:17:56
Pokemon Legends Arceus - Switch - Super Retro - Nintendo Switch Standard
Delivery $7.95
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo Switch) - Nintendo eShop Account - GLOBAL
Delivery $0.50
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Multi-Language)
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Cover - English)
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Free delivery
Pocket monster Pokémon LEGENDS Arceus - Nintendo Switch NS Multilingual support
Delivery $9.74
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Nintendo Switch Game – Open World Action RPG, Authentic Cartridge
Free delivery between 15–19 June
Nintendo Pocket Monster Pokemon Legends Arceus For Nintendo Switch + Promo Card
Delivery between 16–17 June $19
originally posted on bestbuy.com
I’ve been playing Pokémon games for over 20 years now, and I’ve got to say that this is a breath of fresh air. I was concerned about the game’s structure when it was revealed there wouldn’t be gyms or a league, but this has freed them up to do an origin story that’s proven to be much more interesting than the usual story they’ve recycled since the late 90s. Instead you see the seeds of various institutions such as the venerable marts and centers that we’ve seen in every Pokémon RPG. You get lore bits, previously relegated to Pokédex entries, woven into the side quests and stories (ghost Pokémon kidnapping kids, Bidoofs chewing through rock as easily as wood, etc). A lot of the material is old, but it feels new and fresh, because you’re building the first ... MoreI’ve been playing Pokémon games for over 20 years now, and I’ve got to say that this is a breath of fresh air. I was concerned about the game’s structure when it was revealed there wouldn’t be gyms or a league, but this has freed them up to do an origin story that’s proven to be much more interesting than the usual story they’ve recycled since the late 90s. Instead you see the seeds of various institutions such as the venerable marts and centers that we’ve seen in every Pokémon RPG. You get lore bits, previously relegated to Pokédex entries, woven into the side quests and stories (ghost Pokémon kidnapping kids, Bidoofs chewing through rock as easily as wood, etc). A lot of the material is old, but it feels new and fresh, because you’re building the first Pokédex.The features, ranging from finding starters from other games/regions in the wild to crafting represent both QoL improvements and modernization that fans have expected since the GameCube, and hoped we’d finally get with sword/shield. Crafting, a hit or miss standard feature in many modern open world games, is a huge quality of life improvement - you no longer have to trek back to town to heal or to an out of way ball maker, because you can make poke balls, potions, and revives in the field by harvesting the materials as you go! On a similar note, there are camps dotting the wilderness where you can swap your Pokémon out without having to go back to town. It’s ironic that a game set in the past feels more modern than Sword/Shield.The game is hardly perfect - the controls scheme can use some tweaking in future iterations upon this formula. And it isn’t a looker compared to other Switch titles. But it is an upgrade over other recent Pokémon games.I hope this becomes either the norm or it’s own line of Pokémon titles, because it’s simply a step up from everything we’ve gotten since DS. I can recommend this to old fans and newcomers alike.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
To Summarize, this is a fun semi-open world action RPG. You will find Pokemon of many different generations here in full 3D. The world is segmented but each area is quite large, similiar to how the Monster Hunter (Pre MH:World) series breaks up their world. I find myself losing hours of my time each time I boot up the game, enjoying the crafting, battling , catching pokemon gameplay loop.Graphics (3/5): They leave a lot to be desired, while docked, you can't help but notice low res and weird animations out in the far distance.. That said, still pretty impressive that this much open world was able to fit on the cart and run smoothly. The game looks better in portable mode too (IMO).Story (4/5): While I have not completed the main story, the setting and characters ... MoreTo Summarize, this is a fun semi-open world action RPG. You will find Pokemon of many different generations here in full 3D. The world is segmented but each area is quite large, similiar to how the Monster Hunter (Pre MH:World) series breaks up their world. I find myself losing hours of my time each time I boot up the game, enjoying the crafting, battling , catching pokemon gameplay loop.Graphics (3/5): They leave a lot to be desired, while docked, you can't help but notice low res and weird animations out in the far distance.. That said, still pretty impressive that this much open world was able to fit on the cart and run smoothly. The game looks better in portable mode too (IMO).Story (4/5): While I have not completed the main story, the setting and characters are really interesting thus far (6 hours in). You are an interloper, out of place and out of time as this game takes place in a feudal Japanese type setting. Pokemon are a relatively new discovery and people havent learned to live with them yet, so they live in fear of getting attacked. Your main goal is to study the Pokemon and complete the regions first ever pokedex.Gameplay(5/5): This is where the magic happens. The core gameplay from the series is still there catching and battling pokemon, but just different. Battle occur in the overworld and for the first time ever pokemon can attack you directly. You can complete pokedex entries various ways either by catching multiples battling a bunch of them or completing optional stuff like catching them without being seen or at certain times of day. Resources are plentiful and crafting can be done on demand so you dont need to travel to a specific area to do so. its fun to run around and explore and watching the pokemon interact in their environment. Cant help but feel the game is a little held back by the aging switch hardware (Main Hub Town feels a little empty and soemtimes pokemon appear out of nowhere).Overall (5/5): A great new direction for the series that has made me feel like I'm 12 again playing on the gameboy color. plays how 12 y/o me imagined a 3d open world pokemon would play back in 1998.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
For a Pokemon game this was pretty special, just being able to have a slight amount of freedom was enough for me. But putting aside my childhood nostolgia for the game, its issues start to apear.I'll start with the most obvious, the graphics are rather awful. Although this could be due to the Switch being a very weak console or the nature of the open world was simoly to much for the producers to handle, it doesent really matter. This game looks like it could have come out in 2011. Personally I never found this to be an issue, but im aware that others will.My primary complaint is in the games repetitive simplicity. In short this game boils down to catching Pokemon. To progress at all in the story (which is also depressing simplistic) you're forced to catch ... MoreFor a Pokemon game this was pretty special, just being able to have a slight amount of freedom was enough for me. But putting aside my childhood nostolgia for the game, its issues start to apear.I'll start with the most obvious, the graphics are rather awful. Although this could be due to the Switch being a very weak console or the nature of the open world was simoly to much for the producers to handle, it doesent really matter. This game looks like it could have come out in 2011. Personally I never found this to be an issue, but im aware that others will.My primary complaint is in the games repetitive simplicity. In short this game boils down to catching Pokemon. To progress at all in the story (which is also depressing simplistic) you're forced to catch pokemon repeatedly to finish reaserch tasks. Which in itself is not a horrible idea until you realise that catching a pokemon is essentially hiding in a bush throwing a berry and then waiting until the pokemon turns around. Although there is a feature to essentially fight the pokemon the option is rather pointless as the in game time required to gather the resources outweigh the convience of hiding in a bush. As such as soon as a pokemon sees you your best action is to run away as nesrly all pokemon follow the same AI, 1 it sees you, 2 it gets mad at you, 3 it attacks you. This repettstiveness does begin to drag on as the obly truly new thing that happens as you progress is seeing new pokemon.Now, I do find this review a bit harsh. As Im grading the game as if it were trying to be some sort of masterpiece, when it simply is not. Pokemon legends Arceus is a simply game at worst and a relaxing adventure at best, but it certainly will not be winning any awards.TLDR: Pretty good, easy a little boring. But Pokemon!
| Official Release Date | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Players | 1 |
| Total votes | 25 |
Pokemon Legends Arceus - Switch - Super Retro - Nintendo Switch Standard
Delivery $7.95
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo Switch) - Nintendo eShop Account - GLOBAL
Delivery $0.50
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Multi-Language)
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Delivery $11.39
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (Cover - English)
Delivery $11.39
I’ve been playing Pokémon games for over 20 years now, and I’ve got to say that this is a breath of fresh air. I was concerned about the game’s structure when it was revealed there wouldn’t be gyms or a league, but this has freed them up to do an origin story that’s proven to be much more interesting than the usual story they’ve recycled since the late 90s. Instead you see the seeds of various institutions such as the venerable marts and centers that we’ve seen in every Pokémon RPG. You get lore bits, previously relegated to Pokédex entries, woven into the side quests and stories (ghost Pokémon kidnapping kids, Bidoofs chewing through rock as easily as wood, etc). A lot of the material is old, but it feels new and fresh, because you’re building the first ... MoreI’ve been playing Pokémon games for over 20 years now, and I’ve got to say that this is a breath of fresh air. I was concerned about the game’s structure when it was revealed there wouldn’t be gyms or a league, but this has freed them up to do an origin story that’s proven to be much more interesting than the usual story they’ve recycled since the late 90s. Instead you see the seeds of various institutions such as the venerable marts and centers that we’ve seen in every Pokémon RPG. You get lore bits, previously relegated to Pokédex entries, woven into the side quests and stories (ghost Pokémon kidnapping kids, Bidoofs chewing through rock as easily as wood, etc). A lot of the material is old, but it feels new and fresh, because you’re building the first Pokédex.The features, ranging from finding starters from other games/regions in the wild to crafting represent both QoL improvements and modernization that fans have expected since the GameCube, and hoped we’d finally get with sword/shield. Crafting, a hit or miss standard feature in many modern open world games, is a huge quality of life improvement - you no longer have to trek back to town to heal or to an out of way ball maker, because you can make poke balls, potions, and revives in the field by harvesting the materials as you go! On a similar note, there are camps dotting the wilderness where you can swap your Pokémon out without having to go back to town. It’s ironic that a game set in the past feels more modern than Sword/Shield.The game is hardly perfect - the controls scheme can use some tweaking in future iterations upon this formula. And it isn’t a looker compared to other Switch titles. But it is an upgrade over other recent Pokémon games.I hope this becomes either the norm or it’s own line of Pokémon titles, because it’s simply a step up from everything we’ve gotten since DS. I can recommend this to old fans and newcomers alike.
To Summarize, this is a fun semi-open world action RPG. You will find Pokemon of many different generations here in full 3D. The world is segmented but each area is quite large, similiar to how the Monster Hunter (Pre MH:World) series breaks up their world. I find myself losing hours of my time each time I boot up the game, enjoying the crafting, battling , catching pokemon gameplay loop.Graphics (3/5): They leave a lot to be desired, while docked, you can't help but notice low res and weird animations out in the far distance.. That said, still pretty impressive that this much open world was able to fit on the cart and run smoothly. The game looks better in portable mode too (IMO).Story (4/5): While I have not completed the main story, the setting and characters ... MoreTo Summarize, this is a fun semi-open world action RPG. You will find Pokemon of many different generations here in full 3D. The world is segmented but each area is quite large, similiar to how the Monster Hunter (Pre MH:World) series breaks up their world. I find myself losing hours of my time each time I boot up the game, enjoying the crafting, battling , catching pokemon gameplay loop.Graphics (3/5): They leave a lot to be desired, while docked, you can't help but notice low res and weird animations out in the far distance.. That said, still pretty impressive that this much open world was able to fit on the cart and run smoothly. The game looks better in portable mode too (IMO).Story (4/5): While I have not completed the main story, the setting and characters are really interesting thus far (6 hours in). You are an interloper, out of place and out of time as this game takes place in a feudal Japanese type setting. Pokemon are a relatively new discovery and people havent learned to live with them yet, so they live in fear of getting attacked. Your main goal is to study the Pokemon and complete the regions first ever pokedex.Gameplay(5/5): This is where the magic happens. The core gameplay from the series is still there catching and battling pokemon, but just different. Battle occur in the overworld and for the first time ever pokemon can attack you directly. You can complete pokedex entries various ways either by catching multiples battling a bunch of them or completing optional stuff like catching them without being seen or at certain times of day. Resources are plentiful and crafting can be done on demand so you dont need to travel to a specific area to do so. its fun to run around and explore and watching the pokemon interact in their environment. Cant help but feel the game is a little held back by the aging switch hardware (Main Hub Town feels a little empty and soemtimes pokemon appear out of nowhere).Overall (5/5): A great new direction for the series that has made me feel like I'm 12 again playing on the gameboy color. plays how 12 y/o me imagined a 3d open world pokemon would play back in 1998.
For a Pokemon game this was pretty special, just being able to have a slight amount of freedom was enough for me. But putting aside my childhood nostolgia for the game, its issues start to apear.I'll start with the most obvious, the graphics are rather awful. Although this could be due to the Switch being a very weak console or the nature of the open world was simoly to much for the producers to handle, it doesent really matter. This game looks like it could have come out in 2011. Personally I never found this to be an issue, but im aware that others will.My primary complaint is in the games repetitive simplicity. In short this game boils down to catching Pokemon. To progress at all in the story (which is also depressing simplistic) you're forced to catch ... MoreFor a Pokemon game this was pretty special, just being able to have a slight amount of freedom was enough for me. But putting aside my childhood nostolgia for the game, its issues start to apear.I'll start with the most obvious, the graphics are rather awful. Although this could be due to the Switch being a very weak console or the nature of the open world was simoly to much for the producers to handle, it doesent really matter. This game looks like it could have come out in 2011. Personally I never found this to be an issue, but im aware that others will.My primary complaint is in the games repetitive simplicity. In short this game boils down to catching Pokemon. To progress at all in the story (which is also depressing simplistic) you're forced to catch pokemon repeatedly to finish reaserch tasks. Which in itself is not a horrible idea until you realise that catching a pokemon is essentially hiding in a bush throwing a berry and then waiting until the pokemon turns around. Although there is a feature to essentially fight the pokemon the option is rather pointless as the in game time required to gather the resources outweigh the convience of hiding in a bush. As such as soon as a pokemon sees you your best action is to run away as nesrly all pokemon follow the same AI, 1 it sees you, 2 it gets mad at you, 3 it attacks you. This repettstiveness does begin to drag on as the obly truly new thing that happens as you progress is seeing new pokemon.Now, I do find this review a bit harsh. As Im grading the game as if it were trying to be some sort of masterpiece, when it simply is not. Pokemon legends Arceus is a simply game at worst and a relaxing adventure at best, but it certainly will not be winning any awards.TLDR: Pretty good, easy a little boring. But Pokemon!
As someone who got so into action games that I can hardly stand playing pure turn based games such as Pokemon anymore (which is very sad for me because this was a big part of growing up for me)... This game was great! The action is uh, kinda bad compared to other games I'm used to, such as Ys, Monster Hunter, and Platinum Games, but it suffices, and for the first time in years, I was able to avoid dropping a Pokemon game, because I can just sneak up on pokemon and throw balls at them. This really was the breath of fresh air and innovation that Pokemon's main series needed. Hell, they need it overall because the flow of console spinoff games had dried up for a while, too.And if you don't have my extremely specific problem, you can fight pokemon normally, too, with ... MoreAs someone who got so into action games that I can hardly stand playing pure turn based games such as Pokemon anymore (which is very sad for me because this was a big part of growing up for me)... This game was great! The action is uh, kinda bad compared to other games I'm used to, such as Ys, Monster Hunter, and Platinum Games, but it suffices, and for the first time in years, I was able to avoid dropping a Pokemon game, because I can just sneak up on pokemon and throw balls at them. This really was the breath of fresh air and innovation that Pokemon's main series needed. Hell, they need it overall because the flow of console spinoff games had dried up for a while, too.And if you don't have my extremely specific problem, you can fight pokemon normally, too, with flawlessly smooth transitions without loading screens, and a few minor twists to the normal battle mechanics to add spice.I wish people would shut up about open world being amazing, though. Graphical prowess is a very low priority on my list, but even I think the world looks incredibly boring. It's kinda just the same few trees, water, and grass everywhere in variable elevations/corridors, with pokemon and items littered about at good intervals. Like, it's not a disaster, but it's far from interesting. Probably would have preferred to have more dedicated smaller stages that don't have to be super detailed like in Monster Hunter Rise.This game is a fantastic start, and I seriously hope they keep going in this direction, because I have no idea if I can go back to the old stuff.
(Avoiding too many spoilers) An open world Pokemon game is something us fans have wanted for many years now. To see it realized is like a dream come true as it really captures the feeling of exploring to catch Pokemon in a wide world. Being able to stealthily sneak up to Pokemon behind objects or even in tall grass yourself in real time adds a whole new and exciting dynamic to catching em' all. If you are unsuccessful, you may have to battle them in turn-based strategy mode (or just start in turn-based) for the catch or run and try again by sneaking. There are "Alpha" Pokemon which are hilariously big, high level, powerful and aggressive which make for some interesting challenges to catch and/or dodge. If you don't get a laugh at least once from these encounters due ... More(Avoiding too many spoilers) An open world Pokemon game is something us fans have wanted for many years now. To see it realized is like a dream come true as it really captures the feeling of exploring to catch Pokemon in a wide world. Being able to stealthily sneak up to Pokemon behind objects or even in tall grass yourself in real time adds a whole new and exciting dynamic to catching em' all. If you are unsuccessful, you may have to battle them in turn-based strategy mode (or just start in turn-based) for the catch or run and try again by sneaking. There are "Alpha" Pokemon which are hilariously big, high level, powerful and aggressive which make for some interesting challenges to catch and/or dodge. If you don't get a laugh at least once from these encounters due to the shenanigans that can ensue, I'd be very surprised.There are numerous positive balance changes to the game as well such as the removal of entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes in favor of making them into more of a multi-damage move like Wrap, revamping the power of moves and tweaks to the speed mechanic to make once-self-crippling moves like Hyper Beam more viable. Those new speed mechanics also come into play with the "Strong Style" and "Agile Style" which add a lot of depth to the planning by changing move power and turn counts. You'll also find there are no held items which sounds like it could be a detriment, but actually likely improves balance quite a bit because they always acted like free turns to set up something and not all Pokemon could utilize held items equally. You can still find past hold items to evolve Pokemon like Metal Coat, but you can't have a Pokemon hold them. You just use them like they're evolution stones.The game does have some aspects which kind of make it seem incomplete though.Surprisingly there is no option to battle other players. Yep, all those balance changes and no real way to play it out. Which is a shame. Maybe you'll be able to in an "Arceus 2" or they can update the game to add it in. But it feels like a big missed opportunity to play a completely different meta. You can trade with other players though.There are also a couple of odd oversights which hinder the experience that a smidge of polish could've helped out such as not being able to track more than one quest at a time, reliance of other Pokemon game save files being on your Switch to unlock a few more quests (which do lead to exclusive Pokemon), and needing to pay for online nowadays to even do trades when it used to be free in past games. (Local is still free though.)You'll also find out there is less Pokemon than even Generation 2 at 242 of em'. Very odd considering the amount of land there is to fill.Overall you won't want to miss this game though as it's a unique and fun entry to the franchise despite the minor shortcomings.
5/10 This is an awful game objectively if you compare it to any title other than another Pokémon game. However like I said, it’s the best Pokémon game in many many years, but you’ve got blinders on if you think this game is even close to “good.” It’s okay at best. I would only recommend it to someone who absolutely adores Pokémon and is willing to accept glaring flaws and issues. Riding Pokémon like Wyrdeer is a clunky nightmare. Most of the time you jump with him he won’t make jumps, you’ll clearly see that he made it 3 feet over the edge you want to get up but he’ll miraculously fall down almost every time. He is the antithesis of fun. You can prove again and again with him that this games development is mediocre at best, it isn’t designed for open exploration. ... More5/10 This is an awful game objectively if you compare it to any title other than another Pokémon game. However like I said, it’s the best Pokémon game in many many years, but you’ve got blinders on if you think this game is even close to “good.” It’s okay at best. I would only recommend it to someone who absolutely adores Pokémon and is willing to accept glaring flaws and issues. Riding Pokémon like Wyrdeer is a clunky nightmare. Most of the time you jump with him he won’t make jumps, you’ll clearly see that he made it 3 feet over the edge you want to get up but he’ll miraculously fall down almost every time. He is the antithesis of fun. You can prove again and again with him that this games development is mediocre at best, it isn’t designed for open exploration. Catching Pokémon is fun the first 50 times, and then the game asks you to catch or battles or feed or abuse every Pokémon some inordinate amount of times before it allows you to even finish the game. Battling is fairly seamless but you feel more like a handheld toddler in a theme park than ever before. Approximately half the moves are just not present in the game. Items and abilities are done away with as well as online battling which is simply a disservice to a game that’s only alive today because of the competitive battling scene. Exploring sucks. The game is sliced into 5 different explorable chunks that range entirely forgettable to gross to look at. Nothing about this game looks good other than the Pokémon models which are mostly reused from Sword and Shield. I’ve hear a lot of people say they don’t care about graphics on the switch, but I would hope you aren’t okay with going back to Wii era visuals when Nintendo has proven you can make a beautiful open world experience with Breath of the Wild. There is 0 stylistic intent in this game. It simply looks awful. Pokémon is all about music for me. This game couldn’t be a bigger let down for it. After remaking Diamond and Pearl in the horribly cheap way they did a few months ago, I was hoping some of the redone sound track would make it into Arceus. Unfortunately they’ve reduced the sound to loops of elevator music and disparate jazz notes. All in all 5/10 is more than fair for this game. I certainly hope that the Pokémon company doesn’t make the mistake of going back to the ancient style of Pokémon games that they haven’t been able to improve on for 20 years. This is the first step in the right direction since coliseum. Pokémon is literally the most valuable video game franchise of all time, I hope Nintendo acquires enough wherewithal to treat the games as such. Let’s hope that they don’t blow it on the next one.
I admittedly went into Legends with low expectations, having been burned on sub-par Pokemon experiences as of late. The only truly exciting Pokemon game since X & Y for me had been New Pokemon Snap, due in large part because it wasn't an RPG and didn't play like a traditional Pokemon game.Legends, however, strikes a great balance between exploration and the RPG roots of the mainline titles. The areas to explore are much bigger than I anticipated and every square inch has items to collect or Pokemon to discover. There's nothing quite like seeing your first alpha Pokemon after turning your camera, and the fear it puts into you as you sneak past it (or engage it in battle and swiftly meet your end). Even 25 hours in, I am still getting that feeling of almost ... MoreI admittedly went into Legends with low expectations, having been burned on sub-par Pokemon experiences as of late. The only truly exciting Pokemon game since X & Y for me had been New Pokemon Snap, due in large part because it wasn't an RPG and didn't play like a traditional Pokemon game.Legends, however, strikes a great balance between exploration and the RPG roots of the mainline titles. The areas to explore are much bigger than I anticipated and every square inch has items to collect or Pokemon to discover. There's nothing quite like seeing your first alpha Pokemon after turning your camera, and the fear it puts into you as you sneak past it (or engage it in battle and swiftly meet your end). Even 25 hours in, I am still getting that feeling of almost limitless discovery, of fear whenever I stray onto the territory of a new intimidating alpha Pokemon. Legends wants you to explore its world but always do so with caution. Its best you to take in your surroundings, line up your target Pokemon, and throw your ball at it (which always is satisfying no matter how small or large the Pokemon is). And I thought it would get old after a while, but it just doesn't.The plot is nothing to write home about, and neither are the visuals. It looks fine, honestly better than I expected after seeing the trailers for almost a year, but it doesn't have the jaw-dropping visual spectacle of something like Breath of the Wild. But it doesn't have to, with a gameplay loop as satisfying as it is.I won't go so far as to say that this the best Pokemon has ever been. But its definitely up there, and definitely something new and exciting for a franchise that has stagnated in recent years.
This is the best Pokemon game yet.The feudal Japan theming and overall story is great. The open world experience, while not truly "open world," is refreshing and entertaining — it enables engaging replay value deep into the post-game. The wild Pokemon interaction experience is incredible... it's so sad it wasn't brought back for Scarlet/Violet (crossing my fingers that future games embrace this). So many of the typical Pokemon game headaches are simplified if not completely remedied in PLA. So much more good to say about this game.The only downside is how limited the trainer battle system, as well as other aspects of the game are. You can tell this game was developed alongside S/V and that both teams took certain liberties that further fractured the broader ... MoreThis is the best Pokemon game yet.The feudal Japan theming and overall story is great. The open world experience, while not truly "open world," is refreshing and entertaining — it enables engaging replay value deep into the post-game. The wild Pokemon interaction experience is incredible... it's so sad it wasn't brought back for Scarlet/Violet (crossing my fingers that future games embrace this). So many of the typical Pokemon game headaches are simplified if not completely remedied in PLA. So much more good to say about this game.The only downside is how limited the trainer battle system, as well as other aspects of the game are. You can tell this game was developed alongside S/V and that both teams took certain liberties that further fractured the broader Pokemon experience.It may not be perfect, but I think it's way better than Scarlet and Violet.
After playing Legends for two months and more than 100 hours, I decided it was time to give this game its due for being amazing. This was the Pokémon spin-off I wanted to stay away from for a while until other reviews flew in, because Pokémon spin-offs aren't really my thing. In the past, I played spin-offs like Pokémon Snap for the N64, Gameboy's card game, Pokémon Puzzle League, and Pokémon Pinball. Then, I stopped playing those after the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games happened and wanted only the main entries. Now today, I wanted something more from Pokémon instead of what Brillant Diamond's outdated gameplay offered and Violet's annoying glitches. Especially because the whole thing about making it to the Pokémon League finally grew stale as well. In comes Pokémon ... MoreAfter playing Legends for two months and more than 100 hours, I decided it was time to give this game its due for being amazing. This was the Pokémon spin-off I wanted to stay away from for a while until other reviews flew in, because Pokémon spin-offs aren't really my thing. In the past, I played spin-offs like Pokémon Snap for the N64, Gameboy's card game, Pokémon Puzzle League, and Pokémon Pinball. Then, I stopped playing those after the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games happened and wanted only the main entries. Now today, I wanted something more from Pokémon instead of what Brillant Diamond's outdated gameplay offered and Violet's annoying glitches. Especially because the whole thing about making it to the Pokémon League finally grew stale as well. In comes Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which starts you off with the story being about you entering the Hisui region through time and space. The game focuses on you, not just a professor who says, "Okay, pick a Pokémon, and now get going." Nope. You'll be introduced to quite a bit in the beginning, but only so you understand both gameplay and your purpose. It's not your typical Pokémon game. Yes, you catch Pokémon during encounters. Yes, you can also train them as usual, and the evolution system is better and more practical. Forget about needing to trade Graveler to get Golem; they have a link cable item for that. They all have unique behavior and don't immediately start a battle if you get close enough to them. Be warned, the territorial Pokémon will attack you without engaging in battle. Also, if you like boss battles, it has those too, which are also part of the story. The game actually does something Game Freak and Nintendo have only promoted since the first games. Which is, you've Gotta Catch Them All! However, you feel like you can catch them all, always on your own time, to enjoy much more. Also, I'm glad you don't need two versions just to get most of the Pokémon. Game Freak, please, no more of that two versions stuff. You can build the Pokédex, but differently, and I don't mean that in a bad way. You'll be able to build Pokédex entries for each Pokémon and their evolutions with unique research-related tasks, but they make it fun, not a full-time job. However, there's a rank system involving stars, like receiving badges. I managed to get up to five stars in the first section of the region alone. Yes, the first section is what I said, with LOTS of Pokémon and land to explore. The way this game sets up multiple locations to visit in Hisui is totally how I would have wanted Paldea to do it. With Paldea, you get one big map. With Hisui, on the other hand, you get a large map with multiple sections to choose from, and each one is huge, some bigger than others, but you don't get tired of exploring just one map this way. So in conclusion, so I don't spoil anything entirely, everything in this game met my highest expectations and more. Even the catching system is something I wanted Violet to keep instead of sending out Pokémon to instantly fight. Also, shiny's aren't quiet like in Violet. When you see a shiny Pokémon or even hear one nearby, you'll know just by the stars flying around them and the slight jingling sounds. So enjoy shining hunting and distortion events too, which are like Pokémon catching raids with rare and shiny Pokémon sometimes appearing. Check this out as a fan and as someone who loves open-world-ish games to have plenty to do. Great job, Pokémon Company!
This game is god awful. I'll start with the "tutorial". There is no actual defined tutorial, but the period of time in which your hand is held and you are not allowed to freely play the game is literally HOURS long. Tedious and excessive aren't even the words for how painstakingly boring this is. Second, the damage calculations are utter nonsense. It seems the numbers are just randomly generated and never in my favor. My pokemon are constantly being 1-shot by moves that aren't even super effective against them. With that being said, the game incentivized your play in contradictory ways. For instance, because of the aforementioned 1-sided damage calculations, you often have to use several pokemon to defeat 1 opponent's pokemon. But the game also makes you do ... MoreThis game is god awful. I'll start with the "tutorial". There is no actual defined tutorial, but the period of time in which your hand is held and you are not allowed to freely play the game is literally HOURS long. Tedious and excessive aren't even the words for how painstakingly boring this is. Second, the damage calculations are utter nonsense. It seems the numbers are just randomly generated and never in my favor. My pokemon are constantly being 1-shot by moves that aren't even super effective against them. With that being said, the game incentivized your play in contradictory ways. For instance, because of the aforementioned 1-sided damage calculations, you often have to use several pokemon to defeat 1 opponent's pokemon. But the game also makes you do "research tasks" to progress, making you have to use moves with and battle with useless pokemon. This creates a formula where opponents wipe out your strong pokemon that you care about, forcing you to clean them up with your worthless pokemon so that they get the xp, but your strong pokemon get none because they are fainted. There is no clear objective to the game (you literally fall from the sky and instantly become and entire village's right hand man dealing with random events that keep popping up as you move along) and no direction. Quests don't feel meaningful, the characters are annoying, and there are MOUNTAINS of NEVER-ENDING dialogue to read. The game is saturated with filler content just to hit that 40 hours of content eye-catcher in a deceitful way. 0/10, if i could go negative i would, i don't recommend this game to anyone.
| Official Release Date | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Players | 1 |
| Total votes | 25 |
