Video Game Review: Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Developer: Game Freak

Genre: RPG

Platform: Nintendo Switch

I’ve been a long time fan of Pokémon since my childhood – I dipped out a little in my late teens (somewhere around the Black & White era) but since the franchise has hit the Switch recently with Pokémon Sword and Shield and the remasters of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, I’ve loved going back to this familiar series. But, though I’ve enjoyed the more recent games I always felt like there was something missing. They’re nostalgic and fun, but ultimately  I found these modern games to ultimately quite forgettable. The plot rarely differs between each of the games and with every new generation the game inevitably tends to tread the same ground as all the previous, with minor updates.

Imagine my joy then upon seeing the first previews for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Here, finally, was a pokemon game that was trying to do things a little bit different – a game that promised to truly expand on the original games rather than copying them. This is the first game where you play, not as a Pokémon trainer trying to catch them all and fighting your way through every gym along the way, but as a young person transported to a world which is just beginning to understand what Pokémon are in the first place. Taken in by a team of researchers, you’re tasked with setting out into the wilderness to explore and gather as much information as you can about these wild Pokémon and start to build the bridge towards living among side them. The game acts as more of a prequel to the others in the series and going back to these early days, feels incredibly nostalgic.  Yes, you’re still running around and trying to catch as many Pokémon as you can but it feels like there is a real, important purpose to it in this game and the game’s story also is surprisingly mature and interesting. For perhaps the first time in years, I regained that excitement of discovering these Pokémon in the wild for the first time. The open world nature of the game has made many people compare it to similar gameplay such as Breath of the Wild, and honestly in this case, I don’t see this to be a bad thing. It’s about time, after all these years, that Pokémon finally evolved to bring something new to it’s fans and Pokémon Legends: Arceus does exactly this.

There’s something incredibly relaxing about having the freedom to just wander and explore the vast, beautiful land of Hisui, in finding that rare Pokémon out of the blue, in getting to take on simple side quests for the world’s inhabitants. Compared to some of the other games in the series, it’s a game I can see myself picking up and playing even after the end of the main game story simply to just explore and enjoy the game’s world. There’s more to the game then just it’s relaxing gameplay however – the combat is surprisingly challenging at times and wild Pokémon feel like a genuine threat a lot of the time, both to your Pokémon and to yourself when you get caught in the crossfire.  In addition, this game feels like the most mature entry in the Pokémon franchise to come out – there is actual mentions of themes such as death, work, and surviving in a wild world where you can get attacked at any moment. The fact you can actually get attacked by Pokémon and hurt really drives home the idea that in this game, Pokémon are still wild. It’s a shame we don’t see any of the ‘taming’ process you presumably have to go through once you’ve caught one of these  Pokémon as they just suddenly obey you, but it’s a good start.

This also feels like the first time the protagonist has some form of a voice, and their age is even mentioned.  Your ‘rival’ trainer too feels very real and deals with anxiety in a very relatable way. Many npcs are introduced throughout the game and whilst the main npcs such as the Lords and Wardens are interesting enough in their own right, I really appreciated the attention to detail the game designers put into even the side npcs. There are lots of fun little nods to previous games in the series as many of the characters are distant ancestors to ones in other games and it’s nice to see these cameos here and there. Ultimately, the game deals greatly with communicating with the people in the world and helping them to start trusting and living alongside pokemon (as well as finding out the reason for the sudden rise of Pokémon going into a frenzy, and why you dropped into the world from the modern day no less.)

Design-wise the game improves a lot on previous games. Whilst the graphics struggle a little with frame rate, the game is still pretty gorgeous to look at and the music is memorable. There are also so many quality of life improvements – small things perhaps, but changes I wish they had added into Pokémon games much earlier. The ability to fast travel between areas, being able to swap Pokémon’s moves and rename them on the go and just the huge array of customisation available with outfits and hairstyles early on is a huge benefit to the player.

Already, this game might be vying for my favourite game of the year for 2022 – it hits the nostalgic button perfectly whilst keeping things new and fresh. I’ve no idea if Nintendo are going to continue moving forward in this fashion with more in the Pokémon Legends series, but Arceus is a welcome change of pace to a decades old franchise, and one which breathes new life into it. A must-play for any Pokémon fan or even someone completely new who wants to experience the open world, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a pivotal change in direction hopefully for the Pokémon franchise.