Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Have recent Pokémon games made you suffer any of the following symptoms:

• Disappointment
• Sadness
• Grief
• Irritability
• Shame
• Embarrassment
• Feelings of abandonment
• Wasting money

Well 9/10 Nurse Joys agree that Pokémon Legends: Arceus will cure all your symptoms almost immediately!

I’m serious. Play this damn game. After generations of frustration at Game Freak for barely implementing any changes to the formula or quality of life improvements this is a huge leap forward for the series. Is it perfect? No! Is it still an amazing game? Yes!

People may complain about the graphics, and I get it. Pokémon is a AAA franchise at this point, but honestly, I found the graphics acceptable 95% of the time. My only real criticisms are the fast-warp could have been a little more accessible and a mini-map on the HUD would have been awesome. Oh and for the love of Arceus, get some voice-acting. It’s 2022.

The sound direction in this game was on point. Every track was a banger. The exploration and open world-ness of the game let you explore every nook and cranny. The writing was nice, witty and humorous. Plenty of optional side-quests to do.

The best part, though, was the shake up on the main battle formula. Everything now happens right on the map. You can catch Pokémon without battling them (although sometimes you’ll want to still). 

This game takes place in the past compared to the other mainline games, a somewhat primitive area where the people are still afraid of Pokémon. You’re sucked into a space-time portal and dropped into the Hisui region and meet the Galaxy Team. A group of researchers that sailed to Hisui to explore the vast continent and help the inhabitants learn about the Pokémon sharing their land, while also finding a way for humans and Pokémon to coexist.

The main game is split into six main story arcs. Each arc revolves around the Pokémon Lords of different sections of Hisui. Pokémon Lords are very large and strong Pokémon who have received blessings from Arceus. They’ve been struck by a mysterious lightning that is coming from the space-time portal, the very same one you came through. This lightning has caused them to go into a frenzied state. You’ve been tasked with curing them of this ailment, and the friends you meet along the way help you do just that.

The environments, and the exploration of them, are a real treat. I spent hours just wandering around trying to find some of the rarer species. I found a Togepi a couple times, but the little buggers kept running away! As you explore you’ll find Alpha Pokémon . They’re larger versions of the species you’ll find in an area, usually much higher level. You can catch them, and while they don’t have higher stats, it’s cool because they’re physically much larger. I caught an Alpha Electivire and the damn thing was the size of a backyard shed. It’s fun to see that when you toss out your Pokémon for battle and it absolutely dwarfs the little Snorunt you’re about to Fire Punch into dust.

There was a really cool thing I noticed where Pokémon actually look at each other in battle. They’ll look up and down to make eye contact. I noticed this as I switched out members during battle and the enemy actually changed the way it faced. Small details sometimes make it feel a little more immersive.

I played the entire main game, and almost all of the post game content. All I have left is to finish the task given to me by Arceus as the game opened: “Seek out all Pokémon .” It’s a daunting task but I’ll do it in little spurts as I play through others. 

Get this game, and fall in love with Pokémon all over again.