Pokemon Legends: Arceus [Game Review]

TL;DR

This is a step in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise. This game includes just enough Action and RPG to bring fans what they’ve been searching for in a true, contemporary Pokemon RPG.
I was impressed and enjoyed this title, however I did feel like the only issue was that I wish there was more. DLCs would have actually been a great addition to this game, as it has great end-game content and grind to it, but there was just so much more they could have done with this title.
While you don’t need to play any prior Pokemon titles to enjoy this game, I think that having an understanding of Gen IV/Sinnoh can amplify the value of the story in this title.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Pokemon was not my first RPG by far, but it was the game that solidified my love for RPGs. All other RPGs that follow it in my favorites are ones that allow customization of your party and building new strategies for new situations. Pokemon never was the most complicated of RPGs, and as the mainline series progresses, we see a lack of challenge as Game Freak strives to play it safe and not take lots of risks in their design and development of the games. This has made it so that long-time fans of the franchise, and for me being a fan since its inception, really have veered away from the franchise due to heavy disappointment.

I will say with enthusiasm that this was not the case for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While it was not as extensive in move-sets, without abilities, lacking in weather/terrain mechanics, and other things that simplified the Turn-Based battle system, it was a game that had RPG elements that give what the fans were looking for. It was not open-world, but the open-zone nature of it was just fine. The ability to use different mounts to re-explore areas or reach new parts of the map was a new, contemporary-style development of the earliest travel mechanics Gen I’s HM techniques such as Surf or Fly that gave you the ability to traverse efficiently and adventure places you could not before. Being able to move faster, swim, climb, fly/glide, dig for treasure etc. on each mount gave the game life that made it feel like I was apart of something bigger. (it reminded me of Monster Hunter or the fun of WoW mounts, and that was just something I never thought a Pokemon game would ever implement)

The action mechanics of Arceus included the ability of wild Pokemon to attack your trainer, sneaking around and building different approaches to catch Pokemon without having to battle them, and also boss battles that incorporated action mechanics alongside turn-based battles that are traditional among Pokemon. This game was a step in the right direction, and it was always fun to use different items to incapacitate monsters while you sneak around and then catching them. Gathering items and then crafting your own steampunk-esque Pokeballs and other items made the game/grind very entertaining and worth something.

Among all others, this approach to the Sinnoh region (in this title, as the feudal era and called the Hisui region) gave a lot of life to a previously barren region in its mainline titles. Arceus was given the credit that he deserves as a Mythical Pokemon that created the world of Pokemon. The endgame/post-credits grind to actually get Arceus was also amazing, and it really evoked the old style of Pokemon where the endgame is the real game. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is definitely a title that was amazing and stands strong alone, but makes you wish there was more at the same time.