New Review Gaming - Pokémon Legends Arceus

Copyright owned by Game Freak

Pokémon Legends Arceus

Developed by Game Freak

Released exclusively on Nintendo Switch

Concept: Let's go back in time, to the region that will become Sinnoh, back before humans and Pokémon worked side by side. Not your traditional Pokémon Experience.

Disclaimer: I am finished with the story, but the game is far from finished.

Execution

Here we go...

Presentation: The first ever fully 3D single player story driven Pokémon experience. It isn't completely open world. But it is open enough. Think Monster Hunter meets Breath of the Wild. The Pokémon models are amazing to look at, the environments are beautiful... but... there is a visual issue that is bothering me. When I get into a Pokémon battle, if there is any standing grass, it is glitchy. Very much so. To the point that it is distracting. Sway in the wind, flicker on screen, the grass will vanish, and then come back. I now it is minor overall, but since you will be in enough Pokémon battles, it was happen enough to bother you all too. Aside of that, scale is wonderful, music is nostalgic. And the scenery is breathtaking for a Pokémon game. Score: 20/25

Gameplay: So... let's combine the availability of Pokémon Go and the Let's Go games, with the environments and overworld of a Zelda/Monster Hunter/Dragon Age game, and all the Pokémon battling we all know and love. The best aspect of the gameplay is easily how to obtain Pokémon in the wild. You can go the traditional route of Pokémon battles and weakening all of them OR you can go the stealth route(smoke screen, hiding in grass, baiting the Mons)... and I use... BOTH. Both methods are so much fun. And... battles are much more balanced than ever before. The Alpha Pokémon can be a bit of a bear, but that is okay too, that is the point. This is the kind or Pokémon game I've been waiting for. Score: 25/25

Chronicle: As mentioned in the Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl review, I don't usually play the Pokémon games for story. But... this is purely singleplayer experience. So... story driven. Now, I haven't completed the story. But I have a pretty good idea for the story... player character is a human from a different era helping out the Galaxy Corp create the first Pokédex. Helping the Diamond and Pearl Clans live in harmony. The Diamond and Pearl games mention a time where Palkia and Dialga reset the area. And... I think that is what is being prevented here. But... again... I'm not sure. That part aside... the main story... the main goal is finish that first Pokédex. And... that is really interesting as a story element. Story... not gameplay. Because the idea is, you are completing the entries based on how you interact and catch the various Mons... even defeating so many work from some entries... creating the mini story for each Dex entry(even though HOW you do it, doesn't effect what the entry says). Score: 18/20

Legacy: This is a great point for the Pokémon franchise. Full 3D environments, taking the concept of the Wild Area in Sword/Shield and expanding it like 100 fold. And it works... still rough and still room for improvement, but this can lead to greater things with the Core Franchise. We will see what happens after some refinement, but this is a wonderful HUGE step in the right direction to refresh this long standing franchise. Score: 18/20

Extra Oomph: They built a full single player experience. How does that work with certain Pokémon that require trades to evolve? They thought about that. So... you CAN still trade. It doesn't unlock right away, but you can. But... you don't have to. There is a new Merit system. The idea of the Merit system is that when you die, you drop items from your satchel, if you are online, your satchel will appear on the map for OTHER players. If they claim your items before you do, you STILL get your stuff back, but they get Merit points based on the value of the items. That also means THEIR satchel items will appear on your map too. Claim the items, they get them back, you get Merit(and yes... NPCs satchels will appear too for those offline). The idea is, with Merit points you can turn them in to that same vendor that sets up trading for Evolution items, like the Stones, or items like the Reaper Cloth for Dusknoir or the Metal Coat for Scizor or Steelix. No trade necessary(they can't hold the items anyway). Just use the items. But... what about Gengar? No item, but trade... they throught about that. There is a universal item for those trade Evolutions... it is a Game Boy Link Cable! Such a great touch to this new system. I hope it continues to future titles in the series! Score: 11/10

FINAL SCORE: 92/100

FINAL GRADE: A-

Conclusion: This a wonderfully fresh Pokémon experience. Story is fun, but the research aspect is pretty damn fun. It isn't just about catching them all... some research can be completed with catching a single one of that Pokémon. And that is what... makes the experience work so well.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: This could be the future of the Pokémon franchise, and I hope it isn't the only one like it. It is different. It is special. And I recommend it for ANY gamer, Pokémon fan or not. Just... know this... it is a challenging game. The "boss fights" can be a bitch for anyone. Just stay with it... and it is WORTH IT!

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So... Pokémon Legends Arceus has gotten a 92!!!! A-!!!

Have you played it yet? What do you think? Comment and share!

I don't know what the next gaming review will be. Might play through Guardians of the Galaxy again on the Series X and do that one. Stay tuned either way.

Until next time...