Well, today’s the day…or yesterday…or the day before. Whenever you’re reading this, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has finally officially released. Unless you’re one of the people that were lucky enough to get it way in advance, it’s been a long wait for such an anticipated title. I’ve put quite a few hours into it already, so here’s what I think of the game so far.
This isn’t a full-on review or anything, so I’m not going to go in-depth about every aspect of the game (you can definitely expect a review from the other writers soon, though). I’ll just be focusing on details about the game that I noticed in my first sitting, some good and some…not so good. I guess the best way to do this is in a “compliment sandwich” format, where I start and end the article with good things about the game while leaving the not so good things right in the middle. Also, there won’t be any major spoilers so don’t worry about that if you still want the game to be a surprise and see what’s up here. Alright, let’s get into it.
Good First Impressions
First thing I noticed from playing is that the gameplay is so fun and addicting. There were a lot of fears to be had about Pokemon Legends: Arceus prior to its release, but the main one for me, personally, was that this new and innovative formula for the franchise somehow turned out not being as great as everyone wanted it to be.
It didn’t take long at all for me to get hooked on the gameplay, though. Right after catching the first three Pokémon, I was ready for more and more in many other places. There’s just something about being able to sneak up on one Pokémon after another and chuck a ball against the back of their head that feels so satisfying to do and will never get old.
There’s also the fact that, for the first time, Pokémon will try to attack you specifically while you’re out. For the most part it’s not an issue, especially with a few small Pokémon, but if you aren’t careful, you can find yourself in situations that’ll have your heart racing. This is exemplified with the difficulty of the Alpha Pokémon, which are the very powerful Pokémon that have red eyes. They’re genuinely a treat to try to battle and catch, especially if you’re under leveled and just find one while you’re out exploring new areas.
On the topic of exploration, let’s talk about the areas you can explore. Many were initially bummed out that the Hisui region wouldn’t completely be open world, but would instead have specific sectioned areas that you can explore. There was also the issue of how the areas, despite being so open, seemed so empty and uninteresting in the trailers that Nintendo showed off for the game.
Exploration is super fun though. Despite not having Breath of the Wild levels of freedom and exploration, you still were able to explore so much and find many different Pokémon and items in various areas. And while there definitely could be more Pokémon in some areas, it’s not a bad thing here that every area isn’t packed full of them.
Not So Good First Impressions
Now, as much as this will suck to do, let’s talk about some of the bad things. Pokémon Legends: Arceus left an impression of being rough around the edges with many people due to a variety of reasons. And it’s unfortunate to say, but even at the very beginning of the game, it was clear how much some of that roughness made its way to the final product.
The first thing that rubbed me the wrong way (which could be seen as a nitpick) is one of the songs in particular. I’m not sure what song it is, but it’s the song that sometimes plays while you’re in Jubilife Village, and will always play when you’re in your living quarters. There’re parts of the song that’ll repeat for a split second, seemingly at random. I’m not sure if it’s on purpose or if the song wasn’t looped properly, but either way it’s very jarring when you hear it. Once you notice it, it’s hard to not hear the repeats whenever they pop up again, especially because you’ll be spending a lot of time in the village.
Another thing is some of the glitchy and janky animations. Some of them won’t be easy to notice, and they’ll only happen very badly in quick moments, such as a distant character’s clothing being suspended in the air a bit until you get close to then, only for it to drop back down. But there are a number of things that are not only noticeable, but happen repeatedly.
One instance of this is the grass swaying in the wind. As I was catching a Pokémon during battle, the grass in the area would repeatedly glitch back to a specific position as it swayed rather than go there naturally (imagine that instead of grass swaying left to right, then right to left, it instead swayed left to right, then left to right again, and you’ll see what I’m saying). This doesn’t happen for every catch attempt but it did happen at several points before and after that specific attempt as well.
There’s also some Pokémon movements. I’m not sure why it is, but Pokémon will sometimes do this thing where they jump to one side then jump to the opposite side as they’re retreating. While it’s a cool thing to have Pokémon do outside of battles, it’s ruined by how awful and janky it looks. This is even more so the case when the camera is focused on the Pokémon. This, luckily, doesn’t happen as often as the other things, but it is one of those weird looking things that will definitely be remembered when you first see it.
More Good First Impressions
Now, let’s end things on a good note. It’s safe to say GameFreak learned their lesson from the outcry over the poor animations in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Pokémon Legends: Arceus has many expressive animations, some that actually vary between the characters. My favorite expressions are ones that the female partner character does in certain situations. I’m sure anyone that chose the male character knows the particular face she makes that’s the best one.
Even outside of character expressions, there’s little things that show how much effort they put into the animations. Just to name a few that the player does, there’s wiping off sweat after a successful catch, sliding to a halt after stopping a dash, even walking up and standing on inclines like stairs is different than other places. I also really like how the player looks at things that catch their attention as they walk and run by them, like people and Pokémon. There’s a lot more I can praise here, but the point is GameFreak really came through for the most part and I’m proud of them.
Conclusion/Summary
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is looking like it’ll be a fun and solid game throughout. While there are some downsides with some aspects of the game such as some of the animations, the core gameplay experience is stellar and I neither can’t wait to get further and see what else this game has to offer or want it to end anytime soon…quite the dilemma to be in but it’s one I’m happy to have, for Pokémon of all things.
What do you think? How do you feel about Pokémon Legends: Arceus? What do you like or dislike about it? Have you experienced or felt anything I mentioned? Also, have you finished the game already? As long as you keep it spoiler-free, for my sake and anyone else that hasn’t completed it yet, I’d love to hear your thoughts.