Pokemon Legends: Arceus

 Switch
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3825 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,951 out of 3825
  2. Mixed: 388 out of 3825
  3. Negative: 486 out of 3825
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. miguelaceval1
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    La "nueva mecánica", un despropósito que no aporta absolutamente nada al juego y, con total seguridad, será eliminada en las siguientes entregas de la saga principal.
    Gráficos no malos, exageradamente malos, peores que cualquier otro juego que he probado en los últimos 10 años.
    Artísticamente peor que todas las entregas de Pokémon, incluyendo las que no son de la saga principal. Gestos    La "nueva mecánica", un despropósito que no aporta absolutamente nada al juego y, con total seguridad, será eliminada en las siguientes entregas de la saga principal.
    Gráficos no malos, exageradamente malos, peores que cualquier otro juego que he probado en los últimos 10 años.
    Artísticamente peor que todas las entregas de Pokémon, incluyendo las que no son de la saga principal.
    Gestos faciales, corporales inexistentes y movimiento como cualquier alpha técnica de hace 20 años, caer por un barranco es lamentable.
    No son estables los 30 fps.
    Poca variedad y contenido.
    Suena bien, pero al tener tan poca variedad se hace cansino a más no poder.

    Todo lo que se podría esperar de los que más dinero generan en la industria, un reírse en la cara de un fandom sin el más mínimo vestigio de amor propio.    … Expand
  2. Volphied
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    "Veo esto y me imagino a los ejecutivos de Nintendo riéndose en un despacho porque a pesar de haber sacado un juego CUTRÓN en cuanto a gráficos, jugabilidad e historia lo estarán vendiendo como churros" vi este comentario en rrss y me pareció el más acertado
  3. gabids00
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    By far worst pokemon game i have ever played , people complained about sword and shield and now praise this ??? Completly discusting ...
  4. PokeReviewer
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    A very poor game. Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks the traditional Pokemon formula that we all know and love. The game feels very empty, with almost no extra content. A big disappointment overall.
  5. chlxowns68
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I tried to play Pokemon but I still see a lot of room for improvement.
    I'm looking forward to the next one.    … Expand
  6. aleqhz
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    I'm disappointed. Barely any improvement from the two previous atrocities. The map is a barren wasteland. The game is infested with bugs. I'm done with this series. I just realised I've been playing this out of sheer nostalgia. I'd rather spend my money playing games where devs respect their fanbase.
  7. Rengoku
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Best Pokemon ever without any doubts.
    - It's beautiful graphics almost made me cry.
    - The "open-world" looks so full of life, incredible detailed, textures made with love.. Lots of Pokemon having interesting interactions between them. - Story and mechanics are the best of the franchise so far. - So many things to do. Catch the same Pokemon again, again and again. And craft. - So many    Best Pokemon ever without any doubts.
    - It's beautiful graphics almost made me cry.
    - The "open-world" looks so full of life, incredible detailed, textures made with love.. Lots of Pokemon having interesting interactions between them.
    - Story and mechanics are the best of the franchise so far.
    - So many things to do. Catch the same Pokemon again, again and again. And craft.
    - So many love put into the animations.
    - Very cheap game. Only €60?
    - Etc.

    It's a must buy. No other Pokemon game achieves this perfection.    … Expand
  8. PokeReview
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    This may be the most disappointing Pokemon game ever. The graphics suck. The entire overworld feels empty. No towns, no cities, no Gyms, no Elite 4, no Champion, no extra content like Contests, Secret Bases or anything similar, very very few trainer battles. I don't know what they were thinking.
  9. Lorenzo3006
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    Don't buy it, if you really like pokemons and want Game Freak to do better, it's the only way we as consumers can make the difference. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that every thing in there is terrible but we, as players, deserve better than this for 60€ (or what your currency is). If you like gameplay loop play Monster Hunter, if you like open world play Zelda, if you like pokemonDon't buy it, if you really like pokemons and want Game Freak to do better, it's the only way we as consumers can make the difference. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that every thing in there is terrible but we, as players, deserve better than this for 60€ (or what your currency is). If you like gameplay loop play Monster Hunter, if you like open world play Zelda, if you like pokemon battles play BDSP, what we have here is nothing to be praised.… Expand
  10. Mattaj
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    I was hoping for Pokemon to finally catch up with times but it feels like they only developed a game that should have been released 10 years ago. It even further convinced me that publishers/developers of pokemon games only aim to milk nostalgic players and children who just started their adventure with pokemon. Minimum amount of effort for maximum amount of profits looks like has becameI was hoping for Pokemon to finally catch up with times but it feels like they only developed a game that should have been released 10 years ago. It even further convinced me that publishers/developers of pokemon games only aim to milk nostalgic players and children who just started their adventure with pokemon. Minimum amount of effort for maximum amount of profits looks like has became the motto for a while now. Still, could enjoy bits and pieces but I was falling asleep most of the time.… Expand
  11. Kroztty
    Jan 30, 2022
    1
    Por 60 dólares es un timo, no da ni para una beta, diria que lo pillen en rebajas pero es Nintendo, esas cosas no pasan aquí.
    De mal en peor, Gamefreak supera su nivel de ineptitud con cada entrega de la saga, para comenzar
    tienes un tutorial forzado el cual es absurdamente largo, gráficos y arte al nivel de un Indie de baja calidad y una jugabilidad no aprovechada. Las criticas    Por 60 dólares es un timo, no da ni para una beta, diria que lo pillen en rebajas pero es Nintendo, esas cosas no pasan aquí.
    De mal en peor, Gamefreak supera su nivel de ineptitud con cada entrega de la saga, para comenzar
    tienes un tutorial forzado el cual es absurdamente largo, gráficos y arte al nivel de un Indie de baja calidad y una jugabilidad no aprovechada.
    Las criticas positivas en su mayoría son de fanboys de Nintendo en general, argumentando que es un "pequeño paso" y llevan diciendo eso desde que la saga abandono el 2D.    … Expand
  12. Xroud
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    It's an ok pokemon game, but it's not a good game. The world feels empty, graphics are outdated and pretty inconsistent, the story and characters are weak even for a pokemon game and once the novelty wears off the gameplay loop is really repetitive. This game really needed more time in development to create a world worth exploring and to refine all the new ideas, but right now this feelsIt's an ok pokemon game, but it's not a good game. The world feels empty, graphics are outdated and pretty inconsistent, the story and characters are weak even for a pokemon game and once the novelty wears off the gameplay loop is really repetitive. This game really needed more time in development to create a world worth exploring and to refine all the new ideas, but right now this feels like a precursor to a great game and definitely not worth the price tag.

    If you enjoyed the games before or have a strong connection to the franchise you'll likely enjoy it and appreciate the changes, but it's probably not winning over new fans. Hoping they actually take the time with the next one and run with the new ideas because it could make for a genuinely amazing game.    … Expand
  13. RileyLan
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    Better than Pokémon Britian, but could have been way better. There's a whole lot of useless, empty space with nothing around to catch interest. Looks like the environment department took 98% of the texture & modeling budget, b/c while the buildings & such looks good the character models did need more touch up as lighting reveals the models' polygons on occasion, or characters' mouthsBetter than Pokémon Britian, but could have been way better. There's a whole lot of useless, empty space with nothing around to catch interest. Looks like the environment department took 98% of the texture & modeling budget, b/c while the buildings & such looks good the character models did need more touch up as lighting reveals the models' polygons on occasion, or characters' mouths continously open/close like a singing bass on a wall. Completing the pokedex is tedious busy work now more than ever as completion criteria is random & sometimes requires 40+ interactions with a single type of Pokémon. Models visibly appear/disappear when in/out of rendering range. Pokémon animation visibly tanks to 3 frames at a distance.
    The evolution animation is the best, and the music is top notch.    … Expand
  14. Shuradportgas
    Jan 30, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Un mundo abierto mal aprovechado no hay nada que hacer, mucho espacio vacio, graficamente muy por debajo incluso para los bajos estandares de nintendo, sin detallado los entornos que en todo el mapa solo hay 4 arboles clonados por todos lados, espero mejore pero de momento es un juego no terminado a mi gusto… Expand
  15. GhuttoAlt
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As long the developer doesn't suffer a huge sales failure, they will continue to develop mediocre games. Do not support Game Freak. Pokémon fans deserve more.… Expand
  16. blackwitte
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    Sinceramente lo peros que he visto, ,mejora un poco en mecánicas.. pero nada mas gráficamente lo peor solo buscan sacar dinero y da mucha pena.
  17. eliteshadowx
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    The maps and the graphics are downright ugly and disappointing. I think the catching mechanic is a lot of fun, but after the first 10-20 hours, my enjoyment dropped off fast. The lack of trainer battles makes leveling up and raising different Pokemon virtually pointless. There are some nice quality of life improvements in this game, such as the move select and evolution menu, and the agileThe maps and the graphics are downright ugly and disappointing. I think the catching mechanic is a lot of fun, but after the first 10-20 hours, my enjoyment dropped off fast. The lack of trainer battles makes leveling up and raising different Pokemon virtually pointless. There are some nice quality of life improvements in this game, such as the move select and evolution menu, and the agile and strong style mechanic is interesting. But again, the lack of trainer battles makes this game have zero replay-ability after you beat the main story.… Expand
  18. Mabo123
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Big piece of garbage.
    This game is terrible in so many ways. Battles are still turn based but with less complexity since many features like items pokemon could wear were removed. The graphics are absolutely terrible. The game looks like a PS2 Game. Purple shiny rocks, 2D grass sprites and the worst looking water i have ever seen. Furthermore you can literally count pixels everywhere you    Big piece of garbage.
    This game is terrible in so many ways. Battles are still turn based but with less complexity since many features like items pokemon could wear were removed. The graphics are absolutely terrible. The game looks like a PS2 Game. Purple shiny rocks, 2D grass sprites and the worst looking water i have ever seen. Furthermore you can literally count pixels everywhere you go.
    The semi-open world feels insanely empt. Accept for trees, rocks and 2D grass, there is nothing to see in almost every area.
    Quest are just comleting lists of repetetive boring stuff. "Catch 25 Bidiza", "Catch 25 bidiza from behind".
    Overall the game is what other studios would call a "pre alpha". Not worth 60 bucks..or 50, or 40.    … Expand
  19. Gold3n
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    The real problem of this game is not in the graphics (which however is a problem), but the problem lies in the very foundations of the game, passing off as primary missions of the obvious fetch quests (collectible classics in any other game) is pure shame.
    Absolutely absent plot, dialogues without a minimum of logic.
    All in all a ****
  20. EvilDFM
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    The pathfinding work on the map is really painful, and I don't just focus on the graphics.
    come on nintendo..
    the world of Biomutant was more alive...
  21. jjrenx
    Jan 29, 2022
    1
    This is a shell of a game. For a company that makes a billion dollars a year this is unacceptable. No online battles or PVP (in 2022!), no trainers, no gyms, no elite four, no towns (just a little uninteresting village), graphics that are very mediocre at best, mostly empty biomes which lack variety and show laziness in design, side quests that give you no incentive to play them that onlyThis is a shell of a game. For a company that makes a billion dollars a year this is unacceptable. No online battles or PVP (in 2022!), no trainers, no gyms, no elite four, no towns (just a little uninteresting village), graphics that are very mediocre at best, mostly empty biomes which lack variety and show laziness in design, side quests that give you no incentive to play them that only reward you with little items like Potions or Candy which you can get without them, hardly any NPCs, very little music, hardly any expression in the character faces. What were they thinking?… Expand
  22. Saul_Blue
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    Una vergüenza para haberlo sacado una compañía multimillonaria como Game Freak. Modelados pésimos, paleta de colores horrible, mundo vacío y repetitivo, combates vs bosses que dan ganas de llorar. La excusa de que está hecho así porque la Switch no da para más, os recuerdo la existencia del Zelda Bote. En resumen parece una pre Alpha de un juego indie, no me creo que hayan trabajado enUna vergüenza para haberlo sacado una compañía multimillonaria como Game Freak. Modelados pésimos, paleta de colores horrible, mundo vacío y repetitivo, combates vs bosses que dan ganas de llorar. La excusa de que está hecho así porque la Switch no da para más, os recuerdo la existencia del Zelda Bote. En resumen parece una pre Alpha de un juego indie, no me creo que hayan trabajado en este proyecto más de 5 personas, todo está hecho con desgana, y encima de no haber ni profundidad en el mapeado, ni distancia de visión, que te popean los árboles y Pokémons a 10 metros, suerte encontrando una zona que no vaya a 15 FPS. Si no eres un Fanboy de Pokémon con 2 dedos de frente defendiendo lo indefendible, es imposible darle ni un aprobado a esta estafa… Expand
  23. BakedWafflez
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Very disappointed in this game, this was the first game I bought on release day in over 5 years and was really excited about it for months ahead of time. After about 15 hours I’ve put the game away and have no real desire to pick it up again. It is super repetitive and doesn’t even feel like a Pokémon game. I’ve had a total of 10 battles against other trainers at most and they all had likeVery disappointed in this game, this was the first game I bought on release day in over 5 years and was really excited about it for months ahead of time. After about 15 hours I’ve put the game away and have no real desire to pick it up again. It is super repetitive and doesn’t even feel like a Pokémon game. I’ve had a total of 10 battles against other trainers at most and they all had like 1 Pokémon each. To me Pokémon has always been about creating a good team, leveling them up and battling against others. Without the battling aspect I feel like there is no point to the game. I don’t even remember what Pokémon I have in my party because im not even creating a battle team, I just hold on to them and complete various research tasks, level them up to evolve, complete more research tasks and then cycle through other Pokémon. It’s a shame to because this game introduced some wonderful battle mechanics like strong vs agile moves, the ability to switch out your move set outside of battles and then takes battles away and makes this a game all about catching Pokémon. Might as well be Pokémon snap, I’m very disappointed I spent money on this game, I was already getting nervous because of the time period it’s in and being told there are no gyms or Pokémon league but didn’t think they would eliminate the core of what is a Pokémon game and that’s creating a team and battling against other teams. I should have waited and passed on this, probably won’t even finish this, only reason I might is because I hate leaving games unfinished but frankly my time is way better spent with Sw/Sh or BDSP until gen 9 comes out.… Expand
  24. Stoikil
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    Por fin han dado el paso, mundo abierto, las batallas contra los animales salvajes son muy rápidas, la recolección es muy rápida y agradable, poder completar entradas de la pokedex de diferentes formas es una buena decisión... Ahora bien, el apartado artístico es un desastre, técnicamente no aguanta, constantes popeos de elementos en un mundo vacío y que no insta a la exploración, el juegoPor fin han dado el paso, mundo abierto, las batallas contra los animales salvajes son muy rápidas, la recolección es muy rápida y agradable, poder completar entradas de la pokedex de diferentes formas es una buena decisión... Ahora bien, el apartado artístico es un desastre, técnicamente no aguanta, constantes popeos de elementos en un mundo vacío y que no insta a la exploración, el juego no te para de llevar de la mano evitándote cualquier sensación de libertad, el lore es un desastre, no se sostiene por ningún lado, en fin... Lo hubiese puesto un 6 pero viendo la cantidad de 10's que tiene me parecería que estoy siendo injusto con la industria, a este juego le faltan 2 años de desarrollo para ser un 8.… Expand
  25. zack02
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    It's a common point that people make that graphics don't matter, it's all about style and gameplay. Well in this game, you don't have visual quality, but it also looks artistically defunct. The copy-pasted houses in the small village thing, only a few trees spaced out unnaturally using the same model and size, the shiny, flat textures on the ground... And people act like moving in aIt's a common point that people make that graphics don't matter, it's all about style and gameplay. Well in this game, you don't have visual quality, but it also looks artistically defunct. The copy-pasted houses in the small village thing, only a few trees spaced out unnaturally using the same model and size, the shiny, flat textures on the ground... And people act like moving in a somewhat open space is a huge innovation, when that has been a standard thing for more than a decade. They are on a point where they can say "It's a pokemon game, people will buy anything as long as it's a Pokemon game".… Expand
  26. Koiru
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Sembra un gioco del 2010. Alla pari di Metin2. Ovviamente 60€ sono una follia. Quando costerà quanto un gioco da smartphone (perché a quel livello è, se non meno) allora meriterà di essere acquistato.
  27. Javieraso12
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    No es lo suficientemente bueno. Disfruté el juego pero porque pokemon es la franquicia de mi infancia, por lo que si eres como yo probablemente te lo pases bien. El juego en si es una costra, tiene muchos glitches visuales, se ve como el culo y tiene unas caidas de frames en las animaciones brutales. La historia es la cosa mas horrible y plana que te puedan echar a la cara, creo que me hanNo es lo suficientemente bueno. Disfruté el juego pero porque pokemon es la franquicia de mi infancia, por lo que si eres como yo probablemente te lo pases bien. El juego en si es una costra, tiene muchos glitches visuales, se ve como el culo y tiene unas caidas de frames en las animaciones brutales. La historia es la cosa mas horrible y plana que te puedan echar a la cara, creo que me han repetido minimo 100 veces los mismo puntos principales de la historia, me sentia tonto. Las mecanicas de combate son lo peor de cualquier entrega, lo de los turnos va fatal y esta explicado como el culo, me atacan tantas veces que hay veces que saco un pokemon y no puedo ni seleccionar movimiento porque ya ha muerto, es patetico. Hay algo que te engancha, creo que son las capturas o ver los pokemons en el mundo andar, pero es que eso ya lo hacia y lo hace mejor pixelmon, asi que este juego no tiene nada y esta hecho sin cariño. Me decepciona en que se esta convirtiendo esta franquicia, pero es el mejor juego 3d de toda la saga, por lo que no se que mas decir.… Expand
  28. Dranakar
    Jan 30, 2022
    1
    This game is such a let-down, so much so that I submit my first review to metacritic.
    I will say, I've loved pokemon since red/blue and even though this is a step in the right direction I am not going to congratulate them for innovating 15 years too late.
    TLDR: Grindy, not great-looking, handholdy fetch quest that is detached from the idea of you caring for the pokemon you catch - the    This game is such a let-down, so much so that I submit my first review to metacritic.
    I will say, I've loved pokemon since red/blue and even though this is a step in the right direction I am not going to congratulate them for innovating 15 years too late.

    TLDR: Grindy, not great-looking, handholdy fetch quest that is detached from the idea of you caring for the pokemon you catch - the game.

    I'll assume the game starts at a score of 10 and we can see how it progresses shall we?

    Firstly the game puts you on rails for 2 HOURS in an unskippable tutorial that starts and stops every 5 second to do another cutscene. And you can't turn off the waypoint marker, cause you know, who likes exploration and figuring things out? (-2 points)

    The grind is unbelievable and it requires you to grind to grind endlessly to progress between areas - so an arbitrary grind-gate instead of a challenge you have to overcome. If that wasn't bad enough they've somehow gotten the idea that catching 1000 identical pokemon is exciting and wholesome, it's not and never will be. (-3 points)

    Boss battles are all the same, using some weird TPS system where you throw bags at them, and have to dodge just at the right time, so now we're skipping pokemon battles entirely? (-1 point)

    Dialogues have non-options until you choose the "right" option. If there is only 1 option don't pretend like I have 2 (-1 point)

    The world feels and looks plastic-like. This is an nintendo-only developer that has access to reach out to BOTW team, there is no excuse to look this shoddy. Furthermore traversal in the environment is quickly eliminated with uncontextual fast-travel and a steed that rides the entire map where-ever you are in < 1min. ( -1 point)

    Everything you do in the game is a fetch quest, which as per my last point is trivialized. (-1 points)

    And don't get me started on what a disgrace this was for the pokemon music.    … Expand
  29. adrii9715
    Jan 30, 2022
    3
    Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a failed experiment BUT a solid and promising begining for a new era of the franchise.
    Let's start with the good things:
    - The new set-up teams mechanic is pretty good in a way that the movesets are changeable all the time which gives you the oportunity to prepare difficult combats. Note: There are not difficult combats, but for the future is WAY beyond    Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a failed experiment BUT a solid and promising begining for a new era of the franchise.
    Let's start with the good things:
    - The new set-up teams mechanic is pretty good in a way that the movesets are changeable all the time which gives you the oportunity to prepare difficult combats. Note: There are not difficult combats, but for the future is WAY beyond interesting.
    - I like the idea of introducing new types of attacks (strong and agile).
    - The concept of the pokemon missions is addictive, making the game more enjoyable trying to complete the tasks of your favorite pokemons.
    - Capturing is not my favorite mechanic, because i rather combat, but it's pretty satisfying and well done.
    Bad things:
    - The story and it's narrative is so dumb in a way that the characters are flattering you because you capture a lvl2 pokemon and they couldn't. I mean, you where there for 5min and you did what they couldn't for their entire life, it's just ridiculous. Another dumb thing is the "Professor" character. How in the hell can be someone a professor if you just can't study the pokemons? what can you teach? Ignoring all of this, the story just feels like an anime issekai type of story, which is not necessary that bad.
    - The game design is so generic, pokemon always had a charismatic look and i don't see nothing about it in this game. The trees, the towns and buildings, etc. just looks like a generic f2p chinese game, I expect more from Pokemon Company. The map looks pretty damn good though. Even the music is generic.
    - The new roster of pokemons from Hisui, despite Arcanine, are way worse designed than their original forms. And Arcanine it's not that he's better, just feels different.
    - No online PVP. The stats from the pokemon are no longer needed, and thats pitty.
    - Let's finish with the more obvious of all of them, the game looks really bad, not only talking about the graphics, which are way below from the standard of the Switch console. I'll not compare it with BOTW (a game lauched 4years ago) but if you do a massive open world, it's important that the ambientation and the world itself works as a hole, in order to get inmersed in it.    … Expand
  30. DeLuigi
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    I don't recommend it to anyone.
    All nice ideas to renew the brand, but none done well.
  31. Benjih12345
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Tragic graphics, janky gameplay, poor story, boring repetitive quests, awful effort at a open world game
  32. Blastoff
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    2 - 3 cool gameplay mechanics but an ugly game, 20 years late, technically infamous, an inconsistent framerate, an empty game, repetitive and boring quests, a badly written scenario and the least good music from the license. It's good to want to renew the license and congratulations for taking the risk but nothing is going well
  33. BlackWhis
    Jan 29, 2022
    1
    Frechheit so was raus zu bringen.
    Schlechte Grafik, langweilige quest. Durch und durch schlecht.
  34. Akaphoto
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    Une véritable honte. Le jeu n'est pas finit et mérite encore plusieurs années de développement, sans parler de ces bugs, de ces graphismes vomitif et de son frame rate qui peine à tenir le 30 fps. GameFric ne devrait plus avoir le droit de toucher à cette licence.
  35. lpsoldier
    Jan 29, 2022
    1
    This is a rough draft of what could be the future of the best game in the series. Exciting for the first couple of hours but after that it just starts to get repetitive and the dull and empty environment only hurts it further. The problem is that the main objective is to catch Pokémon over and over and over again. The same Pokémon we’ve been catching for the past two decades with someThis is a rough draft of what could be the future of the best game in the series. Exciting for the first couple of hours but after that it just starts to get repetitive and the dull and empty environment only hurts it further. The problem is that the main objective is to catch Pokémon over and over and over again. The same Pokémon we’ve been catching for the past two decades with some slight variations, there’s barely anything new-new. This time you’re forced to do this because you must complete the Pokédex. Pokémon battles takes a back seat here. There is no build up in story with Pokémon gyms being absent to entice you to level up your favorite Pokémon. This game is basically Pokémon GO on steroids. Catch a bunch of Pokémon to fill up your Pokédex and that’s basically it. The story, Pokémon battles, and the over world take a massive downgrade in this half-baked-sorta-new entry that leaves too much to be desired.… Expand
  36. ffp
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    This game is an absolute cash grab.
    visually mediocre (which is a compliment after the unpolished sword and shield entries), one of the worst pokemon plots i've seen and trying to compensate with some new evolutions to old and classic pokemons like quilava and rowlett.
    It's time for the Pokemon franchise to step aside the gamefreak's environment and get a dev team that makes justice to    This game is an absolute cash grab.
    visually mediocre (which is a compliment after the unpolished sword and shield entries), one of the worst pokemon plots i've seen and trying to compensate with some new evolutions to old and classic pokemons like quilava and rowlett.
    It's time for the Pokemon franchise to step aside the gamefreak's environment and get a dev team that makes justice to what the pokemon franchise could bring to us in capable hands.

    want to play an interesting and non-cashgrab monster collector jrpg ? play Shin Megami Tensei V and get a game that it's worth your money.
    if u have unlimited mommy and daddy funds and like the pokemon franchise, you do you.

    underwhelming game and disappointing entry once again, but what's new.    … Expand
  37. leiru
    Jan 29, 2022
    2
    Repetitive mechanics, empty scenarios giving the feeling of a dead space, short draw distance provoking popping and poor graphics that will undermine the overall experience. I cant beleive one of the most profitable IPs ever is not able to pull off a mechanics revamp and move to 3D. Time to say goodbye to GameFreak.
  38. 0uyea
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    I've just finished the game. This is a mayor disaster that never could tolerate by a big company like Game Freak and Nintendo. A shame.
  39. edu8
    Jan 29, 2022
    1
    Vergonzoso acabado técnico. Texturas muy pobres. Mecánicas aburridas, repetitivo.
  40. Franc15
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    It's fun in the short term, but it doesn't have much in the way of replayability, or even story despite the fact that it's supposed to be narrative driven. Most of the game is catching Pokémon until it's time for you to do the same repetitive task of calming the angry lord Pokémon. Pokémon is no stranger to repetition, but it's less challenging than the Pokémon Gyms in previous games.It's fun in the short term, but it doesn't have much in the way of replayability, or even story despite the fact that it's supposed to be narrative driven. Most of the game is catching Pokémon until it's time for you to do the same repetitive task of calming the angry lord Pokémon. Pokémon is no stranger to repetition, but it's less challenging than the Pokémon Gyms in previous games. Those at least had a few trainers each, different puzzles to solve, and Gym Leaders weren't hard to beat, but if you weren't prepared you could lose or just barely win. The lord Pokémon are much easier to beat than Gym Leaders, and it's a much more tedious task. You just throw balm, battle, throw balm, battle again, and throw balms. Or you can skip the battles completely and just throw balms. Even Dialga and Palkia can be cheesed by just throwing balms, and they're some of the final bosses of the game. There's a huge lack of trainer battles in the game. You're lucky to see one every half hour. I'd say it's closer to one an hour unless you're at the few segments in the game where you're forced into back to back battles. There's no post game facility like virtually every other main series game after Crystal, and there are about 240 Pokémon, so very few to choose from in regards to team building. On subsequent playthroughs if you can actually bring yourself to replay the game you'll likely end up using the same Pokémon because there are so few encountered in the first 5 or so areas. There are a decent number of side quests (or "Requests" as the game calls them to differentiate from the main quests or "Missions"), but most of them are simple fetch quests. Bring an NPC x number of y item(s), show them a certain Pokémon or Pokédex entry, etc. and there's virtually no multiplayer besides trading, despite every other main series game having player vs player battles which never detracted from the single player experience. The world is also full of barren fields or mountains that have maybe 2 or 3 Pokémon on screen at best 99% of the time, which is inexcusable because the areas are relatively small compared to other open world games (I'm using that term loosely for this game). Other games of this nature you'll find settlements or structures with characters who will give you quests or you can explore a dungeon. No such luck here, you'll just keep walking seeing the same Pokémon and plants over and over again.

    The game is mediocre at best, bad but not terrible at worst. I know bad games, because I've played the Two Worlds games and Sonic '06.

    I really wanted to like the game and hoped it would be good, but I was thoroughly let down. Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are miles ahead of this game in terms of content, replayability, and following the concept of the series as a whole.    … Expand
  41. Christo8
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    No me vengan con los imbéciles nintenderos que es un buen juego, son solo unos lamesuelas de nintendo

    Está basura tiene mucho por mejorar además del apartado gráfico, a estas alturas ya es obvio que una switch puede ejecutar gráficos mejores Fans pendejos, empresa multimillonaria cagándola otra vez
  42. CrazyMrLahey
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    Game is a awful cash grab. Imagine giving a game that drops under 15 fps often a passing grade. This game is worse looking than some N64 games.
  43. miguelaceval3
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    The only way you can like this game is if you have never played another open world game. There are a hundred better open world games with infinitely less budget.
  44. Ripper36
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    NO...no. This could not be a game from 2022. It looks like an early Gamecube game at best. Its horrible looking. Why did i buy this trash. The open world gameplay is nice and battling Pokemon is kinda fun but thats all there is thats good oh and a good size amout of pokemon. Again, this is Nintendo putting something out there where ppl playing PS4 or PS5 are rolling off there chairNO...no. This could not be a game from 2022. It looks like an early Gamecube game at best. Its horrible looking. Why did i buy this trash. The open world gameplay is nice and battling Pokemon is kinda fun but thats all there is thats good oh and a good size amout of pokemon. Again, this is Nintendo putting something out there where ppl playing PS4 or PS5 are rolling off there chair laughing at this game. I love Nintendo to death but this is pretty bad, Yes, its bad.… Expand
  45. papermon_1
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    the graphics are sh1t

    the rest would be good?
    Legends Arceus, as just a game without its franchise, would definitely be mediocre. It is a collect-a-thon with some QoL elements, a serviceable plot, subpar graphics, and a musical score which, while charming , is a bit too subtle in the overworld. The fact that it has a full game price tag would definitely turn some people away.
  46. Sacapof
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    Points positifs : tentative de renouvellement de la Licence honorable, les zones ouvertes, le crafting, les montures, quelques bonnes idées parmi les quêtes secondaires. La DA est plutôt sympa et a un énorme potentiel (la technique & le vide ne lui font pas honneur)

    Points négatifs : la technique très mauvaise (qualité des texture, clipping, aliasing) et pas du tout à la hauteur de ce    Points positifs : tentative de renouvellement de la Licence honorable, les zones ouvertes, le crafting, les montures, quelques bonnes idées parmi les quêtes secondaires. La DA est plutôt sympa et a un énorme potentiel (la technique & le vide ne lui font pas honneur)

    Points négatifs : la technique très mauvaise (qualité des texture, clipping, aliasing) et pas du tout à la hauteur de ce que devrait proposer une des licences les plus lucratives. Le monde manque cruellement de vie, les Pokemon sont posés là, à attendre qu'on les capture, ce qui ressemble plus à un zoo qu'à des terres sauvages (trop de sentiment de sécurité, et il aurait été appréciable et plus immersif que les Pokemon mènent leur vie, chassent, se battent, se cachent, jouent, ...).    … Expand
  47. Jsvr
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is not an open-world, nor is it a new attempt. Many Pokemon fans are trying to overestimate the game, saying it has made a new attempt "for Pokemon." But I can't give high scores to these games just because Pokemon comes out.… Expand
  48. Trunyk
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    Leaving aside the pitiful graphics it looks like a game made without desire, unfortunately disappointed in what will be the first pokemon game that I will not complete.
  49. Seyta
    Jan 29, 2022
    0
    Really disappointed about gamefreak, they make bad games since years and they doesn't care. They always do the bare minimum and never listen to players.
    The universe has nothing natural, it's too robotic, the pokemons move erratically, they wander lifeless, no ecology, no wildlife or anything. The devs just created a map and put pokemons here and there.
    And I don't even speak about the graphics.
  50. Niftylen
    Jan 29, 2022
    2
    Had to come here and rate this. I thought I would give the game a try given it’s a slight change in formula, and Pokémon games are criminally lazy, conservative, repetitive rip offs. No good, just no good. It makes my mind hurt seeing so many ‘critics’ (aka YouTubers who are afraid of losing their access to early copies / brainwashed super-fans / bribed corrupt gaming media outlets)Had to come here and rate this. I thought I would give the game a try given it’s a slight change in formula, and Pokémon games are criminally lazy, conservative, repetitive rip offs. No good, just no good. It makes my mind hurt seeing so many ‘critics’ (aka YouTubers who are afraid of losing their access to early copies / brainwashed super-fans / bribed corrupt gaming media outlets) rating this game so highly. It sucks! I’m not even going to focus on the graphics but if you think they are acceptable in any way, you have no standards in life. This is a console that runs The Witcher 3. BOTW comparisons really hold merit in this department.

    The gameplay though, blimey… I just can’t fathom how fans are satisfied with this janky mess of gameplay. It’s like one giant wild area from SW/SH in terms of being empty and devoid of any interest except for the Pokémon themselves. The battles have a new gimmick that barely matters or is completely broken. It’s the same rock, paper, scissors fare with crap animations.

    The story is absolute garbage. Surely there has to be a point where even the young kids that seemingly seem to be the audience that holds this series back, get sick of the narratives that they trot out. In 2022 we still have characters just stand there and wave their hands like characters from a 20+ year old Ps2 JRPG exposing about nonsense whilst everyone stands around awkwardly. No one has cared about a Pokémon story for decades, why is there soooo much talking in this game. I can tell you why, to pad it out and make it long. Boss battles are lame. Who thought throwing infinite magic food bags was an inspired choice? That plus half baked dark souls roll dodging, yuck.

    If you’re a player who really, really likes switching your brain off and completing a Pokédex, I can see the appeal. But it’s just soooo bad… Awful graphics and frame rate, awful story, bland repetitive gameplay. If it didn’t have the Pokémon label it would be laughed into oblivion.

    Why, just why, would you invest your time playing this game, and not amazing games like God of War or Disco Elysium, or heck if you’re a kid, BOTW or Mario Odyssey. If you’ve completed all the great games like these, maybe go out to the park instead, just anything but this junk…

    Start being sensible with your money so that this franchise with so much potential can actually make some strides forward.    … Expand
  51. Be3nj
    Nov 22, 2022
    0
    Apesar de tudo é um bom jogo! A mecanica de captura te faz ficar entrertido por varias horas
  52. Weidenwiesel
    Apr 20, 2023
    3
    This game is painfully mediocre and boring.
    The only innovation they had with this game is "open world" that's it.
    It's just running around and dumbly throwing pokeballs at everything that moves. There is only one town which acts like a hub and multiple maps which all play in the same way. Go in, go to the quest markers and pray'n'spay pokeballs left and right. Almost no trainer    This game is painfully mediocre and boring.
    The only innovation they had with this game is "open world" that's it.
    It's just running around and dumbly throwing pokeballs at everything that moves.
    There is only one town which acts like a hub and multiple maps which all play in the same way.
    Go in, go to the quest markers and pray'n'spay pokeballs left and right.
    Almost no trainer battles, no multi-battles, stupid search and fetch sidemissions, still no voice-overs, unskippable tedious cutscenes and talks talks talks. Like, shut the f up and let me play the game!

    There is nothing keeping me playing this game.
    After 10hrs, I feel like I've seen everything.
    All of my pokemon are already twice the level of anything I encounter, including the very very few trainers you have to battle. I know the past pokemon games weren't challenging, but this is ridiculously easy. I'm falling asleep. I'ts pointless to continue.

    And when you finally meet one of these new king pokemon, all you do is throw balls at them until they submit. What the f is this?
    Where are the type themed gym battles?
    Where are the puzzles?
    Where are multiplayer battles?
    Where are the dark caves and interesting mountaintops?
    Where is the actual fun?
    Seriously cannot understand all the positive reviews.

    It's so boring. I'm glad I played this on an emulator and did not give these lazy devs any money.    … Expand
  53. Shilach
    Nov 24, 2022
    0
    You haven't played it ? you haven't tried it ? You weren't sure about it ? WHAT are you waiting for XD It's such an awesome game! While personal taste, going to a more "old" time setting, is what I love most. So being in a pokemon game that took part in the past is amazing!

    Experience: It's great, interacting with pokemon, catching em without interacting is fun. Being able to craft    You haven't played it ? you haven't tried it ? You weren't sure about it ? WHAT are you waiting for XD It's such an awesome game! While personal taste, going to a more "old" time setting, is what I love most. So being in a pokemon game that took part in the past is amazing!

    Experience: It's great, interacting with pokemon, catching em without interacting is fun. Being able to craft pokebals like sweet! Pokemons being able to attack you, I'll tell you. I wish that there will be another title like this :) Hopefully jhoto in the past!

    Also for you people out there that NEVER got a shiny pokemon, this game will guarantee that you'll enjoy shiny hunting XD    … Expand
  54. ScreenS
    Jun 5, 2023
    2
    If you want a great story in the Pokémon world, play anything else

    If you want rewarding gameplay and a fun loop, play anything else If you are a completionist, play anything else If you are competitively focused there’s no multiplayer, if you’re a solo player it’s still the worst main series game as there’s nothing to do beyond catching 50 of each Pokémon. A total waste of time and    If you want a great story in the Pokémon world, play anything else

    If you want rewarding gameplay and a fun loop, play anything else

    If you are a completionist, play anything else

    If you are competitively focused there’s no multiplayer, if you’re a solo player it’s still the worst main series game as there’s nothing to do beyond catching 50 of each Pokémon.

    A total waste of time and resources that tried to appeal to nobody and succeeded.    … Expand
  55. SaltyMaud
    Jun 13, 2023
    2
    Core gameplay loop is running from one resource node to the next while capturing each pokemon at least half a dozen times. Sometimes after stuffing their ass with berries first, sometimes after throwing "balls of mud", sometimes doing the same, but stealthily. I don't know who this appeals to, but it's not me. The zones are also void of any landmarks or points of interest, each zone isCore gameplay loop is running from one resource node to the next while capturing each pokemon at least half a dozen times. Sometimes after stuffing their ass with berries first, sometimes after throwing "balls of mud", sometimes doing the same, but stealthily. I don't know who this appeals to, but it's not me. The zones are also void of any landmarks or points of interest, each zone is just a handful of vaguely different biomes littered with materials to gather and pokemon to catch - it's basically a few different wild area zones, and frankly the DLC wild areas in SWSH were more interesting than these. Different pokemon species behave like each other - you got hostile pokemon that seem to spot you from way further than you can even lock on tho them, you got skittish pokemon that run away and despawn when they spot you, and you got neutral pokemon that don't give a sh*t but that's the extent of variation in pokemon behavior. The "boss fights" are ridiculously easy, and the AI is so basic it can get itself stuck in level geometry. There is no way you'll get hit by the telegraphed attack patterns more than once. Side quests are mostly fetch quests. There are literal hours worth of dialogue, none of it voice acted. You'll probably mash B through most of it. Scaling through the story is a bit wonky, there isn't much of a reason to put effort into your team when whatever the next zone offers is usually stronger and higher level anyway. Or you could just bruteforce capture alphas and be way overpowered to anything you'll currently face.

    Battle mechanics have been heavily bastardized for this game. ATB turn order turn order means turns are no longer taken simultaneously, resulting in situations where you may find yourself in a unfavorable matchup against a much faster pokemon, and you don't even get the chance to switch out before the enemy takes one - or more turns. The game is missing like 70%+ of moves, and the remaining moves have been simplified to fit the battle system. The list of missing battle features continues, there are no: priority moves, abilities, held items, weather control, terrain, hazards, speed control, multitarget moves and more. Moves that alter attack or defense now affect both physical and special, stat changes are now limited to a single stage, and they only last for a few turns which is an odd change for sure. Status can also now be overridden by another. There are no pvp battles, but you wouldn't want them with these battle mechanics anyway.

    There are some good quality of life changes, like the ability to swap out learned moves on the go, instead of having to visit the move reminder. On the other hand we have lost mobile access to PC, and we can't fast travel between zones. First you must return to base camp, load into town, leave the gates again, load into the zone and then move to your location - because just flying directly to any point of interest like in any other pokemon game would have been way too convenient.

    The game is pretty poor looking on a technical level, and the artstyle is inconsistent which is a shame, if the game stuck to the artstyle it could have looked decent. Soundscape is also pretty barren and the sparse use of background music doesn't help to hide it.

    PLA is different, I can respect that. But it's also in a lot of ways just straight up worse than previous pokemon games and it doesn't stand on its own as a openworld-esque rpg either. If you want to observe pokemon, play snap. If you want to battle pokemon, play SWSH. If you want a open world RPG, play BotW. PLA has some aspects of them all, but does it very poorly.    … Expand
  56. TeOne
    Nov 24, 2022
    3
    Dopo aver incassato milioni di dollari, questi ancora fanno giochi con questa grafica... Invece di inverstire questi soldi in programmatori capaci, noi dovremmo comprare sempre giochi che tecnicamente fanno sempre più schifo? Vergognatevi, Game Freak e Nintendo
  57. klambert
    Jun 12, 2022
    2
    This game had the potential to be so great. Alpha pokemon, the catching system for land-based pokemon, cyndaquil do be quillin'.

    Unfortunately, that's about where the good stops. The game looks absolutely terrible for an open world game. Damage is whack. Wild pokemon 40 levels below your alpha pokemon will wipe it in 2 1x effective hits. A wild alpha will wipe your entire party,    This game had the potential to be so great. Alpha pokemon, the catching system for land-based pokemon, cyndaquil do be quillin'.

    Unfortunately, that's about where the good stops.

    The game looks absolutely terrible for an open world game.

    Damage is whack.
    Wild pokemon 40 levels below your alpha pokemon will wipe it in 2 1x effective hits.
    A wild alpha will wipe your entire party, 20 levels above it, with one move.

    The maps load/render distance is terrible. They know the hardware of the system they made, do they not?

    Catching pokemon in water is hot garbage.

    Forced exp share is an ass idea that gives waaaaay too much xp, and yet, somehow, you're still *constantly* leveling random pokemon that nobody wants to use for no apparent reason to fill the pokedex information of pokemon you've already caught.

    The story is kind of meh, even for pokemon games.

    The "boss fights" are bad in every aspect, either being absurdly easy or zoning you in a corner for 2 straight minutes for literally no reason.
    All of this, and the game is still about a 7.9.

    So let's talk about the **** satchel.

    For absolutely no reason whatsoever, GameFreak limits your base inventory capacity to about 1/4 of the amount of berries in the game. The only way to get more is from satchel merchant, the single stupidest idea in the history of gaming. By the time you're spending 40k$ on a single inventory space expansion, you still can't hold every berry in the game. This continues, slowly increasing every purchase, up to a million. Why a million? Who knows. Will you ever have a million? No, likely not. Will satchel merchant ever have a million? Oh yes, he'll take it from you so you can hold more berries. Then, you lose items on fainting, and you can faint to a stream out of combat, for no reason other than shoehorning NSO where it doesn't belong.

    Now we're at a 2.5

    They also limit your starting pokemon storage space, despite insisting you catch every pokemon 17 times, though this does eventually start to expand on its own.

    They could have made this game so great. They improved a fair bit, then threw everything out with the baby and the bathwater to shoehorn in nonsensical garbage mechanics just because they could, and certainly not because they should.    … Expand
  58. Hastings91
    Jul 29, 2023
    0
    Nintendo se ríe en vuestra cara y os encanta. Por eso y fanboys, un rosco.
next
Page:

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best Switch Game of 2022
2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 118 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 118
  3. Negative: 0 out of 118
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 30, 2024
    80
    Definitely not a bad game. It handles its mechanics perfectly, and as long as it doesn't try to talk at you, you'll enjoy it. It's the first step on the road to new games with Pokémon on the cover, and the good sales could be the main reason to continue similar work and experimentation. [Issue#317]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 19, 2022
    85
    Acreus came out just a few months after Diamond & Pearl remake. Isn’t that too soon? Actually, no. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the most innovative, revolutionary, and maybe simply the best Pokémon game of the last decade. [Issue#259, p.48]
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 13, 2022
    90
    This really does feel like a big step forward for a series that famously plays things safe, and I'm excited to see where the franchise will go next! [Issue #58 – March/April 2022, p. 72]
See all critic reviews »