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
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  1. lizardglitter
    Feb 4, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Awesome new concept and I had really high hopes. The story is interesting at first but the game is so grindy and loses a lot of the pokemon charm. No cool new landscapes, bonding with pokemon, and not that many hidden secrets to discover. It’s grindy and the visuals aren’t good—all the pokemon want to run or fight. Interesting new direction but overall loses the fun.… Expand
  2. BirdPs4
    Feb 5, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. All four of the bosses were great. The way you catch pokemon is amazing in every way. Awesome game.… Expand
  3. Dant00ine
    Feb 6, 2022
    5
    Really let down by the gaming community’s inability to give objective reviews.

    I was excited about this game from the moment I heard about it a year ago. I really wanted to like it, but as I watched it go through development I saw red flag after red flag. The game seems to suffer from lazy open-world design syndrome; where the illusion of endless opportunity boils down to reveal a game    Really let down by the gaming community’s inability to give objective reviews.

    I was excited about this game from the moment I heard about it a year ago. I really wanted to like it, but as I watched it go through development I saw red flag after red flag.

    The game seems to suffer from lazy open-world design syndrome; where the illusion of endless opportunity boils down to reveal a game void of meaningful content with redundant and scarce gameplay loops.

    Seeing the Pokémon in the overworld, having more control over the trainer and their poke-balls, these are great ideas that get people excited. But think about how much is missing; look at the legendary open world games like TES, GTA, and BotW. These games have their base gameplay loops (slinging swords and sorcery, stealing cars) but they come together to support epic overarching stories: guilds, colorful characters, impactful decisions.

    I had a lot of fun with Pokémon let’s go, and a lot of people complained about that. I think both the games suffer from a lot of the same problems. Hasty development, lazy and uninspired UI, technical issues we didn’t see in their predecessors. But where are the negative reviews for legends? I wanted to like Arceus, but this game clearly didn’t get the budget it would have taken to properly pull off this really great idea. Imagine: guild plotlines like from TES, but you’re working your way up through gyms, saving Pokémon as a ranger, or refining your Pokémon as a breeder. Imagine colorful characters sending you on meaningful adventures and becoming your companions! But no, we get a super boiled down game that feels like one or two years of development work from the B-team.

    Come on gaming community… tell me with a straight face this is Pokémon breath of the wild… that’s just insulting to the team who put together the masterpiece that is botw. It’s like saying a Honda with a spoiler is the Japanese Ferrari… smh

    That being said, I’m optimistic for this franchise going forward. The massively positive response this game has seen (despite its, to me at least, obvious shortcomings) should tip off the game makers that the community is hungry for the types of gameplay that Arceus displayed. I’d maybe pay $30 for this game, but $60? No way.    … Expand
  4. Lukej142
    Feb 8, 2022
    5
    I quite like the game! It's fun, I sunk 24 hours into it in a few weeks! It just seems under baked. I know I'm going to complete the game because I enjoy it but it's flawed. The environment is stale, AI is poor, pop in is horrible for a game about exploring. My biggest complaint is the map. There's no map in the corner and so I find myself constantly opening the map up and on top of that,I quite like the game! It's fun, I sunk 24 hours into it in a few weeks! It just seems under baked. I know I'm going to complete the game because I enjoy it but it's flawed. The environment is stale, AI is poor, pop in is horrible for a game about exploring. My biggest complaint is the map. There's no map in the corner and so I find myself constantly opening the map up and on top of that, you can only place one guided marker at a time. It's a refreshing game! It's not hard at all if that's what you want, but I would recommend it. 5 just because it's good but it could have been so much more. I just see a decent base idea with a flawed execution.… Expand
  5. Endymion_Var
    Feb 23, 2022
    5
    Vamos Nintendo que te cuesta darnos unos mejores gráficos, solo para pasar el rato.
    Se ve mucho mejor Genshin Impact que es gratis
  6. Cimmo72
    Mar 14, 2022
    5
    game from a graphic point of view, too far behind by Nintendo standards. very bad
  7. Rossiez
    Mar 17, 2022
    5
    What is with the endless dialogue, 2 hours and still holding my hand. No possible skip absolutely painful.
  8. Jealto
    May 28, 2022
    5
    It looks ugly and still runns unsmooth, it gets boring and repetetiv fast. Its just sad, its the biggest gameseries of all and still Nintendo acts like it is non profitable
  9. patnott
    Jun 14, 2022
    5
    I gave this game a 5 for effort. Game Freak actually did something a little different. I welcome the changes in how wild encounters work and the seamless integration of wild battles. That’s where the praise ends. In 2022 such appalling graphics is unacceptable in my opinion. I know Pokémon was never cutting edge with its graphics but even the widely panned Sword and Shield had betterI gave this game a 5 for effort. Game Freak actually did something a little different. I welcome the changes in how wild encounters work and the seamless integration of wild battles. That’s where the praise ends. In 2022 such appalling graphics is unacceptable in my opinion. I know Pokémon was never cutting edge with its graphics but even the widely panned Sword and Shield had better graphics. Only 1/4 of the entire roster of Pokémon features in this game. That’s shockingly bad I think. After you complete the post game there is nothing at all to do except shiny hunt. Overall I enjoyed the game to an extent but there is so much left out that it feels like a €30 side game, not a full price mainline game.… Expand
  10. Sherlax
    Aug 18, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Historia lamentablemente excelente jugabilidad y malos gráficos.Buenos modelos malos colres… Expand
  11. BertKA88
    Aug 29, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Personally I had a few of major problems:

    1. I won’t factor this into my score but I wanted BOTW style open world. Oh well…
    2. I really don’t need 2-3 hours of handholding and being stopped by every NPC for tutorial style info. Just let us explore and discover for ourselves. I almost put the game down for this alone.
    3. The game was so repetitive. It’s just catch this and catch that and get that thing a million times over. I got over it.
    4. The bosses were “meh”. Why am I throwing bags of magic dust at them. What even is battling?

    Disappointed in this because it had so much potential yet fell flat for me.    … Expand
  12. Cloud_cipher
    Nov 29, 2022
    5
    I wish I could just do whatever I wanted from the beggining but of course pokemon/gamefreak has to give you a boring start then after 30 minutes of talking and almost endless dialogs. You finally get to set out on only the first place and have to unlock the other places by doing main missions.
    Story was boring but post game is alot of fun espicially when you can do whatever you want and no    I wish I could just do whatever I wanted from the beggining but of course pokemon/gamefreak has to give you a boring start then after 30 minutes of talking and almost endless dialogs. You finally get to set out on only the first place and have to unlock the other places by doing main missions.
    Story was boring but post game is alot of fun espicially when you can do whatever you want and no one is stopping you giving you a full history on something dumb like a rock and giving you 3 minutes of dialougue because of one dumb rock    … Expand
  13. Rockyford
    Feb 9, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It’s good until you get to a point where you have to battle the leader of the galaxy clan which is rigged everything and move is in their favor. For example they use a move of strong style and he gets to go twice when I get to go twice it’s canceled and they go. Another example is their moves keep changing powers even against Pokémon their type is super weak too . So therefore rigged at the end… Expand
  14. DanB_06
    Feb 28, 2023
    5
    I went in to this game not positive, I have a friend who hates this game big time and recommended I didn't play. I decided to play anyways. And at first, I loved it! But as I progressed, I start to dislike the game more and more. Note, I play competitive singles and VGC doubles, and adore pokemon battling, so the changes made in this game to battles and abilities just kill any interest II went in to this game not positive, I have a friend who hates this game big time and recommended I didn't play. I decided to play anyways. And at first, I loved it! But as I progressed, I start to dislike the game more and more. Note, I play competitive singles and VGC doubles, and adore pokemon battling, so the changes made in this game to battles and abilities just kill any interest I have anymore. Removing abilities? Removing turns for a BS turn order system where you randomly will get hit 2 times at the start of a battle? Getting rid of items like the life orb and choice items? I find the battle system only works in scripted fights, like fighting the boss pokemon. Even trying to fight wardens and clan leaders, I constantly find myself barraged by random wild pokemon, turning a good fight into absolute BS. I really loved the ability to catch pokemon without battling, I absolutely adore the new pokemon and am waiting patiently for them to join Scarlet / Violet. But the small changes made to battling make a huge difference for someone like me, who finds the strategy and consistency in battling to be amazing. I cannot recommend anyone buy this game now that Scarlet and Violet are released, nor can I even recommend pirating the game, as it feels incredibly sluggish and confusing.

    TLDR; I loved the changes made to the core gameplay loop, but the changes to the battle system feel like reinventing the wheel while the wheel is in motion. Just buy Scarlet / Violet and ask a friend to share some HIsuian pokemon with you when Pokemon HOME compatibility is released for SV. Don't waste your time.    … Expand
  15. Dradkol
    Aug 23, 2023
    5
    Pokémon Legends: Arceus is not a good game but not bad either. Surely it is the best chapter released in the last 10 years and this is sad, as it depicts the state of the games of "The Pokemon Company". The game tries to experiment and above all takes its cue from sagas of important games such as Monster Hunter (on some aspects of gameplay) etc. The game is fluid and fast, as you can throwPokémon Legends: Arceus is not a good game but not bad either. Surely it is the best chapter released in the last 10 years and this is sad, as it depicts the state of the games of "The Pokemon Company". The game tries to experiment and above all takes its cue from sagas of important games such as Monster Hunter (on some aspects of gameplay) etc. The game is fluid and fast, as you can throw poké balls while moving, you can also move during battles and this makes the game much more immersive than in previous chapters where the battle was static, moreover the capture of pokémon is fluid and the desire to complete the pokédex soon becomes a "drug". Unfortunately both from an artistic and technical point of view, the game is behind, far behind, we are talking about a level comparable to games released on Playstation 2, with infinitely repeated textures, polygonal models copied and pasted like the main village of the game, which features a house model repeated in a linear pattern to form the village, leaving you with the impression that the developers have done the bare minimum, the open world map itself is flat, with always the same polygonal models forming hills, rocks, rivers , trees etc. always repeated and the pop up that afflicts the title worsens this feeling of emptiness, repetitive and fake. The plot is childish, obvious and boring, if there hadn't been pokémon I would have abandoned it before the ending.
    The frame rate is decent, not perfect, as there are moments where it drops below 30fps, but nothing that spoils the gaming experience, which happens with the last two chapters (scarlet and violet ).
    To conclude, I can't give the game enough, but I can't completely reject it either, so I decided to give it a 5 as a vote. If you are a Pokémon lover, I recommend the title as it is a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the brand. If you are not a Pokémon lover, I do not recommend it.    … Expand
  16. zezimawashere
    Jul 29, 2023
    5
    This game is okay. It's a bit repetitive. Not only do you have to catch all the Pokemon, but for completion there are a ton of small tasts, like use "splash" 100 times with Magicarp...

    Also, I am a good way through the game, and so far there has only been one romantic relationship. Of course, it was an interracial relationship that they said they had to hide. I don't know why they    This game is okay. It's a bit repetitive. Not only do you have to catch all the Pokemon, but for completion there are a ton of small tasts, like use "splash" 100 times with Magicarp...

    Also, I am a good way through the game, and so far there has only been one romantic relationship. Of course, it was an interracial relationship that they said they had to hide.

    I don't know why they push this propaganda so hard recently.    … Expand
  17. Jazzparagus
    Aug 31, 2023
    5
    The catching mechanic is good and what they did with battles is at the very least interesting. It's nice to see them trying out new gameplay methods.

    That's really about it for the good bits though, while I dont care for graphics it's really hard to ignore how the game looks. The worst is probably when looking out over one of the 3 lakes. The worlds also feel empty. No real landmarks,    The catching mechanic is good and what they did with battles is at the very least interesting. It's nice to see them trying out new gameplay methods.

    That's really about it for the good bits though, while I dont care for graphics it's really hard to ignore how the game looks. The worst is probably when looking out over one of the 3 lakes. The worlds also feel empty. No real landmarks, no people, empty fields upon empty fields and mysteriously it still runs like ****
    The story isnt great either, which is strange because the premise of the story is pretty interesting with God just dropping you off in a different time period and all that.

    I guess Im glad it's not on the level of SwSh but you can tell they should've kept this game in production for at least another year.    … Expand
  18. samichsupernova
    Feb 8, 2022
    4
    I wasn’t sure what to make of PL:Arceus when it was first announced. On the one hand, GF and TPC appeared to be changing up the battle mechanics & adding real-time elements. On the other hand, its poor graphics and empty overworld left a lot to be desired. It was also unclear whether the game would be an experimental one-off, or an attempt to change/evolve the series’ core mechanics. AsI wasn’t sure what to make of PL:Arceus when it was first announced. On the one hand, GF and TPC appeared to be changing up the battle mechanics & adding real-time elements. On the other hand, its poor graphics and empty overworld left a lot to be desired. It was also unclear whether the game would be an experimental one-off, or an attempt to change/evolve the series’ core mechanics. As someone who’s played since the very first titles but finds the latest entries to be stale and disappointing, I went in with very low expectations.

    Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ trailers promised a decent story, and while I can attest that the writing receives more focus than usual, the presentation frankly sucks, as there’s still no voice acting, with most interactions consisting of characters awkwardly standing & talking.

    The real draws are the revamped combat and catching systems. The changes to gameplay, while not perfect, make Arceus initially far more captivating than its preceding games. First and most importantly, you can aim Poke Balls to interact directly with Pokemon on the field, & while exploring, you’ll be able to easily shuffle who’s next in line to battle, as well as send them to harvest materials from trees, shrubs, and mineral outcroppings, essential for crafting healing items and Poke Balls.

    Many Pokemon will either run or attack your avatar on sight, so you’ve got options - dodge like it's Dark Souls, sneak around and try to nab them without being spotted, ambush with your Pokemon to start a fight, lure/repel them with food, or run away. You’ll also get multiple Pokemon mounts to ride across the game’s several open areas.

    Combat is tweaked in many minor ways. While you’ll be dodging occasionally, aside from bosses, you don’t fight Pokemon in real-time, so the traditional four-move, turn-based core combat remains. The game introduces Agile and Strong variations to attacks (faster and weaker VS stronger and slower). Best of all, your Pokemon’s moves can now be easily switched outside of battle, making it infinitely more convenient to swap movesets. It really opens up a lot of possibilities - you can have your starter be a sweeper in one battle, and a defensive mon-catching tool in the next. Held items no longer exist. Status effects are tweaked, with most being weaker, and they thankfully disappear after each battle.

    These changes, as well as the limited pool of teachable moves, make certain builds, such as dedicated physical and special sweepers, far more effective. It’ll be in your interest to get battles done as quickly as possible, especially since you’ll often find yourself fighting multiple wild Pokemon at once with just one of your own. For the most part, the changes also help the game to flow smoother, since you’ll be covering a lot of ground in the great outdoors, often atop mounted Pokemon. However, due to the kneecapping of potential builds owing to the removal of breeding, and lack of variety in your foes making fine-tuning an afterthought, I grew bored of the battles halfway in.

    There are no gyms, no breeding, and very few trainer battles. Instead, you’ll spend time gathering/crafting, and on the Pokedex. This time your dex entries don’t end with just catching and trading. You’re also tasked with specific battle tasks. You’ll only need to fulfill ten challenges per Pokemon, so while it isn't daunting, it does feel like busywork.

    That brings me to the game’s biggest weakness - the world itself - and I don’t just mean the fact that there are limited ways to interact with the environments, or that the 242 Pokemon are a mixed bag of species. While the Pokemon models are often well-animated, the day-night and weather cycles add variety, and the game runs smoothly with minimal loading, there’s no sugarcoating the fact that the graphics and environments are subpar, featuring empty worlds, trees & textures that would look bad on the GameCube, pop-in and heavy aliasing, & a bland color palette tempered by muted art direction.

    It's a testament to the strength of Arceus’ core mechanics that the bland environments, lack of trainer battles, and unfinished feel of the game don’t completely sink the experience. Perhaps it’s because my expectations were so low going in, but I can safely say that in spite of its many faults, Arceus is the most fun I’ve had with a Pokemon title since the days of the DS. It also shows that the franchise in general still has potential. That may sound like faint praise from someone who has been critical of the mainline franchise for years, but I think most fans will appreciate the real-time elements, the easily-swappable movesets, and the additions to the world-building and lore. My only hope is that Nintendo is able to build upon what was established in this title and utilize it to take the franchise forward in a bold new direction. Rated 4/10 to balance out all the shills.    … Expand
  19. Nobilis1984
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    A nice Pokemon game. Is wonderful for milking the brand.
    After all, it looks good, but purely in terms of gameplay, it's all scheme F. Nintendo releases a Pokemon game without really thinking about it. You don't have to be creative anymore because it will be bought anyway.
  20. Redman_07
    Dec 10, 2022
    4
    Remove pokemon and it would be a 4-5. Nothing but hype. Gameplay is awfully repetetive and not demanding at all. Dead and empty landscape. Graphics, please. Holy. Stop celebrating bad games please!!!
  21. amandra
    Aug 11, 2022
    4
    Exceedingly mediocre linear "fake open world" game. They copied so many great games and failed to deliver even a passable copy of any of them. There's some fun to be had here, but it's a completely skippable game.

    Bought for the kids who are obsessed with pokemon and they both moved on to other games after a few hours of game time. There simply isn't all that much value here. I played to    Exceedingly mediocre linear "fake open world" game. They copied so many great games and failed to deliver even a passable copy of any of them. There's some fun to be had here, but it's a completely skippable game.

    Bought for the kids who are obsessed with pokemon and they both moved on to other games after a few hours of game time. There simply isn't all that much value here. I played to help explain the mechanics and rushed through the second half of an abyssmal story. There's nothing to draw you back in if you aren't a sadistic completionist.    … Expand
  22. Blindman
    Sep 30, 2022
    4
    Open world is nice.
    Catching pokemon is fun but catching the same one over and over not so much.
    Fighting pokemon is fun but fighting the same one over and over...... Boss fights are fairly terrible. English translation is very bad, hopefully better in Japanese but for those that don't have that option well its very sad. I gave it a 4/10 as I did complete it but I wish I had given    Open world is nice.
    Catching pokemon is fun but catching the same one over and over not so much.
    Fighting pokemon is fun but fighting the same one over and over......
    Boss fights are fairly terrible.
    English translation is very bad, hopefully better in Japanese but for those that don't have that option well its very sad.

    I gave it a 4/10 as I did complete it but I wish I had given up earlier.
    I rate this the worst pokemon so far.    … Expand
  23. MikeGold
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    While the story and new mechanics are truly amazing and mark a great progress in this old franchise, everything is let down by the terrible engine in the game which brings everything down. The amount of details is terribly low, framerates are well below acceptable, resolution is low and the game even in docked mode looks and plays really bad. The world is simply empty and still theWhile the story and new mechanics are truly amazing and mark a great progress in this old franchise, everything is let down by the terrible engine in the game which brings everything down. The amount of details is terribly low, framerates are well below acceptable, resolution is low and the game even in docked mode looks and plays really bad. The world is simply empty and still the framerate dips quite often. It is really sad, because the new story, mechanics and the whole idea for the game is great. We can't even blame Switch for this state of the game. We had the games like BOTW or Xenoblade that had a really well made open world. It's a major disappointment considering that the Pokemon games are always sell like crazy.… Expand
  24. majr
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    After completing the game and spending about 25 hours in it, I sadly have to say it is a hard pass on a reply. I wanted to like it....I tried to like it....but the only reason I even beat it at the end was to say I did. A lot of small things overall irritated thought out my time playing this game, that will be excused cause it is not as buggie as other "AAA" titles. I will give it all theAfter completing the game and spending about 25 hours in it, I sadly have to say it is a hard pass on a reply. I wanted to like it....I tried to like it....but the only reason I even beat it at the end was to say I did. A lot of small things overall irritated thought out my time playing this game, that will be excused cause it is not as buggie as other "AAA" titles. I will give it all the credit in the world for being playable, but it's sad were in a age where that is a thing.… Expand
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. Poochingus
    Mar 3, 2022
    4
    This game is almost average. Gamefreak still has a long way to go to justify their literally biggest media franchise in the world budget.

    What this game did right is being a fun spin off with great out of the box thinking. It was fun to actually find new pokemon and keep coming back to interact with them. The concept was solid as could be. The feeling of pokemon being a genuine danger    This game is almost average. Gamefreak still has a long way to go to justify their literally biggest media franchise in the world budget.

    What this game did right is being a fun spin off with great out of the box thinking. It was fun to actually find new pokemon and keep coming back to interact with them. The concept was solid as could be. The feeling of pokemon being a genuine danger came across quite well, and it was fun to actually focus on how it would be in real life. I also enjoyed the different pokeball types too. I appreciate that for the most part, you are finally just allowed to explore and enjoy the game instead of being stopped every 10 minutes for some exposition. You get to take the story at your own pace. The actions in the game being tied to speed and having two additional combat styles was also a very neat concept that I think was done pretty well.

    That, sadly is about where it all ends. The bad outweighs the good. This is still a game that had the world of money behind it, and it felt more like an indie game than a real AAA game. Overall, the general UX and UI were half baked. I look forward to the day gamefreak realize you can speed up combat by adding a 2x, 4x, 8x speed shift too. Combat may start and end faster, but its slow as ever in the actual fights. Speaking of that, the battles were sparse and boring. They also often pit you against 2 or 3 enemies with your just 1. Why can't I use multiple pokemon per battle? They fell back on being to conservative in that aspect. Combat was sadly easier than any game to date, and I realized I hardly ever needed to fight. The boss fights were all literally the same, and it was boring every time after the first one. Graphics improved, animations improved, but are still sub-par, in time it seems that will be iteratively improving, but I don't excuse it either way in the here and now. The end of the story felt very rushed and messy. Overall the story had me rather bored, and side quests were also a literal waste of my time so I stopped doing them. There are no unique quest rewards, just common items I can craft in low quantities. Crafting, while interesting, was admittedly, rather limited. I'd have liked more than just 3 pokeball types. Also full heals were pointless because after battle you got cured of status conditions. Another weird thing was a glitch that for me at least, %100 accuracy moves would often miss, for both me and the enemy. The only items I ever seemed to use were pokeballs and potions, and then occasionally food to feed to wild pokemon for pokedex goals. The "HM" pokemon were nice here. They were a great idea in sun/moon but the goofy baby safety gear ruined the vibe, so here they looked good. However I did find the way they worked didn't quite make sense. The flying one was especially bad, it was really just slowly falling, not flying. The lack of ability to do anything multiplayer of note outside of trades was also wildly baffling. This could have been a chance to explore and fill out the pokedex together with a friend in the survey corps. and each task you both did together filled out both pokedexes at once. Of course the biggest thing missing is battles. Honestly why not let me battle someone else? Makes no sense except to keep people buying the terrible gen 4 demakes. This would make up for the fact that this game has no satisfying battles in it at all. Also they removed held items and abilites. So there is that.

    Overall I feel this was a promising step forward, but gamefreak still need to learn how to step up to the plate, and they need to stop pumping out games too fast. This will probably be my last pokemon game that I buy for myself. In future I may borrow a game or sail the high seas, but this feels like the last I'll be playing. The franchise is giving out at this point in the videogames department.    … Expand
  29. 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
  30. Northon720
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    Pokémon es la saga más famosa que conocemos, nadie que esté mínimamente metido en el mundillo lo podría negar, el problema es que los que hacen el videojuego también lo saben y aplican la ley del mínimo esfuerzo en cada juego desde hace unos cuantos ya, pero es que en este es una pasada de rosca monstruosa, me explico.

    Vamos a pasar este tema rapidito porque es el que más destaca a    Pokémon es la saga más famosa que conocemos, nadie que esté mínimamente metido en el mundillo lo podría negar, el problema es que los que hacen el videojuego también lo saben y aplican la ley del mínimo esfuerzo en cada juego desde hace unos cuantos ya, pero es que en este es una pasada de rosca monstruosa, me explico.

    Vamos a pasar este tema rapidito porque es el que más destaca a simple vista, pero no es ni de lejos el mayor de los problemas, los gráficos y la dirección artísitca, los pongo juntos por el simple hecho de que mi opinión sobre los 2 es la misma, lamentable, las texturas están sacadas de un juego de ps2 (y de los mediocres), aun por encima el juego es horrendo visualmente, no es ni bonito de ver, tiene una paleta de colores horrenda, lo único que es decente es el cielo, que está bien, FIN.

    El mundo, Jesús bendito menudo insulto, "mundo abierto" pero que va, llegas al pueblo, que viene siendo el "hub" entre misiones e investigaciones, llegas a la puerta y, sorpresa! Te sale una pantalla la cual seleccionas a la zona de capturar que quieres ir, a lo Monster Hunter, pasémoslo por alto, porque claro, vamos a explorar al menos una zona con detalle e interés, bien, la primera zona es una pradera y puedo contarte lo que encontrarás, 3 tipos de árbol diferentes, montañas que delimitan la zona, una textura de suelo PLANA, mineral al cual le tiras un pokémon y lo recoge, lo mismo con los arboles que dan bayas, rocas de adorno (iguales) y por supuesto los Pokémons, tiene un interés nulo, no hay secretos, no hay zonas que llamen la atención, la distancia de dibujado es ínfima, es que es una cosa que de verdad, lo ves, y jamás dirías que está hecho por una compañia millonaria a todos los niveles, es una falta de respeto a los fans alucinante.

    (Para los que ponen de excusa "es que es la Nintendo Switch que es una patata y los gráficos pues cojean", claro, es que el Monster Hunter Rise o el Zelda salieron para PC y por eso parece que están 2 generaciones por encima, tanto por gráficos, como esfuerzo en hacer un mundo interesante que explorar, este pokémon esta más cerca de un pokemon snap con una mínima historia y quitando los raíles que de cualquier otra cosa.

    Ya he opinado sobre la saga en su momento, y tengo que reconocer que la idea de este juego me gusta, capturar los pokemons de forma más "salvaje" explorar el mundo si este fuera interesante, y los combates iniciándolos sacando tu pokemon al mundo directamente, fluye, pero es que es tenemos que exigir mucho más a una franquicia gigantesca, me encantaría que siguiera por esta línea, esta idea de juego, el problema es que el siguiente será otra aberración porque saben que venderán una locura haciendo lo mínimo posible por los fans que se hartan a soltar 10 y 9 solo por ser Pokémon, a otra compañia no le permitiríamos esto y lo sabemos.

    CONCLUSIÓN:
    Si mañana me dijeran que el juego lo han hecho un estudio desconocido que se dedica a portear juegos de móvil me lo creería sin dudarlo, parece un early access en una versión muy muy temprana, pero no, es la franquicia más grande del mundo riéndose en tu cara.    … Expand
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. Dom007
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    Man the graphics in this game are bad. Looks like a ps2 game. The gameplay is not fun.
  34. Escueroi
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    La verdad la idea es buena, el cambio es algo que rescatar en la jugabilidad para tener en cuenta en futuras entregas, no obstante carece de mucho apartado gráfico, visual, se nota que fue hecho con cero cariño, en muchos pasajes del juego hay escenarios muy cutre, ni hablar del delineado en los personajes en partes oscuras, es un chiste mal contado. No representa un modelo artístico,La verdad la idea es buena, el cambio es algo que rescatar en la jugabilidad para tener en cuenta en futuras entregas, no obstante carece de mucho apartado gráfico, visual, se nota que fue hecho con cero cariño, en muchos pasajes del juego hay escenarios muy cutre, ni hablar del delineado en los personajes en partes oscuras, es un chiste mal contado. No representa un modelo artístico, representa la mediocridad de las desarrolladores para hacer un juego que no tuvo el suficiente tiempo de desarrollo para salir en condiciones decentes. La historia pues.... Cómo siempre deja mucho que desear. Y la cantidad de texto que tiene el juego es una completa locura, tanto que llega a aburrir… Expand
  35. Ingleberg
    Mar 29, 2022
    4
    subpar graphics, subpar battling, repetitious, very little to say in the way of sound, too much pokemon aggro, makes it hard to do anything in an area sometimes without killing literally every mon in a 100 mile radius who sometimes even see you in the grass, weird system of ganging up on you, unintelligible and uninteresting story, questionable crafting, obnoxious side quests (most of themsubpar graphics, subpar battling, repetitious, very little to say in the way of sound, too much pokemon aggro, makes it hard to do anything in an area sometimes without killing literally every mon in a 100 mile radius who sometimes even see you in the grass, weird system of ganging up on you, unintelligible and uninteresting story, questionable crafting, obnoxious side quests (most of them at least), and a massive map that still some how makes it a pain to traverse. Also the new designs are butt ugly. That isn't to say there's nothing to enjoy about it, but i find it more tedious than fun, more sleep-inducing than exciting, and more discouraging than motivating. And some of the boss battle mechanics are really questionable.… Expand
  36. Frank-byert
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    Un buen intento por innovar en la saga , sin embargo es extremadamente decepcionante que game freak (compañia billonaria) no pueda manejar una buena dirección de arte.
  37. 2bitplayss
    Feb 2, 2022
    4
    as yall already know the graphics are really bad like a unity terrain tutorials look better
    its not really open world and you know that is not the worst problem
    so you have like 5 smaller areas with a hub world but they somehow made this 5 smaller areas really empty and bland battle system is boring cathing pokemon is not the worst thing ever but it gets old after a while couldnt    as yall already know the graphics are really bad like a unity terrain tutorials look better
    its not really open world and you know that is not the worst problem
    so you have like 5 smaller areas with a hub world but they somehow made this 5 smaller areas really empty and bland
    battle system is boring

    cathing pokemon is not the worst thing ever but it gets old after a while

    couldnt get more than 13 hours in before geting really bored
    and if u like it thats fine but il take a break from all the crappy games that have come out the past 9 years    … Expand
  38. 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
  39. Slmft
    Mar 7, 2022
    4
    The new ideas are fresh and exciting. But the game came out ~2 years too early. And it's bad and lazy developed from technical side. Good graphics are not a must have, but this is garbage. Too bad, that too many people still supporting Game Freak. Can't recommend the game for the people who played pokemon since gen1. Scores above 7 are unbelievable.
  40. Gzen1
    Feb 3, 2022
    4
    I wanted a game, not an unpaid job

    ............... Looks average, better than sword & shield, good for kids I guess if you're desperate
  41. HeraticParadox
    Mar 13, 2022
    4
    To start off with something good, I enjoyed the alpha Pokémon mechanic. I like that any Pokémon has a rare chance to spawn as an alpha, and I enjoyed hunting alpha variants of the Pokémon I wanted to add to my party. It made my party members actually feel special and unique from all the other Pokémon running around in the over-world. That’s pretty much where my praise for the game ends.To start off with something good, I enjoyed the alpha Pokémon mechanic. I like that any Pokémon has a rare chance to spawn as an alpha, and I enjoyed hunting alpha variants of the Pokémon I wanted to add to my party. It made my party members actually feel special and unique from all the other Pokémon running around in the over-world. That’s pretty much where my praise for the game ends. The core game-play loop of catching Pokémon and filling out the Pokédex was acceptable, although the boss fights felt really bland and out of place. I felt just entertained enough to keep playing, but it never really felt great. I often felt that it was just barely enough to let me ignore the game's glaring flaws for long enough to complete the game. Clearly the graphics and performance of the game are some of it’s low points. This game might be the worst AAA title graphically in video game history when compared with other AAA titles releasing within a year. There’s a ton of pop in, especially when flying and there are significant frame rate drops for objects that aren't even that far away from the player. That being said, the poor graphics and performance were hardly what I disliked most about the game. The writing in this game was just painful, which is a shame because the story had so much potential. There were some seriously good story beats there, but the writing just made everything feel flat. None of the characters are relatable, the choices you make feel meaningless, and everything from the main quests to the side quests just feel completely lacking in substance. On top of that, the Arc Phone might be the laziest game mechanic in the history of lazy game mechanics. Why on earth, would a character who is literally a part of the survey corps responsible for SURVEYING the land and Pokémon who live there not just make a map. Instead the Arc Phone just magically gives you maps of new areas, and the other points in the game when the Arc Phone activates is just sheer disrespectful hand-holding on the parts of the developers. They must seriously think their player base is the most unintelligent group of people on the planet earth. This game feels like a bare bones tech demo for a game set to release in a year or two. It’s a shame that more effort was not put into it, because I can see the potential and that, to me, is what makes the failure to give us a solid finished product so much more painful.… Expand
  42. davidsrjr
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    Here is a game that on paper gets me excited for a Pokemon game. After years and years of the same repeated game with different skins comes a new game that tries to be different. The problem is that each new idea feels cut short and never truly fleshed out. The visuals are boring and flat. People seem to confuse "graphics" with things like ultra realism or RTX but that is not what I amHere is a game that on paper gets me excited for a Pokemon game. After years and years of the same repeated game with different skins comes a new game that tries to be different. The problem is that each new idea feels cut short and never truly fleshed out. The visuals are boring and flat. People seem to confuse "graphics" with things like ultra realism or RTX but that is not what I am speaking about. A game can have simple graphics but still manage to set itself apart and look visually interesting. This game needs voice acting of some kind. The lack of voice acting just feels low budget and boring. Even a grunt would bring it up a point in my book at this point. The game play is fun and I would have enjoyed the open movement to play a bigger part in the battles. I think we are at a point where we can start to move away from the turn base battles. Final fantasy had a great solution in its remake where it could be toggled on for those who enjoy it but was not forced onto the player. Combat could be so much more by doing it real time. Heck even just getting rid of the one Pokemon limit when battling would be an improvement! It feels like they picked this time period so that they could finally do something different with the Pokemon formula but then chose not lean into it fully and we are left with half baked new features that just leave us wanting more. Hopefully this game will lead a future where Pokemon games can be something more than just an advertisement to sell merchandise!… Expand
  43. TheTurtule
    Jan 29, 2022
    4
    alors que dire du jeu, il n est pas mauvais mais il aurai pue être clairement mieux! on ce sent très vite dans un espece d'espace vert simulator ou un no man sky a ces début du vide du vide et rien que du vide zero dresseur a part dans le scenario avec de la cinématiques a ne plus en finir juste pour comblé le manque de contenue voila le jeu ne mérite pas une sale note mais ce n estalors que dire du jeu, il n est pas mauvais mais il aurai pue être clairement mieux! on ce sent très vite dans un espece d'espace vert simulator ou un no man sky a ces début du vide du vide et rien que du vide zero dresseur a part dans le scenario avec de la cinématiques a ne plus en finir juste pour comblé le manque de contenue voila le jeu ne mérite pas une sale note mais ce n est clairement pas le jeu Pokémon révolutionnaire tant attendu espérons que ce jeu soit juste une phase test pour faire patienté et que la 9G sera a la hauteur de nos attente avec ce gameplay… Expand
  44. 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...
  45. 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
  46. Ulvson
    Jan 30, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Demasiado Fan Boy, se conforman cada vez con menos, así sólo seguirán fomentando los malos juegos de Pokémon.… Expand
  47. 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
  48. C_Digital
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    If we are honest in the graphic section it leaves a lot to be desired and is even boring and cancine at times, the Pokémon Legends arceus I understand that it seems very good because of the new fighting mechanics, however they continue to drag certain problems from the sword and shield series I do not deny that the game is fun or that we are facing a great game created by Game freak,If we are honest in the graphic section it leaves a lot to be desired and is even boring and cancine at times, the Pokémon Legends arceus I understand that it seems very good because of the new fighting mechanics, however they continue to drag certain problems from the sword and shield series I do not deny that the game is fun or that we are facing a great game created by Game freak, however I could notice how this game was not made with the love and affection that accompanied the Pokémon games… Expand
  49. Jonnynk
    Feb 1, 2022
    4
    Long and boring tutorial. Poor plot and characters. 2013 graphics and framerate.
    There is only a good thing about the game, it is a Pokemon game.
  50. rawwggplat
    Feb 4, 2022
    4
    Es un juego de Pokémon y tenemos sentimientos encontrados, no puede ser que haya un retroceso gráfico en 2022, que prometieran en un primer momento mundo abierto y lo modificaran a mundo encajonado y lo tosco y poco dinámico que son los controles, da la sensación que aceleraron los procesos y el lanzamiento.

    Es cierto que ha supuesto un cambio, nuevas dinámicas, pero tenían que hacerlo    Es un juego de Pokémon y tenemos sentimientos encontrados, no puede ser que haya un retroceso gráfico en 2022, que prometieran en un primer momento mundo abierto y lo modificaran a mundo encajonado y lo tosco y poco dinámico que son los controles, da la sensación que aceleraron los procesos y el lanzamiento.

    Es cierto que ha supuesto un cambio, nuevas dinámicas, pero tenían que hacerlo tan similar a Monster Hunter y no tratar de ver una fórmula propia? Es un juego que cuando lo terminas o lo revendes o lo dejas en un rincón tomando polvo.    … Expand
  51. Love_mymom96
    Feb 14, 2022
    4
    For a person who has only played Pokémon games for their entire life, who are experiencing an open world game for the first time, this is revolutionary, this is a solid 100. If you play many franchises, or even multi platform, the game is mediocre in every way. It’s a bunch of good ideas terribly executed. The game feels poor (budget) regardless on The Pokémon Company being a 100 billionFor a person who has only played Pokémon games for their entire life, who are experiencing an open world game for the first time, this is revolutionary, this is a solid 100. If you play many franchises, or even multi platform, the game is mediocre in every way. It’s a bunch of good ideas terribly executed. The game feels poor (budget) regardless on The Pokémon Company being a 100 billion dollar empire. Their product doesn’t reflect their power at all.

    If you are just curious to try a Pokémon, this will fell just like what it is, with no fanaticism and biased thoughts, a mediocre basic and rough game.
    Get Pokémon Sword & Shield.    … Expand
  52. piradingdong
    Mar 3, 2022
    4
    Repetitivo, mal diseño, un paso atrás en la saga en muchos sentidos, implementación de mecánicas nuevas completamente absurdas y mal llevadas a cabo, bugs y un sin sentido en cuanto a los combates, da la sensación de que una vez lo hicieron , no lo probaron después
  53. megarock327
    Jul 28, 2022
    4
    To be honest, I really wanted to like this game, but Legends Arceus is lacking in most fundamental elements that makes a good playable in the year 2022. The Pokemon in the game are lifeless NPC that are not cleverly made, and they just do the most basic of movements with no interaction to the surrounding Pokemon. The quests that are given are a chore to do. The open environments are dryTo be honest, I really wanted to like this game, but Legends Arceus is lacking in most fundamental elements that makes a good playable in the year 2022. The Pokemon in the game are lifeless NPC that are not cleverly made, and they just do the most basic of movements with no interaction to the surrounding Pokemon. The quests that are given are a chore to do. The open environments are dry with very little to offer, and the frame rate is atrocious.… Expand
  54. JulienK06
    Dec 11, 2022
    4
    Sadly the game is very repetitive after the first area, still fun but i miss the battles
  55. mack178
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    A game that only Pokemon fans would tolerate.

    No other game could be this much of a technical disaster and still garner so much praise. Only Pokemon. Graphics, sound design, level design, NPCs, and more are so undercooked that I would have guessed this game was a year away from release. The gameplay loop is fun enough: go out into the zones and catch Pokemon. Level them up, evolve    A game that only Pokemon fans would tolerate.

    No other game could be this much of a technical disaster and still garner so much praise. Only Pokemon. Graphics, sound design, level design, NPCs, and more are so undercooked that I would have guessed this game was a year away from release.

    The gameplay loop is fun enough: go out into the zones and catch Pokemon. Level them up, evolve them. Fill out your Pokedex. The same fun loop that Pokemon is built on, but opened up to larger zones (not open world). I'm happy that many fans are enjoying this. But wow, that is where my praise ends.

    The graphics are well documented as being the worst of any AAA game in recent years. It's hard to overstate how bad they are. This is the ugliest major release of any IP I can remember. There is also no voice overs, or even the typical JRPG grunting. Just silence during conversations.

    The open zone level design is a nice change, but it is marred by the game's ugliness. Not to mention basic, fun features like a following Pokemon or the ability to look at your newly caught Pokemon's stats in the field are absent. NPCs are also copy/pasted across the game, which is sad considering there are maybe 100 of them, if that.

    I just don't understand how this game can be celebrated. Pokemon fans deserve better. There are early access indie games that are better optimized with better technical design than this.

    My last critique is that the first 1-2 hours is incredibly boring, but apparently this is normal for Pokemon games.

    I do not recommend this game.    … Expand
  56. 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
  57. Clleavage
    Feb 8, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Things start off fun and exciting but quickly become redundant and monotone. Completing the pokedex is overkill and after completing the game you wonder why you actually even bothered trying to complete any of the side quests giving you nothing but a few additional resources.

    The store is a joke, you'll never actually have to buy a pokeball or potion for the entirety of the game

    The lack of other villages or towns in the game is pretty horrendous. Only another village and yet nothing worthwhile to the storyline to do there.

    As other critics have mentioned, the NPCs are also blatantly empty.

    To me the only worthwhile point to this game is the storyline and even there they could've cut to the chase at the end instead of adding double and triple plot twists!

    Completed the game and tossed it in my completed game section. May or may not take it out for DLCs if any in the future but it really feels like DLCs should have been part of the game in the first place.

    Overall verdict:
    Borrow it from a friend, complete the story and don't bother complete the pokedex, buying stuff or doing side quests. They give little to no addition to the game    … Expand
  58. TimNotSam
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    It's pretty crazy what Pokemon can get away with. They've switched up the formula which imo is definitely for the best. However, it has been done poorly. It looks like it is still in development and made by a small company with little income. The graphics look so crap. There are so few NPCs. Pokemon just sit idling as if theyre not actually part of the surrounding, but just artificiallyIt's pretty crazy what Pokemon can get away with. They've switched up the formula which imo is definitely for the best. However, it has been done poorly. It looks like it is still in development and made by a small company with little income. The graphics look so crap. There are so few NPCs. Pokemon just sit idling as if theyre not actually part of the surrounding, but just artificially placed there. The gameplay loo… Expand
  59. Squalexy
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    Imagine you're working at GameFreak and they tell you "We're gonna completely change the formula and give the fans what they've wanted" and then you hear applauses and screams of joy. But then, your boss tells you "I know this is a huge moment for us and the fans, but you have less than a year to develop this game, because we're greedy and love money" and you start thinking about your lifeImagine you're working at GameFreak and they tell you "We're gonna completely change the formula and give the fans what they've wanted" and then you hear applauses and screams of joy. But then, your boss tells you "I know this is a huge moment for us and the fans, but you have less than a year to develop this game, because we're greedy and love money" and you start thinking about your life choices.

    Well, this game has proven to me that working at GameFreak is like wanting to be a prestige restaurant chef and then I end up flipping burgers at McDonald's.

    How can you release such a boring, repetitive, unoriginal and ugly game in 2022? Unskippable cutscenes, awful story, awful characters, clunky movements, clunky aiming system (made my fingers hurt for the first time since playing on this console for 3 years), repetitive gameplay loop (collect resources -> craft pokéballs -> catch pokémon; repeat) and, worst of all, huge empty maps with nothing to do in them.

    How can you build a fake open world game, with no activities to do besides catching Pokémon and craft items (the most basic craft I've ever seen in my entire life), make it so empty and run at barely 30 fps, in 2022, on a console that has released Xenoblades 2 and BOTW?

    The only reason I don't give this game a 0 is because I appreciate immensely the effort to give the franchise a new direction and a breath of fresh (although smelly) air. THIS is actually a step into the right direction. I also loved the fact that the Pokémon feel alive and the move animations are actually pretty slick - but for me that's it, the game isn't fun at all.

    Pokémon fans need to stop lowering the bar and be amazed at the low effort development this company brings, stop letting them treat you as if you didn't deserve more. You give them millions every year and this is what they do to reward you. Screw that, man.    … Expand
  60. JanterX
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    Absolute garbage, how anyone can rate this higher than a 5 is beyond me, I was already bored after the first 4 hours and never wanted to play it again. I am a pretty decent pokemon fan but this game is so empty and dead and looks like im playing and unfinished PS2 game. Literally no thought was put into the art direction, its as if all they did was raise the terrain in random areas andAbsolute garbage, how anyone can rate this higher than a 5 is beyond me, I was already bored after the first 4 hours and never wanted to play it again. I am a pretty decent pokemon fan but this game is so empty and dead and looks like im playing and unfinished PS2 game. Literally no thought was put into the art direction, its as if all they did was raise the terrain in random areas and splattered on some copy and paste trees and called it a day. The gameplay it fun at least, and its finally something new and fresh and I believe that they can build upon this and make a better game in the future, but this aint it chief.… Expand
  61. DenBriecht
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    The ingredients are there but combined in an incredibly lazy, low-effort way. Optimistic that they will continue to try new things, but this misses the mark ik polish, story and variation in gameplay.
  62. 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
  63. rikgmr
    Feb 1, 2022
    3
    the score above 7 are pure fanboy, the textures are terrible, the tutorial is very long, you have to be 2 meters from a pokemon to see why, if not it doesn't load, the sound is broken, you can beat the game without fighting, except for 4 fights. you can beat pokemons that take 20 levels out of you effortlessly...the intention was good, but they have made a low budget Breath of the wildthe score above 7 are pure fanboy, the textures are terrible, the tutorial is very long, you have to be 2 meters from a pokemon to see why, if not it doesn't load, the sound is broken, you can beat the game without fighting, except for 4 fights. you can beat pokemons that take 20 levels out of you effortlessly...the intention was good, but they have made a low budget Breath of the wild impact, sad on the part of nintendo… Expand
  64. LaGeaR
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    A game that should have looked like this at least 10 years ago. Consider how much money GameFreak is making from the franchise and end up giving the fan such a bad game. The animations have once again been taken over from the 3ds game Ultra Moon and Sword. You work through checklists and have very few trainer fights. If it was an indie game it would get a 7 out of 10 but this is one ofA game that should have looked like this at least 10 years ago. Consider how much money GameFreak is making from the franchise and end up giving the fan such a bad game. The animations have once again been taken over from the 3ds game Ultra Moon and Sword. You work through checklists and have very few trainer fights. If it was an indie game it would get a 7 out of 10 but this is one of the biggest franchises in the world!… Expand
  65. 21gramos
    Feb 28, 2022
    3
    Es una lastima para los verdaderos fanáticos de pokemon que en 2021 nintendo tenga los huevos de sacar esta basura
  66. martinho_99
    Feb 20, 2022
    3
    I really really really can't understand how people can give 10 points to a substandard game. This game looks, feels, sounds and plays worse than games that came out 15 years ago. It may be kind of a new start for the franchise (I am a huge fan or at least I was). But the grafics are a disaster, the controlls are bad, there is no voice acting, sound affects are lazy made, animations areI really really really can't understand how people can give 10 points to a substandard game. This game looks, feels, sounds and plays worse than games that came out 15 years ago. It may be kind of a new start for the franchise (I am a huge fan or at least I was). But the grafics are a disaster, the controlls are bad, there is no voice acting, sound affects are lazy made, animations are ridiculously bad or non existing. Please be honest and compare it with games like God of War 4, The Last of Us, RDR2 etc., these are todays 10 points standard. Or even compare it with the level of other Nintendo games: Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Mario Galaxy, Luigis Mansion... Pokemon became Nintendo's worst games by far and this game is sadly not doing any better.… Expand
  67. DarkVertigo
    Feb 3, 2022
    3
    Pros: Some music; the design of some Pokemon
    Bad: Technically unjustifiable; Pokemon are lifeless puppets wandering in an empty world, without any level design, devoid of ecosystem; unbalanced and unclear combat system; banal and redundant story.
  68. Jaumecen
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    Bare bones of a game, decent gameplay mechanics but surrounded by ugly graphics and a bland story, could be far better, and any fan that settles for this it's not helping the franchaise.

    Yes, praise the good things of the game, the new things that they've tried with the capture mechanics, the combat, etc, BUT PLEASE, say the truth, it's an average game at most when you see the full    Bare bones of a game, decent gameplay mechanics but surrounded by ugly graphics and a bland story, could be far better, and any fan that settles for this it's not helping the franchaise.

    Yes, praise the good things of the game, the new things that they've tried with the capture mechanics, the combat, etc, BUT PLEASE, say the truth, it's an average game at most when you see the full picture. Let's not make a battle of 0's and 10's, we can argue about giving the game from a 3 to a 5.5/6 rating, but anything else it's just unfounded hate or fanboyism.    … Expand
  69. 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
  70. tomh3115
    Feb 2, 2022
    3
    It would be a pretty solid Nintendo Gamecube game. As a Nintendo Switch game, it's offensive to the fans
  71. 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
  72. DbMixolydian
    Feb 6, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon Legends was an extreme disappointment for me. I was super hyped for this game as a lifelong Pokemon fan, but also as an RPG fan. This game fell short of my expectations in several different categories.

    Firstly, the combat feels horrible to me. They revamped the stats and combat system for Pokemon Legends, but it doesn't feel good. Every move hits so hard, and you will often lose several Pokemon battling a wild Pokemon. You will almost always lose a few when fighting an Alpha Pokemon or a Noble Pokemon. A lot of people seem to think this makes the game more challenging, but to me it just made it more frustrating. I still never blacked out or lost my entire party, I just had to craft a boatload of revives and potions after each fight.

    In addition to this, they removed abilities from the game and instead added "Agile" and "Strong" style moves. You can use agile to perform and weaker attack, or strong for the opposite. While this seems cool in theory, battles rarely ever last long enough to reward using agile style. I personally feel like abilities made Pokemon more unique and provided for a more interesting combat experience. Overall, I tried to avoid encounters with wild Pokemon and catch them without entering combat if possible.

    Secondly, the story blows. One of the main appeals to most RPGs is their stories. The Witcher, Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc. all have deep stories with plenty of twists and turns that keep you engaged. The story in Pokemon Legends is extremely vague and offers very little conclusion even upon full completion. You're basically a kid who fell through a space-time distortion into ancient Sinnoh where Pokemon are going crazy. Upon completion of the story and the entire Pokedex, you still haven't figured out who you are and why you fell through the space-time rift to begin with.

    Third, calling this an "open-world RPG" is laughable. The game is extremely linear and you are bound to certain areas until you complete the main quest. This isn't like Skyrim, Fallout, or Breath of the Wild where you can freely go where you please and complete the story how you like. There are no meaningful choices involved at all. You can explore the areas you've unlocked to your heart's content, but there aren't really any side stories or anything. The world is bland and lacks depth. There aren't any cool puzzles or hidden areas to discover. Ultimately, this just felt like a different take on the existing Pokemon games. It certainly didn't feel like the revolutionary open-world RPG that it was hyped up to be.

    Lastly, I tried not to judge this game too harshly off of graphics and performance, but unfortunately, it is impossible to overlook that aspect of the game. This game plays and looks worse than Skyrim, a 2011 game. There are FPS drops that make the game laggy and feel bad regardless of whether you play handheld or docked. I know the Switch isn't a very powerful system, but it sure ran Breath of the Wild a heck of a lot better.

    Overalll, I think Pokemon Legends is a cool idea with awful execution. While it was enjoyable at times (especially in the beginning) doing the same thing over and over got old pretty fast. This game feels close to being something awesome but falls short in way too many crucial areas for me to warrant giving it more than a 3 or a 4 at best. Unfortunately, due to the shockingly good reviews this game has gotten so far, I don't think Game Freak or TPC will make efforts to improve on these areas in the future, and Pokemon will continue to go downhill as a franchise.    … Expand
  73. 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.
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. Relfuun
    Jan 30, 2022
    3
    作为一个新的旁支系列，无论是类比主系列作品，还是横向比较其他RPG，都过于缺乏游戏性，为了机械重复的开放世界投入了大部分资源，却失去了RPG的灵魂。
  77. Brenuin4
    Jan 30, 2022
    3
    Quick and easy review:

    - The story is not bad at all.

    - Empty and lifeless world.

    - Bad physics, textures and framerate.

    - Rough controls.

    - Terrible typography.

    - The worst open world in an AAA.

    - You have to be a hardcore fan to like it.
  78. IsRoyo
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    Es una vergüenza que una de las franquicias que más dinero genera trate con tan poco respeto a sus fans como para cobrar 60 euros por una versión alpha de un sistema de captura. La única razón por la que es entretenido, que lo es, es por ser Pokémon.
  79. Chrizzle
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first 3 hours have been awesome, but the exact same procedure in ugly environments, which are repeated in the next 4 areas is the worst. The story is bad, as well as the gameplay or the animations of the figures. Actually, its pokemon stadium with better graphics. A shame for this game studio.… Expand
  80. Nikoflecha98
    Jan 31, 2022
    3
    This game looks like a beta. It is not finished. The technical section is a disaster, it has bugs, it is very flat and the textures are not attractive at all.

    For all the money and support the company receives, it's a game made with very little desire. The new mechanics aren't much, and the combat lacks any appeal. We need the company to get its act together or this saga will go to    This game looks like a beta. It is not finished. The technical section is a disaster, it has bugs, it is very flat and the textures are not attractive at all.

    For all the money and support the company receives, it's a game made with very little desire. The new mechanics aren't much, and the combat lacks any appeal.

    We need the company to get its act together or this saga will go to waste. Very disappointed.    … Expand
  81. Timberx2
    Feb 1, 2022
    3
    This game has about an hour of tutorials (if you scream through them), a ton of time of useless dialogue, and the worst offense of all - MMO mechanics. Use a move X times, catch this pokemon Y times, kill this pokemon Z times. You HAVE to do this to progress in the game. If you buy this game, understand that it's a money wasting timesink with some cool mechanics sprinkled in to remind youThis game has about an hour of tutorials (if you scream through them), a ton of time of useless dialogue, and the worst offense of all - MMO mechanics. Use a move X times, catch this pokemon Y times, kill this pokemon Z times. You HAVE to do this to progress in the game. If you buy this game, understand that it's a money wasting timesink with some cool mechanics sprinkled in to remind you of what could've been.… Expand
  82. Boticario
    Feb 2, 2022
    3
    Quitando los gráficos penosos o las buenas mecánicas de cazar, es el juego de Pokémon más aburrido y simple que he jugado.
  83. Aelio
    Feb 2, 2022
    3
    Pokemon Legends: Arceus is more of a tech demo that experiences with new mechanics and quality of life features for the pokemon franchise than it is a fully fledged AAA title.

    PLA's main draw is that it attempts to shakeup the pokemon formula by modernizing the pokemon experience to more closely match what pokemon catching would be like in the real world and how it is depicted in the    Pokemon Legends: Arceus is more of a tech demo that experiences with new mechanics and quality of life features for the pokemon franchise than it is a fully fledged AAA title.

    PLA's main draw is that it attempts to shakeup the pokemon formula by modernizing the pokemon experience to more closely match what pokemon catching would be like in the real world and how it is depicted in the anime series.

    There is clearly some effort put forth here in executing this new formula, but just like almost every other recent iteration of pokemon, there are obvious signs of neglect and corner cutting.

    The most obvious signs of neglect come from its lackluster visuals. Graphics aren't everything sure, but in a semi-open world game where exploring the environment and catching pokemon is the main draw, how the world looks is an important aspect of the overall experience.

    Not only are the graphics sub par when compared to other titles on the same console, it doesn't even match the graphical quality of games from 5+ years ago.

    Now, if sub-par graphics are used to make up for hinderances due to performance that can be more understandable but that is not the case here.

    PLA has much less taking place on screen at any given time than many other open world games and it's also not technically an open world game as each individual area you explore is a restricted sub-set of the overall world based on what mission/objective is chosen from the "Town Hub" which is also the only town you'll be visiting.

    Given the restrictive nature of the "open world" and its sub-par graphics, it could still look better if simply more was taking place on screen. For example, if there were more trees, more grass, more pokemon, etc. even if the textures looked the way they do, there would be better immersion overall.

    Instead, we get poor graphics, a limited world, and barren empty environments. All of that being said, this unfortunately doesn't equate to better performance. The game still suffers from performance issues and pop-in.

    Aside from visuals and performance, the game itself has a repetitive gameplay loop.

    There are no dungeons in PLA, no real puzzles, no interesting caves, there are pokemon and there are more pokemon and your only job is to throw balls at them and/or fight them.

    Not having IVs/EVs, breeding, competitive battling, held items etc. removes a huge aspect of replay-ability and purpose from the game.

    Not having any interesting, nice-looking environments to explore, no puzzles, and no real challenges aside from making your character roll to the side make this overall experience very lack luster.

    Some would probably say that only "hardcore pokemon fans" would like this game but I disagree. I think there are plenty of hardcore pokemon fans who simply recognize this games flaws and are able to acknowledge this is not the definitive edition of pokemon or what we all wanted.

    If you like simply catching pokemon, reading lots of dialogue, exploring empty worlds, not having any real motivation or purpose aside from completing checklists, then you'll likely enjoy this game.

    For everyone else, you're going to be disappointed. I would assume though that the majority of the more critical gamers and pokemon fans already know this.

    I give GameFreak credit for trying something new but this is not the kind of pokemon experience I ultimately wanted. It's scratching the surface, it's getting there so to speak, but it's still lacking a lot of charm and polish.

    Given that this game has, I believe, only been developed for roughly a year or so, what they've managed to achieve in that time isn't bad necessarily but to call this a AAA Nintendo Switch title and to charge full price for it is disappointing.

    Again, if going back on the visuals and limiting the explorable world to small sub-sets at a time were for performance reasons, they didn't achieve their goal.

    The world is a bland, uneventful, empty, barren place. There are pokemon in it so, there's that but after you hide in a bush a few times, dodge roll some attacks, and throw a few pokeballs around, you've literally experienced the entirety of this game.

    There is a story sure, but it's somewhat irrelevant and is largely just tedious and not immersive enough given the state the rest of the game is in.

    Now maybe GameFreak will be able to use this "Tech Demo" as a starting point to create future titles and maybe in doing so we can expect/hope for more polish in the future but the point here is that PLA doesn't really add all that much to the pokemon franchise and the overall experience it offers is very lackluster and generic.

    I think part of the reason PLA is getting as much praise as it has is due to the fact that pokemon fans are literally starving for innovation. Coming from the 1:1 remake that is Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it makes PLA look revolutionary.

    Dodge rolling and open world exploration are not new ideas.    … Expand
  84. crispu
    Mar 3, 2022
    3
    Creo que todos estamos contentos con un Pokemon de mundo (semi)abierto con nuevas mecánicas como el sigilo. Sin embargo yo no estoy contenta con el resultado final de este juego, y no me refiero solamente al apartado gráfico.
    El problema aquí es que Pokemon Company es la empresa de videojuegos que más factura del mundo y tiene a GameFreak con 150 empleados sacando un juego de Pokemon al    Creo que todos estamos contentos con un Pokemon de mundo (semi)abierto con nuevas mecánicas como el sigilo. Sin embargo yo no estoy contenta con el resultado final de este juego, y no me refiero solamente al apartado gráfico.
    El problema aquí es que Pokemon Company es la empresa de videojuegos que más factura del mundo y tiene a GameFreak con 150 empleados sacando un juego de Pokemon al año. Juegos tan ambiciosos como este necesitan más tiempo de desarrollo y más cariño. Este juego no esta a la altura de los tiempos que corren, sobre todo viniendo de una empresa multimillonaria. Esto no es un juego indie.
    No voy a hacer incapié en el apartado gráfico porque salta a la vista los defectos que tiene, píxeles y dientes de sierra everywhere, incluso en primeros planos, un popping que asusta y mejor no hablar de los pinos esos.
    Hablando del gameplay, el juego en sí es entretenido, aunque el tutorial es bastante tedioso y al cabo de unas horas el juego se vuelve repetitivo. La exploración y los encantos del mundo abierto están bastante limitados por el mal diseño del mapa, hay veces que puedes escalar colinas a saltos y otras que no puedes sortear la piedra más pequeña, por ejemplo.
    A pesar de todas estas críticas, creo, sin embargo, que este juego marca la dirección correcta que debería seguir la franquicia por que tiene mucho potencial, simplemente me gustaría que Pokemon dejase de vendernos betas.    … Expand
  85. TheInactiveWall
    Feb 4, 2022
    3
    It's interesting and good that Gamefreak finally decided to innovate, but the world is dead and looks very ugly. Art style of the world doesn't match that of the characters, buildings and Pokemon. Whose bright idea was it to create a realistic looking ground and grass with cartoon characters filled in the world? Makes no sense. Art direction is horrible. Want more evidence? Unity freeIt's interesting and good that Gamefreak finally decided to innovate, but the world is dead and looks very ugly. Art style of the world doesn't match that of the characters, buildings and Pokemon. Whose bright idea was it to create a realistic looking ground and grass with cartoon characters filled in the world? Makes no sense. Art direction is horrible. Want more evidence? Unity free asset store water.

    World is empty, nothing happens in it. It used to be that Open World games carried with them some feeling of prestige. There was always something to do in it and the worlds were filled to the brim with content. This game is the opposite and feels like a student project. Completely empty and void of ANY interaction or variety in nature. You literally cannot do anything.    … Expand
  86. SammyHauguth
    Feb 4, 2022
    2
    The Noble Arcenine made me hate this game, how in the world could they even consider this being good?! How am I suppose to avoid arcenine? The space is so tiny...
  87. neizod
    Feb 21, 2022
    2
    The exploration is really bad to the point of unforgivable. Traveling through the world is just not fun since it's hard to press run button (why not B like other games?). And there are too many "vehicles" for the mode of travelling, with the ill design UI to switching between them. Also the company really don't know how encourage players by placing good fast-travel spots; like, there areThe exploration is really bad to the point of unforgivable. Traveling through the world is just not fun since it's hard to press run button (why not B like other games?). And there are too many "vehicles" for the mode of travelling, with the ill design UI to switching between them. Also the company really don't know how encourage players by placing good fast-travel spots; like, there are no fast-travel before bosses or important battles, so you can't adjust team or select items right there and try again. So good luck running around the world again and again with the worst experience.

    On the other hand, the combat system is super screwed. The 3-on-1 is totally cheated... Like they don't know how balance the difficulty for a fair 1-on-1 combat. So hey, lets just **** up the players by let opponent throwing 3 pokemons out at once >:(    … Expand
  88. Ciccioboy
    Feb 2, 2022
    2
    Scandaloso come nel 2022 ci siano persone che non si lamentino del lavoro tecnico fatto con Arceus.

    "Ma l'importante è il gameplay, non la grafica" . Si, ma qui parliamo di una bassezza unica, che neanche ai tempi del DS c'era. Switch può permettersi di far girare una determinata grafica (Zelda ne è la prova), ma qui si parla di pigrizia bella e buona, e non DEVE essere perdonata, dato    Scandaloso come nel 2022 ci siano persone che non si lamentino del lavoro tecnico fatto con Arceus.

    "Ma l'importante è il gameplay, non la grafica" . Si, ma qui parliamo di una bassezza unica, che neanche ai tempi del DS c'era. Switch può permettersi di far girare una determinata grafica (Zelda ne è la prova), ma qui si parla di pigrizia bella e buona, e non DEVE essere perdonata, dato che la cara Nintendo chiede almeno 60 euro per giocare ai suoi giochi (e non abbassa il prezzo cosi facilmente).    … Expand
  89. EmoBubbleGum
    Feb 3, 2022
    2
    Graphics are awful. There is no excuse for having graphics/player animations worse than windwaker, a gamecube game (it's close, but far away things look far far worse in pokemon legends).

    Can't battle friends. This on it's own is insane. Removed hold items and abilities from pokemon. Absolutely dumbed down system. Getting rid of IVs is fine, but this is rediculous. People's    Graphics are awful. There is no excuse for having graphics/player animations worse than windwaker, a gamecube game (it's close, but far away things look far far worse in pokemon legends).

    Can't battle friends. This on it's own is insane.

    Removed hold items and abilities from pokemon. Absolutely dumbed down system. Getting rid of IVs is fine, but this is rediculous.

    People's standards for pokemon games are way too low. I don't know how you can play the game and see grass and trees not display from 30 feet away, generally look worse than gamecube-wii games, also just popping into existence when you get close, and flying animations of pokemon going at 2fps off in the distance, while looking at your character run like they pooped themselves and say it's acceptable. Remember that breath of the wild was MADE FOR THE WII U, and think of how that looks...

    I'm sure part of it is them using the ancient engine they used for pokemon x/y and sun/moon on the 3DS, but they still have responsibility for making the choice to use an abysmal in-house engine.    … Expand
  90. Cou
    Jun 30, 2022
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is a fun game all in all. But i harshly lower the score immensely due to the post challenges. As a casual game it is a 8 out 10, however when you want to finish all missions or quest. The quest they given is outright time consuming and not worth the effort. This might as well be a rant. The reason is. Who is the right mind want to spent their time grinding a wurole to lvl 100 just to fight a staraptor?? Just to get a badge?? Sure it gives it longevity, but this is so irresponsible for game freak to think this was smart and clever. This is probably why I lost faith in pokemon games... and sadly they are proving that fact firther down the line. I will however say it was a breath of fresh air. But it stop after when the grinding starts.… Expand
  91. 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
  92. Fayble_1887
    Jan 31, 2022
    2
    Don't know where all the good reviews come from ... are the expectations already this low ?

    Gameplay: So first off: the first hours of the game are great. New Experiences, nice ideas and the whole setting is great. But: after the first hours this game is just a grind. Everything is repetitive and it gets boring. World: the world is just boring, no mysteries & nothing to really    Don't know where all the good reviews come from ... are the expectations already this low ?

    Gameplay:
    So first off: the first hours of the game are great. New Experiences, nice ideas and the whole setting is great.
    But: after the first hours this game is just a grind. Everything is repetitive and it gets boring.

    World: the world is just boring, no mysteries & nothing to really explore. Besides this the graphics are awful. The citys are all just copy and paste and the pokemon in the world are acting like robots.

    Also is the game on the technical level like a N64 game (bad animations, bad rendering, ....)

    So lets sum it up: Pokemon is finally progressing but not nearly enough. This game would be okay for like 30$ but not as a full price title. Of course some players will have fun with the game and they like to just grind the same things over and over again but this game is far away from being good. We shouldn't forget that this is not an Indie-Game (even if it looks like one) - this game is from GameFreak and its one of the most profitable franchises of the industry. So i just recommend everyone to wait for a massive price drop.

    Have fun & stay safe !    … Expand
  93. danuffo
    Jan 31, 2022
    2
    NO TIENE TRADUCCIÓN EN ESPAÑOL DE MÉXICO.

    Por eso le doy esa calificación, por la indiferencia de Pokemon Company al país que le ha dado popularidad al idioma español, y en su lugar contrata traductores que adornan el texto con demasiadas expresiones de la calle (de España) que nadie entiende e incluso algunas palabras que contiene son consideradas vulgares para los niños de este país.
  94. 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
  95. catdad89
    Mar 20, 2022
    2
    Bad story, boring chore gameplay, bad graphics. I stopped playing after 2-3 hours.
  96. Nikodu
    Feb 19, 2022
    2
    How do you defend a game of this quality?
    The Pokémon franchise is one of the most profitable and people keep justifying Game Freak for this garbage. I'm glad they brought something new, but the quality is really poor, it's about time everyone let them know.
  97. hecatombeZ
    Feb 18, 2022
    2
    Juego desfasado gráficamente en todos los sentidos el único punto bueno la nueva mecánica de atrapar y combate,en todo lo demás muy por debajo de todo lo de hay actualmente.
  98. Zquaranteneuf
    Feb 3, 2022
    2
    Pokemon delivers once again a sub-par product that feels as clunky as it is uninspired. It hides itself under the veil of being open world, but in reality it's nothing more than a series of blocked entries and constant hand-holding set in a large map. Hell, it's not even possible to get out of the main village; you hit an invisible wall. You have to warp, with the map, to another point toPokemon delivers once again a sub-par product that feels as clunky as it is uninspired. It hides itself under the veil of being open world, but in reality it's nothing more than a series of blocked entries and constant hand-holding set in a large map. Hell, it's not even possible to get out of the main village; you hit an invisible wall. You have to warp, with the map, to another point to change areas. Open world my @$$.

    The player is once again treated as someone who can't grasp the simplest gameplay concepts, yet the menuing is extremely convoluted. You get interrupted constantly by instructions, directions, and obligatory tasks to perform. This is not a game; it's a tour set on rails.

    I'll end this by saying it also has the worst graphics we've seen in the last 5-6 years. It's not even worth the previous generation of Nintendo console. It would barely be acceptable for a Gamecube title.

    Pokemon must be laughing hard to have so many blind dedicated fans that will buy every kind of minimal effort they're willing to shove down their throat at full price. It's unfathomable to me that some people dare to give this game scores of 9 or 10. Don't they have any standards?    … Expand
  99. JonnyDante
    Feb 2, 2022
    2
    Okay Pokemon offers a slightly different gameplay. Which in itself might appeal to one or the other. However, the game is overrated in my opinion. Technically, it's not just a dress coat, it also looks ugly. Any 20 year old GameCube game looks better. Indi games on Steam without a lot of budget have a much better technique. There is not just one billion dollar company behind the game here,Okay Pokemon offers a slightly different gameplay. Which in itself might appeal to one or the other. However, the game is overrated in my opinion. Technically, it's not just a dress coat, it also looks ugly. Any 20 year old GameCube game looks better. Indi games on Steam without a lot of budget have a much better technique. There is not just one billion dollar company behind the game here, but two. So I can't rate it well. For 60 euros I expect quality in every respect.

    Okay Pokemon bietet ein etwas anderes Gameplay an. Was an sich vllt dem einem oder anderen auch gefallen mag. Allerdings wird das Spiel meiner Meinung nach viel zu hoch angepriesen. Es ist Technisch nicht nur ein Frack sondern sioeht dazu auch noch hässlich aus. Jedes 20 Jahres altes GameCube Spiel sieht besser aus. Indi Spiele auf Steam ohne viel Budget, haben eine viel bessere technik. Hier Steckt nicht nur ein Millardenschweres Unternhmen hinter dem Spiel, sondern gleich zwei. Daher kann ich es nicht gut bewerten. Für 60 euro erwarte ich Qualität in jederlei hinsicht.    … Expand
  100. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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]
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