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. EastGwilly
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Started playing today and so far so good. This is my first pokemon game since red. It's a huge map with hundreds of critters w/ different behaviors. Fight or capture. This will keep me satisfied for a few hours for sure.
  2. Speedyalta
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    This is the first time since 2006 that I've really enjoyed a Pokémon game. Of course it has its negative points, the worst being the graphics and loading errors. But apart from that, the game does a lot of things right and new, and if Pokémon keeps going like this, it's on the right track for the future.
  3. Grungus
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    If you love pokemon but wanted a fresh take on the series, this will make you happy and give you a lot of meat to chew on. The music, when it's there, is very nice in my opinion. I'd describe a lot of it as "mystical" or "dreamlike". The battle themes, however, seem less varied compared to past titles, as I can't recall more than 1 or 2 different themes throughout the main storyline. TheIf you love pokemon but wanted a fresh take on the series, this will make you happy and give you a lot of meat to chew on. The music, when it's there, is very nice in my opinion. I'd describe a lot of it as "mystical" or "dreamlike". The battle themes, however, seem less varied compared to past titles, as I can't recall more than 1 or 2 different themes throughout the main storyline. The main story is more or less typical pokemon filler, meaning it's the bare minimum you would need to call it a story and exists mostly to get you from point A to B. Some of the characters have nice designs, and there are ideas and concepts peppered throughout that caught my interest, but all in all the story is in itself quite bland and lifeless. Unfortunate, but not surprising. The game does not always look great, or even good, in terms of graphics. If you expected something that's consistently beautiful and polished, you'll be let down. The bulk of my reasoning for an 8/10 review score is the gameplay, which, depending on what you enjoy doing in open world style games, will either make or break the game for you. The alpha pokemon, the new battle/ catching system, and the exploration and gathering/crafting all scratch an itch for me. It feels fluid, fun, and satisfying to wander around doing these things in tandem. While the world itself is on the empty side and leaves much to be desired, there's enough out there to keep me wanting to explore. The pokedex research will put off some people who are more into the series for the competitive aspects, there is a lot of it and it is required up to a certain point. For people like myself who like to relax and wander without worrying too much about building a top tier smogon team and plowing through the battle tower, it's not going to deter me from enjoying the more laid back aspects of the game. Arceus Legends is a very important and positive step forward in the series. If they choose to keep going this way and learn from their mistakes, they could very easily create not only the best pokemon game ever one day, but one of the best open world games ever one day. They're far from that point with Legends, but I've enjoyed it immensely as a pokemon fan of more than 20 years.… Expand
  4. JaidenReviews
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    Simultaneously the best and most embarassing thing Gamefreak has ever released. A fantastic 10/10 game bundled in a very obviously underdeveloped package. The Pokémon models and animations look great, but the world itself looks like an early progress shot I would see an indie game dev share on twitter. It's laughable how bad the game looks in some areas, especially most caves and in darkSimultaneously the best and most embarassing thing Gamefreak has ever released. A fantastic 10/10 game bundled in a very obviously underdeveloped package. The Pokémon models and animations look great, but the world itself looks like an early progress shot I would see an indie game dev share on twitter. It's laughable how bad the game looks in some areas, especially most caves and in dark areas (where the background will literally warp around your character like you're poorly greenscreened in). I have many other gripes, such as the story pacing (a lot of dialogue scenes either need to be cut shorter or be more interesting. Voice acting would've helped). But otherwise the game is honestly fantastic. My favourite Pokémon experience to date. I just wish it came out like a year later so it would have all the development time it needed. I would love this style of game to continue and be iterated on, it's a major improvement over the old formula; having a game like this with more settlememts to explore and more complex side quests, etc would be a dream. Also thank god that they only released one version.… Expand
  5. Black_Mullet
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Negatives:
    1. Generally bad graphics for a 2022 game, especially the water texture.
    2. Only 1 city and load screens and talking to ppl to get in and out of areas instead of open world
    3. No online battling
    4. No breeding, no abilities, no held items
    5. Trainer battles were rare, somewhere around 20-30 I think.
    6. Non existent post game.
    7. Battling at training grounds is underwhelming and why am I fighting 1 vs 3?
    8. New combat system is 1 step forward 2 steps backwards, and we don't even know exactly how it works. I was able to attack at least 9 TIMES in a row with Staraptor and Quick Attack against a slower opponent at my own level.
    9. Not many Pokemon, no national dex.
    10. Your Pokemon don't follow you, that's a big disappointment.
    11. You can feed any other Pokemon except your own lol.
    12. The Effort Levels mechanics, plain and unintuitive.
    13. A bit too many cutscenes, although no voice acting. At least cutscenes don't look disgusting. (cough cough SW/SH)
    14. No minimap.
    15. Button layout is straight up bad, 100+ hours on and every time I need to get used to them.
    16. In Noble fights game turned into Dark Souls for no reason.
    Positives:
    The most innovative game in the series so far, is also the best Pokemon game ever in terms of mechanics and sheer gameplay. It's an action RPG Pokemon game, you can throw stuff, get hit, ROLL!!, straight up catch anything you want by throwing pokeballs. Way better gameplay than S/V, the fluidity is just incomparable. Pokemon look amazing when you take them out of their balls, I'd like them to follow you around , interact with items you throw or automatically get into fights etc, but still, they really look awesome just standing there when you take them out (and you can actually take great pics unlike SV where they are constantly moving). UI looks clean moreso than SV, the story is great, the side quests are cool, new forms are dope too, alphas as well, they nailed them. Shiny hunting is the best and easiest it's ever been. Overall a very intuitive approach to Pokemon games

    This game could be 9/10 if it was fully open world and had a tad better graphics, and a 10/10 had they included the things I mentioned, which I don't think it's too difficult to do for the next Legends title. I want Legends to be the new mainline and get all the mechanics it's missing. Buy this game people, it really is different in an awesome way.    … Expand
  6. Zski
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    This was a necessary experiment for the Pokémon franchise, and it was executed fairly well. Most importantly, I think it laid a solid foundation for future sequels that will build on the formula. The game focuses entirely on the single player experience, which is where it differs the most from other games in the series. So there is no battling other human players, and minimal interactionThis was a necessary experiment for the Pokémon franchise, and it was executed fairly well. Most importantly, I think it laid a solid foundation for future sequels that will build on the formula. The game focuses entirely on the single player experience, which is where it differs the most from other games in the series. So there is no battling other human players, and minimal interaction with others, and this is entirely by design. The game serves as a prequel to the Pokémon franchise, so the areas you explore are very empty due to them being underdeveloped. This definitely gives the series a long desired sense of exploration and adventure. I’m not a huge fan of Pokémon games, I played several of them, but skipped out on others if I just wasn’t in the mood. That formula has not changed in 25 years, so this a very welcome change of pace, while still keeping the core spirit of the Pokémon universe. The gameplay loop feels much like (early) Pokémon Go, where the main objective is just to explore and catch all of the Pokémon. It’s a pleasant game to explore, however the gameplay loop does get a little repetitive so I found myself taking a lot of breaks, but I would I regularly return to it. It has that Breath of the Wild atmosphere which is very relaxing - minimal music in the wild, only ambient nature noises, the music is all very soft piano, and vast open spaces. I also appreciate that they added some substance to the story, granted it’s nothing to go crazy about, but it provides a welcome change of pace to “beat all the gym leaders and get their badges to become the best” that we have been provided for the past 25 years. The graphics aren’t as bad as people make them out to be, but they definitely aren’t impressive. I almost feel like if they weren’t able to do high quality graphics, whether it’s cartoon or realistic, the game would have looked better with some degree of artistic design - maybe watercolor impressions, or anything really, because the graphics do damper the sense of exploration a little bit. Overall it’s a fun game I can see myself taking my time to play through because it’s just a relaxing experience. Everything is solid, the effort is exceptional, but it laid that groundwork for future sequels which can truly be fantastic games. I can definitely tell you this is far more exciting than any possible new generation of Pokémon they could introduce, and probably one of the most memorable Pokémon experiences in the last 15 years.… Expand
  7. Pexy99
    Feb 18, 2022
    8
    La via verso un nuovo pokemon è giusta ma serve più tempo per produrre un gioco appagante graficamente, a mio parere servirebbero più anni di sviluppo ma siamo sulla buona strada
  8. EasyGamerBoi
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    I had rock bottom expectations for this game up until the leaks if we’re being honest here. If you ever plan on playing/buying this game, do NOT watch anything Nintendo or Pokémon put out before the release date because the marketing did such a terrible job selling this game. But given Game Freak’s track record of the last decade, I’m shocked they were able to pull this off. Being aI had rock bottom expectations for this game up until the leaks if we’re being honest here. If you ever plan on playing/buying this game, do NOT watch anything Nintendo or Pokémon put out before the release date because the marketing did such a terrible job selling this game. But given Game Freak’s track record of the last decade, I’m shocked they were able to pull this off. Being a Pokémon fan in the last decade has been rough, ORAS was awesome & Sun/Moon were good too despite repeated playthroughs making me sour on them a lot, but everything else has been just short of a trainwreck. Gen 6 was the definition of lazy repetition aside from bringing everything to 3D, US/UM was the laziest rerelease I think of all time, the Let’s Go games were yet another unnecessary remake of the awful & boring Gen 1, we all know how bad Sword & Shield were despite their DLCs doing it a slight bit of justice & BDSP finally showed a lot of fans how much passion for this series has been lost by falling flat on their faces trying to “remake” their best games, they’re more of a remaster than a remake. But let’s get into it, Legends Arceus is a fantastic game & it’s THE breath of fresh air that we’ve needed for YEARS now. I might just have recent bias now but I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t make a main series game for a long time if it meant more games like Legends! Negatives first, the elephant in the room since this game got revealed were the god awful graphics & I can say they definitely touched it up quite a bit since then, but it still just looks plain bad. Like I’m playing a PS2 game in 2022, yikes. Immersion breaking graphics in your billion dollar franchise is inexcusable when this console has given us Breath of the Wild & Mario Odyssey, LEARN HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR GAMES ALREADY! There’s no reason that every previous Switch Pokémon game looks better than this one. The pop-in is so bad too, sometimes things just spawn right behind you or in front of you as you’re running around & it can get annoying when you want to catch a rare Pokémon that’s been giving you the slip. Also the button layout is really weird in Legends, to the point that almost 40 hours in I’m still hitting the wrong buttons when trying to open the map or open the bag to heal my Pokémon. Why is Y dodge?? Also made my hands cramp up a lot after long play sessions, PLEASE put out a patch where we can change the button layout. The Braviary flying feature needs work too. Why is there no accent button?! Having to take back off again & again after SLOWLY landing in these huge open areas is so… dumb. I think the biggest flaw aside from optimization is the lack of any voice acting. It was awkward in more recent games but never as awkward as in Legends. This game truly needed it, so many of the big story moments DESERVED more than a text box with that annoying ass boom sound effect.
    But there’s also so much this game does right, catching Pokémon & completing the Pokédex has never felt better & will never feel the same in the slow mainline games ever again after this. Despite some Pokémon being annoyances to get, at least I didn’t have to shell out an extra $60 for a 2nd identical version just for 10 Pokémon they didn’t put in my game lol. The new boss battles are incredible too, actually fighting a Pokémon ON FOOT? I swear I had fever dreams about a game like this when I was a kid. I feel like the only person who didn’t black out during the story, Returnal has conditioned my reflexes to dodge effortlessly I guess. The wide open areas are all distinct & a ton of fun to explore, I actually really loved the Wild Areas in Sword & Shield so knowing this is what they had up their sleeve, bravo. Just wishing they looked like a 2022 game. The story, in true Pokémon fashion, is very lowkey up until the end as always, but this time I actually felt something! I was hurt, I was stunned at the stakes the story established, & the whole time I was filled with nostalgia feeling like a kid again. Impeccable line to walk there & that deserves a lot of praise! Just talking & thinking about it fills me with a childlike joy that has been gone for so long with Pokémon. It’s even got a fair bit of challenge in the new pretty good battle system, who woulda thought? Of course a lot of these positives have small quirks I didn’t jive with 100% of the time, but Legends Arceus is an amazing foundation to build sequels off of that will (hopefully) perfect it’s formula. At the end of the day, the damage previous games have done to my love & trust of Game Freak & Pokémon may never go away, but this game has done the impossible of giving me hope for the franchise again, I truly think this is a turning point for the franchise & I hope they go full speed ahead & never look back. 8.5/10    … Expand
  9. FlexosuarousRex
    Mar 3, 2022
    8
    I was very skeptical about legends arceus leading up to its launch. I was nervous that the new formula would be innovative and unique but would ultimately leave a lot to be desired. I was actually pleasantly surprised with what gamefreak delivered. This is the first pokemon game created in a style that is vastly different from previous titles and maintained the pokemon "feel" while makingI was very skeptical about legends arceus leading up to its launch. I was nervous that the new formula would be innovative and unique but would ultimately leave a lot to be desired. I was actually pleasantly surprised with what gamefreak delivered. This is the first pokemon game created in a style that is vastly different from previous titles and maintained the pokemon "feel" while making sweeping changes to the overall gameplay loop.

    Pros: Very fresh take on the formula, more action based gameplay, sacrifices very little in terms of staple game mechanics, good pokedex selection, a catching mechanic that stokes envy from the lets go games, varying and noticeable size differences in the pokemon that makes each catch that much more unique, a serviceable plot, much more streamlined "Competitive" building of pokemon that only requires a pokemon to be fed certain items, decent post game content, being able to summon all your pokemon at once in order to chill/ interact with them, interesting options for traversal, new pokemon forms to play with, decent in-game economy encourages catching pokemon and collecting items, and enraged pokemon are huge and fun to capture.

    Cons: Not having multiplayer is a shame given how fun the single player content is, the levels are large but there's not a whole lot to see in them, the appeal of the "open world" wears off towards the end of the game when all traversal mechanics are unlocked, the graphics aren't that great, not enough trainer battles, in my opinion the new pokemon forms are pretty ugly design-wise (decidueye) except for a few (arcanine, typhlosion), and, again in my opinion, the boss pokemon minigame could have been much more fleshed out - it just wasn't that interesting and felt a bit tacked on to me but I feel it is a step in the right direction.

    I had loads of fun playing arceus and was genuinely thankful that gamefreak not only shook up the formula immensely but managed to get so many things right on the first try. None of the cons I listed above stopped me from enjoying the game from start to finish. Its far from a perfect experience, but it is an experience that gets me very excited for future "legends" titles.    … Expand
  10. mepphy
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    The game is not perfect but as a starting pokèmon game which tries to be more open man does its good work. Catching and exploring without limitation is fun and reading about Hisui's hidden lore has been quite fun. The problem comes when you try to explore for longer times and the graphic holds you off a little, but it is manegable. Overall good but GF should really take more time on games
  11. Narwhale73
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Overall PLA is a great game that brings a lot of innovation (a huge understatement) and a more lively atmosphere. Plus it has a good amount of game time for someone to play (25-35 hours and up to 75 to complete everything). Plus it is overall well polished as I haven't seen any reports of major bugs or glitches and the Pokémon/attacks look amazing.

    However, it has a lot of downsides.    Overall PLA is a great game that brings a lot of innovation (a huge understatement) and a more lively atmosphere. Plus it has a good amount of game time for someone to play (25-35 hours and up to 75 to complete everything). Plus it is overall well polished as I haven't seen any reports of major bugs or glitches and the Pokémon/attacks look amazing.

    However, it has a lot of downsides. The newer Pokémon designs in the game should've been thought out longer in general (I say this as someone who likes around 97% of all Pokémon designs). The visuals are bad obviously, but personally I don't care about this as I would've played a PS5 game if I did. The story is...well..what you would expect from a kid's game. Nothing groundbreaking or offensive. My biggest and arguably my only real complaint, is that there isn't that much gameplay variety. You simply just battle and catch a certain amount of Pokémon, use moves a certain amount of times and do the "boss battle" attacking. This is all rather cool, but as explained, it needs a bit more in order to keep me invested. Also the national dex is small and the multi-player is nonexistent. This sounds like a lot of complaining but I am just trying to be as clear as possible about the flaws.

    So should you buy it? It honestly depends on the person which I know sounds like a cop out, but this is the truth. If you want something that breaks free from the Pokémon formula no matter what:Yes buy it. If you're one of those people that complain endlessly about Breath of the Wild being Empty:Don't think about it. If you're one of those people that are strict and will be annoyed about things not being in the game from before:don't think about it. If you're someone who loves playing around with Pokémon and in the surroundings:Yes you will love it. Either way, I wouldn't worry too much whether you made a bad purchase or not as you'll still be able to have some fun.    … Expand
  12. Drakosmick
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    Good job, Game Freak! This game is what Pokémon deserves to be, the new formula that works and delivers (even with minor gameplay flaws and missed opportunities and with the graphics it has). Good customization options, nice plot, really great gameplay loop (I haven’t been this invested in a Pokémon game for the gameplay only since X/Y). Solid 8,5 for me.
  13. LeMauro
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    English:
    Pokémon Legends Arceus, is the best Pokémon game since Black 2 and White 2.
    I'm not saying it's "a masterpiece", but it does a lot of what was asked for. This game has the premise of "Gotcha Them All", and it succeeds, you have to search every corner, cross sky and sea, everything to have them all, being the Pokémon game that we always wanted from the beginning. The game    English:
    Pokémon Legends Arceus, is the best Pokémon game since Black 2 and White 2.
    I'm not saying it's "a masterpiece", but it does a lot of what was asked for.

    This game has the premise of "Gotcha Them All", and it succeeds, you have to search every corner, cross sky and sea, everything to have them all, being the Pokémon game that we always wanted from the beginning.

    The game in many moments gives you the feeling of total freedom, being able to go to almost any corner that is shown on the map.

    Even if it complies with everything, it is not perfect, being often mediocre.

    The controls are very good, they respond perfectly, and the vibration gives it the touch.
    But the pokemon Braviary, has a rough control and is very difficult to control at times.

    The music is quite good when exploring, I even had to stop to enjoy it in an instant, but the music of the fights is the same all the time, almost all pokemon games are the same in this regard, but when the coach's music is also repeated without changing no more than 2 times, it ends up tiring.

    The story takes a long time to start, but when it does, it ends up capturing you with the expectation of knowing what is coming, but unfortunately, it ends very suddenly, and the game never gives room for unknowns.

    This as much as I can share, I hope it helps you when deciding whether to buy the game.

    Español:
    Pokémon Legends Arceus, es el mejor juego de Pokémon desde Black 2 y White 2.
    No digo que sea "una obra maestra", pero hace mucho de lo que se pedía.

    Este juego tiene como premisa "Gotcha Them All", y lo consigue, hay que buscar en todos los rincones, cruzar cielo y mar, todo para tenerlos a todos, siendo el juego de Pokémon que siempre quisimos desde un principio.

    El juego en muchos momentos te da la sensación de total libertad, pudiendo ir a casi cualquier rincón que se muestra en el mapa.

    Aunque cumple con todo, no es perfecto, siendo muchas veces mediocre.

    Los controles son muy buenos, responden a la perfección, y la vibración le da el toque.
    Pero el pokemon Braviary, tiene un control tosco y es muy difícil de controlar en ocasiones.

    La música es bastante buena a la hora de explorar, incluso tuve que parar para disfrutarla en un instante, pero la música de las peleas es la misma todo el tiempo, casi todos los juegos de pokemon son iguales en ese sentido, pero cuando la música del entrenador es tambien repetido sin cambiar no mas de 2 veces, termina cansando.

    La historia tarda mucho en comenzar, pero cuando lo hace, termina capturándote con la expectativa de saber lo que viene, pero lamentablemente termina muy repentinamente, y el juego nunca da lugar a incógnitas.

    Esto es todo lo que puedo compartir, espero que te ayude a la hora de decidir si comprar el juego.    … Expand
  14. Fludo64
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    The game is awesome, not perfect. It could be better for sure, mainly in the grafics departement. But after a 30 minutes of tutorial and some dialogue boxes the gameplay really shinies. I had the same felling of losing the notion of time playing this game as i had when playing breath of the wild and that is a good thing to be achieved.
  15. UltanCombo
    Feb 8, 2022
    8
    This is the best Pokemon game Ive ever experienced. They have defiantly have taken some inspiration from Breath of the Wild and have listened to the fans. Sword and Shield was a joke. After ten minuets of that game I hated it but this is totally different. There isn't enough hours in the day to play this.

    I grew up with Pokemon. I watched the series, some of the movies, played Blue,    This is the best Pokemon game Ive ever experienced. They have defiantly have taken some inspiration from Breath of the Wild and have listened to the fans. Sword and Shield was a joke. After ten minuets of that game I hated it but this is totally different. There isn't enough hours in the day to play this.

    I grew up with Pokemon. I watched the series, some of the movies, played Blue, Gold, Crystal, Ruby and unfortunately Shield. Those games had something new to them in each iteration. Gold had a better progression system. There isn't a huge jump in power levels like there is in Blue. Ruby is probably the tightest Pokemon game I played for a while but when Shield came out I was expecting what Arceus is offering here but we got a rehash of what we've been getting for the last 20 years.

    This game looks like its in early development or its a proof of concept. Its poor and they need to get some high level talent at Nintendo to bring this to the next level. But the pokemon look good and the moves look even better. It leaves me confused how doing up some environmental textures could be so hard. The lighting is fine but its more a texture issue. The environment doesn't really match the style of the pokemon. Its odd. And you dont really have a sense where you are cause its all kinda samey. Unless your near a waterfall or a beach or something you can use as some kind of landmark. This needs improvements but we're close to getting that game we always wanted.

    As for gameplay wise its pretty good. I have little issue with the gameplay. Its still turn based and you share exp but its harder still. The pop in and pop out is ridiculous. You could be chasing down a pokemon and then all of a sudden POP it goes away. This needs fixing. In the early 00's its fine but not anymore. The lack of or more the point, the absence of voice over is jarring. Still stuck in the 90's with the text for speech. Pokemon is one of the biggest franchises in the world, they have enough for a voice over budget.

    Im giving this an EIGHT cause I'm so happy playing this. It has plenty of issues that it really should be a SIX but the nostalgia is strong with this one.    … Expand
  16. HellDiamond
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    I love this game. This is what i hope for Sword and Shield. Grafics are bad but its Pokemon so what, i mean they made over 200 Pokemon whit new attack animation.
    I love the exploration (could be more Details to explore), and filling my pokedex :D
    I think its the right way Pokemon goes. Hope for other games like this one!
  17. Zakws
    Feb 8, 2022
    8
    Muy buen juego para ser el primero de la saga pokemon en incluir mundo abierto. Aunque si que es verdad que podria mejorarse en muchos aspectos
  18. Doug22
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    As we all know is that pokemon has be at a complete standstill for the past 20 years, but now that legends arceus has come out I will admit that im pleased with the expirence and disapointed at the same time, with 20 hours under my belt i have to say, that this game is a good game. Iits not great but its not terrible but its just good. I highly reccomend not looking at the reviews becauseAs we all know is that pokemon has be at a complete standstill for the past 20 years, but now that legends arceus has come out I will admit that im pleased with the expirence and disapointed at the same time, with 20 hours under my belt i have to say, that this game is a good game. Iits not great but its not terrible but its just good. I highly reccomend not looking at the reviews because its filled with people giving the game 10s but also giving the game 2s or 0s so i reccomend just playing the game for yourself, i promise you will enjoy it.… Expand
  19. Elive7
    Feb 20, 2022
    8
    Soy fan de los juegos de pokemon y este juego me encanto, hermoso en todos sus aspectos, un nuevo diseño de niveles y de explorarcion que le da un nuevo aire a esta saga. Con algunos problemas gráficos pero la experiencia que tuve con él fue muy gratificante
  20. sugarnite
    Feb 4, 2022
    8
    As an turn-based rpg, you can do better on the Switch (almost the entire look and UI is lifted from Breath of the Wild.) As a Pokémon game, it completely blows the other games out of the water. The improvements to the core gameplay are so vast, it will be extremely hard to replay any of the previous entries.

    Unfortunately for Game Freak, this amount of innovation is setting a high bar.    As an turn-based rpg, you can do better on the Switch (almost the entire look and UI is lifted from Breath of the Wild.) As a Pokémon game, it completely blows the other games out of the water. The improvements to the core gameplay are so vast, it will be extremely hard to replay any of the previous entries.

    Unfortunately for Game Freak, this amount of innovation is setting a high bar. Things like voice acting and dialogue trees are going to be a must for sequels. You can’t get away with copy/pasting the entire game any more.    … Expand
  21. Reddytal
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    He quedado bastante satisfecho con este juego. Yo llevo sin comprar juegos de esta franquicia desde los lest go, le di una oportunidad a este y de verdad que me a encantado pero... es totalmente mejorable por obvias razones, le faltó tiempo para pulirlo en casi todos sus aspectos pero la base de lo que ya hay en el juego es muy buena. No sé si volveré en alguna próxima entrega de la líneaHe quedado bastante satisfecho con este juego. Yo llevo sin comprar juegos de esta franquicia desde los lest go, le di una oportunidad a este y de verdad que me a encantado pero... es totalmente mejorable por obvias razones, le faltó tiempo para pulirlo en casi todos sus aspectos pero la base de lo que ya hay en el juego es muy buena. No sé si volveré en alguna próxima entrega de la línea principal pero por ahora un Pokemon Leyendas 2 tendrá bastante mi atención.… Expand
  22. Lil_Caucasian
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    Considering Game Freak's track record recently this is a really fun (if a bit janky) game.
  23. Engagewrld11
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    After almost 20 hours of gameplay, I can sincerely say I am enchanted by this game and just can't put it down. I played it continuously since I bought it. My free time is just filled with it. After seeing what happened with S&S, I had really low expectations: I was saying:"this is going to flop, I am sure of it!" I am glad that didn't happened. I am not giving it a 10 because I feel thereAfter almost 20 hours of gameplay, I can sincerely say I am enchanted by this game and just can't put it down. I played it continuously since I bought it. My free time is just filled with it. After seeing what happened with S&S, I had really low expectations: I was saying:"this is going to flop, I am sure of it!" I am glad that didn't happened. I am not giving it a 10 because I feel there were alot of things they could do with the graphics, goddammit it just needs a bit of polishing, maybe some more cool minigames, different mysteries and wuests that You can randomly find in the wild, that would be amazing. I feel this formula has an amazing potențial to become almost a perfect rpg. Anyway I'm glad it is this good and that I bought it. Maybe we'll see DLC to it and even cooler pokemon games in the future.… Expand
  24. daniloperes23
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The new missions associated with every pokemón , the freedom to explore not just the open areas around you, but doing with the intention to find a specific type of Pokémon, distinguished not just by his species, but by other specifications , and not just that but how you catch that pokemón, witch is important to and is a factor that contributes to your research. This is very fun! You have to be careful not just with the one you are aprouching to but with the environment around you and the other creatures that are on it. The art style of the menus, the one where you select the pokemón you witch to be the first choice on your party, to be always at your disposal, the new físicas pokedéx with all his missions by pokemón already mentioned, the overal layouts and the art choices are very good and create that feeling of being on the medieval era in a very good way.
    The low points are the graphic questions and the lack of other cities or locations with more elements, but it doesn’t decreases the enchantment that is this game!!    … Expand
  25. GregoFMP
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Los graficos son un desastre, y el tutorial es largo y tedioso. Y hasta ahi van los puntos malos, es el mejor pokémon en muchisimos años, el nuevo gameplay es muy divertido, el mundo abierto es basicamente lo que tendría que haber sido el wild area en Espada/Escudo. Explorar las diferentes areas resulta muy divertido y el juego te recompensa por ello.
    Yo entiendo que no te pueda gustar,    Los graficos son un desastre, y el tutorial es largo y tedioso. Y hasta ahi van los puntos malos, es el mejor pokémon en muchisimos años, el nuevo gameplay es muy divertido, el mundo abierto es basicamente lo que tendría que haber sido el wild area en Espada/Escudo. Explorar las diferentes areas resulta muy divertido y el juego te recompensa por ello.
    Yo entiendo que no te pueda gustar, pero el nivel de hate que esta recibiendo por algunos personajes es completamente injustificado, gente que le da un 1 porque un juego que no pensaban jugar tiene malos gráficos. Esa misma gente que esta bajando el puntaje del usuario de Metacritic, que le molesta que los demas disfruten un juego.    … Expand
  26. awimax
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a huge leap for its franchise and just a fun and good Pokémon game.

    You start with a good and deservedly long tutorial.
    If you are a long die-hard fan of the Pokémon franchise, you immediately notice the fundamental changes that were made. You actually get a good introduction into the new movement and the catching system. If you are someone that is in some way unbiased and pick up the game because it looks interesting, it is just as good. Unlike many Pokémon games before this (e.g. Sword & Shield), this game actually has depth and story that I would let adults enjoy. It's a world in which Pokémon are wild, people are afraid of them and don't even dare to touch them. If you do not come prepared or act rashly, you can very well lose your life from an NPC's standpoint. It's not an exaggeration to say that this is the situation people of the Hisui region are facing. The tutorial doesn't start with you yet again saving the professor from a life and death situation, choosing your starter and off you go... I like it!

    Graphically, there is a lot of room for improvement. Textures are somewhat presentable. Playing in handheld mode eases the pain but once you plug it into the dock and hook that thing up to a 4K-TV, you just notice the many rather unattractive aspects this game sadly has to offer.

    Being already on the visual points, the attack animations are crisp and look very good.
    NPC's finally look more like actual people with more added facial expressions, less repetitive movements (look up Sun and Moon as a bad example) and a IMO somewhat better dialogue in general.
    Most character designs are creative, stick out and are memorable. Their personalities are not nearly as one-sided as what we are used to in the latest games so that even e.g. a group of thieves you encounter after a couple hours of gameplay explains, that they just steal in order to survive. There is just more reasoning behind the tasks and conversations you are faced with.

    The "multiplayer" (if you can even call it that), is so minuscule that you would forget there even is such a thing. I would say that it actually adds to immersion that you are mostly alone in these open-world-levels but I would still gladly take an improvement to the current solution of just picking up other players lost items for a slight reward.

    Trainer battles are very scarce. In a way it makes sense, since there shouldn't be many trainers around anyway (speaking logically). It doesn't lack of fighting in general since you do this more than enough with other wild Pokémon but there is a slight lack of the 'ol tiny bit of competitiveness you would get in defeating the Elite four. I would like to see more options to choose and challenge certain NPCs for a battle. There actually is a training ground in the village that story wise is maybe used only a couple times? (by the time I have played, there was only one battle on it). There is no real fighting interaction you can do to challenge someone.

    The Music is good, the sound design has gotten better (i.e. you actually hear an echo of your Pokémons screams when fighting in ruins) and the engaging gameplay with its new fundamentals of stealthily sneaking up to Pokémon in order to catch them, actual trainer vulnerability and the other already mentioned things is just fun!

    And that's what this game is: fun!
    To me it is safe to say that this level of lore, depth, atmosphere and gameplay and design should be the new standard for this franchise!    … Expand
  27. redwintersun
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Almost 20 hours in and loving it! The battle mechanics are great and the fact that some wild Pokémon are out for your blood as soon as they see you is both hilarious and terrifying. The only downside for me is the graphics, the water especially. Overall, a breath of fresh air for the franchise.
  28. Calomaro
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    He visto las críticas negativas de otros usuarios y si bien comparto algunos aspectos criticables, como lo son los gráficos, hay otros que son totalmente disparatados. Si tú, que aún no compras el juego, lees una de esas críticas negativas donde consideran a Pokemon Sword & Shield mejor que este juego, no te puedes tomar para nada en serio esa crítica. Pokemon Sword & Shield es una oda alHe visto las críticas negativas de otros usuarios y si bien comparto algunos aspectos criticables, como lo son los gráficos, hay otros que son totalmente disparatados. Si tú, que aún no compras el juego, lees una de esas críticas negativas donde consideran a Pokemon Sword & Shield mejor que este juego, no te puedes tomar para nada en serio esa crítica. Pokemon Sword & Shield es una oda al facilismo, insultantemente fácil, una de las peores entregas de la saga Pokemon y que hizo que la Nintendo Switch esté en deuda con los fans.

    Habiendo aclarado esto, el Pokemon Arceus empieza lento por un tutorial tan extenso que nos puede tomar hasta 3 horas completar. Superado el tutorial, y conociendo las mecánicas el juego, siento que se vuelve adictivo, no solo por completar la pokedex, sino también para completar las misiones secundarias. Se vuelve repetitivo en un momento? SÍ, pero ¿qué juego de pokemon no es repetitivo? Aquí lo importante es qué tanto te dura la diversión hasta que se torne repetitivo. Personalmente me gusta el farmeo y soy seguidor antiguo de la saga. El juego a veces peca de mucho texto y el hecho que no haya voces aún es algo imperdonable en la época en la que vivimos.

    Nintendo ha dado un paso pequeño, pero un paso al fin. Para mucho este juego puede ser una beta para algo grande. Yo lo estoy disfrutando, y esperaré una futura entrega con todas las mejoras necesarias para que un juego de pokemon aspire a ser lo que realmente los fans queremos.    … Expand
  29. SneedOil
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Fun game. Didn't blow my mind, but it definitely laid the groundwork for a future game that could. It doesn't surpass the experience I had playing the gen 1-3 games as a kid, but the shake-ups to the formula were, for me, just enough for the series to feel fun again for the first time in over a decade.

    The game's visuals seem to be the most common complaint but I don't really see it.    Fun game. Didn't blow my mind, but it definitely laid the groundwork for a future game that could. It doesn't surpass the experience I had playing the gen 1-3 games as a kid, but the shake-ups to the formula were, for me, just enough for the series to feel fun again for the first time in over a decade.

    The game's visuals seem to be the most common complaint but I don't really see it. Gamefreak have never exactly been masters of aesthetic quality and I'm fine with that. But it looks passable to me, sometimes even pleasant. Roaming around the village the first couple hours reminded me a bit of the Utawarerumono series. The main zones did start to become pretty drab after a while but they didn't make a poor first impression on me. Terrain textures don't matter to me, they could have made them flat colors for all I care. The mesh LOD pop-in is a much bigger problem.

    The big things I liked about the game:
    -The main gameplay loop is fun. Going out of my way to fill out the pokedex and earn new stars never got boring to me.
    -As someone who likes JRPGs but is tired of encounters random or otherwise, this new approach to pokemon battles feels nice. Starting and ending battles feels seamless, and if a battle isn't going my way I can quite literally just turn around and walk away. Love it.
    -The effort level system, while it's not without drawbacks, makes the game more challenging. The EV system from the mainline pokemon games rewards you just for sticking with a pokemon long term by effectively giving them massive stat modifiers. In this game my main never felt invincible until I went out of my way to max out their ELs. Though it does feel kinda gamey compared to EVs, especially the process of levelling them. But it's just nice to actually be able to see the numbers now.
    -Each pokemon has an inventory of moves now, and you can swap them in and out of the four in use whenever you want. I like this a lot better than the way it works in the mainline games.
    -There's an item that lets you evolve pokemon you would otherwise need to trade to evolve. As a guy who never really cared for the trading thing, I appreciated this a lot.
    -Mounts are very cool (but some more than others)

    All my big problems with this game, most of which are quality of life related:
    -You can't switch between zones without returning to the hub area first. And you can't just return to the village at will either, you have to get back to a camp first and talk to the scientist guy with his goofy hat first every single time. And when you need to go somewhere in the village for something, you can't just leave the second your business is complete, you have to walk or fast travel to the gate first. This started to get really annoying after the first few hours. It would be so much better if they let you jump between zones freely from the map.
    -The village is so slow to get around that it's usually faster to open the map and fast travel to the building across the street than it is to just walk there. All the areas where you don't have access to mounts feel annoyingly spacious in general
    -The pokebox (well, this game's equivalent) quickly becomes an eyesore. You have to talk to specific NPCs to access it, and there is no meaningful option to automatically sort or filter it. For this game in particular, this is a big problem. Between the ability to seamlessly throw pokeballs at wandering pokemon without encounters, the new pokedex research system and the new effort level system, you are encouraged to catch every pokemon you lay eyes on. But as for actually sorting through all those pokemon you catch, this game makes that process no less laborious than it would be in one of the 20 year old Pokemon games. That sucks. A lot.
    -There's no option to skip most cutscenes. The 'cinematic' moments you're free to skip, but the boring conversations you have 5 times each throughout the game you have to slowly click through each line of uninteresting dialogue.
    -No option to shorten or disable combat animations
    -The main boss fights for each zone are pretty lame. Not because the bosses themselves are uncool, but because the player's role in the fight is to chuck 100 bean bags at them.
    -The mounts vary in quality. They're more or less this game's answer to the Bicycle and traversal HMs from previous games. The deer is pretty great. The Surf mount is awesome and for sure a highlight of the game. The rest though are just lame. I expected the flying one to completely change how I interacted with the zones I'd been exploring up to that point; because it can fly, right? That should be awesome, like an aircraft in a GTA clone that you can pull out of your pocket. But no, it's just a glider pretty much. I mean gliders aren't so bad, but, cmon man. That was a massive letdown after how cool the fish was.    … Expand
  30. Leeham121
    Jan 29, 2022
    8
    Are graphics good? In terms of landscape, no they are about as basic as it gets nowadays, not necessarily bad just subpar and I have seen the lowered framerate that the Pokémon get have when you get a certain distance from them.

    In terms of actual gameplay itself though, I really enjoyed it, the core loop of finding Pokémon and doing different task in order to get more research point is    Are graphics good? In terms of landscape, no they are about as basic as it gets nowadays, not necessarily bad just subpar and I have seen the lowered framerate that the Pokémon get have when you get a certain distance from them.

    In terms of actual gameplay itself though, I really enjoyed it, the core loop of finding Pokémon and doing different task in order to get more research point is enjoyable. You sort of just get lost in the exploring and finding Pokémon only to find yourself at one of the corners of the area and you probably still missed a few things on the way.

    Despite the graphics this is a fun casual game to play, I could easily see someone playing this on a long train ride or car trip which is the sort of game you'd want on a portable system.    … Expand
  31. Sturmfall
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    This is, finally, a very solid entry in a franchise that has been stagnating for the last half a decade (being very generous). After SwSh, which was easily my least favorite Pkmn game of all time, and BDSP, which was, to me, an extremely pointless retread of an old game with very little in the way of anything new or compelling to offer, I was extremely skeptical and pretty convinced thisThis is, finally, a very solid entry in a franchise that has been stagnating for the last half a decade (being very generous). After SwSh, which was easily my least favorite Pkmn game of all time, and BDSP, which was, to me, an extremely pointless retread of an old game with very little in the way of anything new or compelling to offer, I was extremely skeptical and pretty convinced this game would end up being a mess. But, my curiosity ended up getting the better of me and I really have to say, I've been pretty thoroughly won over here. Ultimately it comes to the gameplay actually being quite compelling this time around, and it all comes down to the fact this game actually requires some thought on the part of the player. It's not terribly difficult/unforgiving or anything, but it isn't mindlessly easy either. You might actually need to think about type match ups, or what moves to teach your Pokemon, there might even be a bit of planning, resource management, and strategy at play here--in a Pokemon game! Imagine that, huh? Anyway I have no real massive complaints on the game itself, its quite fun, and not in the mindless, check a bunch of things off a list sort of way (even though there definitely is some that here). The only big shortcoming here is the visuals. I have never cared much about graphics, but I unfortunately have to say the game looks awful. Gamefreak needs more staff in their visual department and that's all there is to it. It isn't actively detrimental to the game in my opinion, but it's definitely going to both some people more than others, so be aware.… Expand
  32. Blastroid
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Un juego entretenido, las mecánicas y todo lo que siempre se quizo de Pokémon como la libertad y las capturas se siente más fresco que nunca, los Pokémon reaccionan y hay animaciones mejores en muchos Pokémon y personajes, es un buen paso en la dirección correcta hacia la saga, aunque hay un enorme pero y eso es los gráficos, si es algo que todos hablan pero la realidad es que el apartadoUn juego entretenido, las mecánicas y todo lo que siempre se quizo de Pokémon como la libertad y las capturas se siente más fresco que nunca, los Pokémon reaccionan y hay animaciones mejores en muchos Pokémon y personajes, es un buen paso en la dirección correcta hacia la saga, aunque hay un enorme pero y eso es los gráficos, si es algo que todos hablan pero la realidad es que el apartado gráfico le resta puntos debido a que ya se han visto mejores cosas correr en la switch y Gamefreak pudo tomar otro año para desarrollar ese apartado, aunque si la empresa toma eso como lección entonces esperemos que la saga vaya por un mejor camino en el que todo se vea bien y se sienta bien en conjunto… Expand
  33. rxe1224
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    I'm 10 hours in and look forward to this game. I was quite disappointed in my first few hours of the game (minus the opening dialogue, which gave me goosebumps). What i saw was an under baked game, with Pokémon sprites fluctuating in quality (depending on where you were standing) & a complete Zelda BOTW rip off with less charm.

    However, once you get past the slow start & inconsistent    I'm 10 hours in and look forward to this game. I was quite disappointed in my first few hours of the game (minus the opening dialogue, which gave me goosebumps). What i saw was an under baked game, with Pokémon sprites fluctuating in quality (depending on where you were standing) & a complete Zelda BOTW rip off with less charm.

    However, once you get past the slow start & inconsistent graphics, the game starts to pick up. As your team gets stronger, you're able to do more & less likely to get destroyed in the wild. You can backtrack to see what you've missed previously.

    Once you get used to the mechanics & know how to navigate around it's actually pretty fun. There are plenty of side quests it's actually a bit annoying & overwhelming because you'll see 10 trillion people asking you to do things in the village.

    After **** on the game a bit, I do want to say there are some moments in the game that are really beautiful, e.g. the theme piano music starting as you're undetected in the grass & about to throw a pokeball at a Kadabra (lol). Also the combat is pretty good & quite visually appealing, although it's a bit derpy that you can run into the middle of the battle. Anyways, all things considered, the game has definitely grown on me & it can actually be a bit addictive

    Anyways, after my quick review, I would say don't take my opinion for it, try it yourself & make your own mind up.    … Expand
  34. LargoK
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    It is obvious that the game is not developed enough as one would like, but in my opinion it is a very good start for a new vision of the franchise in which we can capture the Pokemon in a more realistic world, see the whole surface and also not need loading screens, I hope that from now on the next installments seek to use this formula but improve it notably, since it obviously limps a lotIt is obvious that the game is not developed enough as one would like, but in my opinion it is a very good start for a new vision of the franchise in which we can capture the Pokemon in a more realistic world, see the whole surface and also not need loading screens, I hope that from now on the next installments seek to use this formula but improve it notably, since it obviously limps a lot in the graphics and in the feeling of a living world… Expand
  35. Dukeis
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Visuals and graphic are really bad as always for a pokèmon game and it's right to blame gamefreak for this, the main storyline it's a bit lame but doable, once you get used to the graphic style (especially in the first zone) and to the Pokémon flying at 3 fps in the distance, you will start to get captured by the game and really enjoy the fresh innovations and the new type of gameplay.
  36. wildernes054
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    One of the best Pokémon since the beginning. It's been a long time since I had fun capturing Pokémon and seeing new one when I'm exploring the map. Graphic wise they could have been better but since it's a first open world for them I was ok with it. Hope in the future they continue to make game like this one and they upgrade the graphic.
  37. iNuclearSlime
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Been playing Pokémon since platinum and been through quite a bit of burn out from the last couple of games so how does legends hold up many will ask. Let’s get the big downside done first the lack of art direction I personally don’t mind lower graphics but this whole experience could of been more stylized like mhst2 or a game I picked up recently to play nino kuni which is a pretty oldBeen playing Pokémon since platinum and been through quite a bit of burn out from the last couple of games so how does legends hold up many will ask. Let’s get the big downside done first the lack of art direction I personally don’t mind lower graphics but this whole experience could of been more stylized like mhst2 or a game I picked up recently to play nino kuni which is a pretty old game it came out on the PlayStation 3 and is on switch but holds up because of it’s art direction. Second issue I’ve had is mostly the no abilities and held items on the Pokémon help differentiate Pokémon from each other in battle and because I like a few layers of complexity specially in turn based JRPGs.

    Now we’re past the bad first can I can say is this is the most fun I’ve ever had catching Pokémon as the game allows you to engage them in a few different ways. Stealth is the first option and the method of my choice getting in the bonus from throwing the ball at their back is very satisfying, you can take the Pokémon head on in battle if you want but most Pokémon will run early game so for those who run start the battle back throwing your Pokémon at them from behind fun the stun. Filling out the dex I thought was gonna be tedious but it’s fun as you gotta engage with a few different aspects of the the game you can catch them to level up your research level of said Pokémon, give them berries, find ones of different weight/size, evolve, defeat them, battle with them to see them perform moves also yes it’ll count if you use them yourself in battle, and stealth catching them can also add to the research levels. Also exploring the open zones finding Pokémon is great specially when you find a rare encounter you didn’t see the first time going through the area. Pro tip heavy balls early game are your friend but you gotta get close but it’s worth specially for catching alpha Pokémon as they give a seed of mastery you can use to master a move back in town to use heavy or agile style with said move, great exp for the team, and a good chunk of money finally money which you’ll need to upgrading your inventory size.

    Onto the story and characters without any spoilers they are pretty good specially by Pokémon standards. As usual Pokémon has very visually striking characters and they have great personalities. Too bad there is no voice acting which feels like the next step for Pokémon to go with their game as I have a tendency to speed read without voice acting and then kinda forget a little what is said after the fact but that’s me. But overall I think the story probably is the best I’ve seen out of Pokémon black and white.

    In conclusion, I believe this game is great with all the ways you can engage with catching and filling your Pokédex. The technical limitations show very heavily but the Pokémon themselves are full of life and personality with how they are animated hopefully in the future these kind of games are allowed more time to bake in oven with a more solid art direction. Story and characters are great but still voice acting feels like it would do wonderfully in a series like this adding to the charming characters. Overall this game is an 8/10 if they continue with this formula for older audiences that’ll be a win    … Expand
  38. Ingentis93
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Huge step foreward for pokemon. The semi-open world is a huge improvement for pokemon, but graphics could be better. And the lack of trainer battles is the one point I’m critical of the game, even thought it’s explained by the story. Therefore only 8/10

    Other Positive: + improved fighting systems + elite pokemon + crafting + no need for trading with real people to get pokemon like gengar    Huge step foreward for pokemon. The semi-open world is a huge improvement for pokemon, but graphics could be better. And the lack of trainer battles is the one point I’m critical of the game, even thought it’s explained by the story. Therefore only 8/10

    Other Positive: + improved fighting systems
    + elite pokemon
    + crafting + no need for trading with real people to get pokemon like gengar
    + pokedex system
    + + a lot of potential for upcoming games

    Negative:
    - graphics outdated for 2022
    - lack of trainer battle’s    … Expand
  39. Stoin
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    The game is not perfect by far, for me mainly the graphics are the greatest point of disappointment. If only they would have taken a little longer to polish it out but alas. I can look over it however since I think the game is the best and funniest Pokémon game since the Nintendo DS days. It's also the first game in a long time that I can truly play for hours on end, Day after day.The game is not perfect by far, for me mainly the graphics are the greatest point of disappointment. If only they would have taken a little longer to polish it out but alas. I can look over it however since I think the game is the best and funniest Pokémon game since the Nintendo DS days. It's also the first game in a long time that I can truly play for hours on end, Day after day. Hatching a plan to sneak up to a strong Pokémon you don't really want to fight but still catch and seeing that plan work out is the best thing ever. And even when you fail there is still something to learn from that failure to apply the next time. The AI and wild Pokémon also feel stronger then other games, which for me is a huge plus. Makes you really think about what team you're gonna bring when going into the wild.
    TLTR : even though not perfect still a very fun game and super refreshing for the Pokémon franchise. I'm excited to see what they'll do next with this !    … Expand
  40. stickypoptartz
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    I do enjoy this game. Not as much as I would if it were a traditional pokemon game. My only gripe really is the opening; It felt like it took foreeeeeever to actually start my journey after having to shovel through dialogue and cutscenes, the tasks needed to advance. They just felt repetitive, and the world felt a bit empty. My entire time playing it, I was imagining what it would be likeI do enjoy this game. Not as much as I would if it were a traditional pokemon game. My only gripe really is the opening; It felt like it took foreeeeeever to actually start my journey after having to shovel through dialogue and cutscenes, the tasks needed to advance. They just felt repetitive, and the world felt a bit empty. My entire time playing it, I was imagining what it would be like to do battle in a gym or wandering through kanto, hoenn, or johto regions with this new engine. I hope they think about doing such that for the next canon game.… Expand
  41. Slimef41
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    The game is not perfect especially in the graphics but if you do look past the graphics it is one of the best Pokémon games and probably the best game this year. Also stay mad verlisify
  42. Dylanjaydj
    Feb 14, 2022
    8
    All'inizio mi ha spiazzato un po' da fan della serie, ma adesso ci passo ore e ore
  43. Erasermen
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Definitely imperfect and glitchy but lots of fun. I like that the battles are a bit more difficult. This is the direction they should have been taking for years.
  44. Lolenter
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    Overall it's a good game. I like the new ideas like catching Pokemon without having to enter combat or quickly switching between Pokemon during a battle. I also like the open world sections and I enjoyed playing through the story. Unfortunately, the game is limited by the hardware it runs on.
  45. LemStar
    Jan 30, 2022
    8
    This is the game we’ve all been waiting for as day-one Pokémon fans. Back in the days of Red and Blue, this is what we imagined the world of Pokémon to be like. The open areas where you can joyously yeet pokeballs at all the mons in the overworld is oh so satisfying. To be able to have a linear path with the story, but still give you a lot of freedom in terms of how you want to buildThis is the game we’ve all been waiting for as day-one Pokémon fans. Back in the days of Red and Blue, this is what we imagined the world of Pokémon to be like. The open areas where you can joyously yeet pokeballs at all the mons in the overworld is oh so satisfying. To be able to have a linear path with the story, but still give you a lot of freedom in terms of how you want to build your team and gain experience with all of the research required to complete the first Pokédex is a true blend of what fans have desired. While I think this game proves to be the strongest game in the franchise, gameplay-wise, I will say the artistic direction could’ve used a lot more talent. To see BOTW on switch as a launch title and look way more robust in terms of the environment than Legends, says to me that Gamefreak is in dire need of fresh eyes to lead them into their next core titles, as well as a beefed-up switch to enhance the overall experience. With that being said, the game is still looking to be a GOTY contender.… Expand
  46. ParanoidRED
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    It feels really amazing to actually have a new Pokemon game where i don't already know how to do everything before i even start, capturing Pokemon is a whole new experience, the fighting is more dynamic and way less straightforward, the progression is very Zelda like where you are more of a Pokemon Researcher than a trainer. Overall this is the best way this franchise could possibile grow,It feels really amazing to actually have a new Pokemon game where i don't already know how to do everything before i even start, capturing Pokemon is a whole new experience, the fighting is more dynamic and way less straightforward, the progression is very Zelda like where you are more of a Pokemon Researcher than a trainer. Overall this is the best way this franchise could possibile grow, so excited for the future.… Expand
  47. Vortecx
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    Love this Game. Made an account just to give it a rating!. Just feels like it's heading in the right direction!. So many good changes that make the experience much better and new.
  48. Nixer_28
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    the game is very good, the story is not bad, there are moments in the game that are very well done but there are others that are not, for example, there are many bugs.
  49. 12weren
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    gioco molto bello a livello di gameplay e di innovazione ma peccato per il lato tecnico la grafica fa pena ma il gameplay è molto bello
  50. peetah
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all: i didn't finished the game yet but i have an idea of how this game is. I am absolutely loving this game, finally some good attack's animations, a good plot with interesting charachters and lore, but i think that the best part is the actual open world, even if the graphic could've be better , the ambients are just fantastic. I love the pokedex mechanic and i think that is the real fun core of the game. However i also found some strange things that made me a little confused: As i've already said, the graphics are not THAT good, but this is not a big deal for me.
    There are too many useless praises to the main charachter that sometimes feel a little bit cringe.
    The game tends to be a little bit repetitive in some mechanics, like finish a boss then obtain a new level, then defeat another boss ect ect.    … Expand
  51. dragonblade
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is one of the most important entries that the Pokémon company has ever done. Thankfully, this game delivers an experience that many Pokémon fans have been waiting for years. However there are small flaws or annoyances that keep it from being the ultimate experience for a Pokémon man.

    Let’s start out with some flaws. The game doesn’t look at its best even for Nintendo Switch standards. Everything seems to just be a lack of polish or detail. But that doesn’t mean that the graphics are always bad. Just to the point where it starts to get distracting and sticks out. The fixed camera when first entering a battle or talking to an npc can either clip through or be completely obstructed by an object. (Thankfully in Pokémon battles you can move around the battlefield) One more thing is that through the three noble Pokémon battles that I have completed, which serve as the boss battles of the game. They all feel like dodge and throw, with no real gameplay depth outside of it. You can send out Pokémon when the noble Pokémon is stunned, but you can completely ignore this message and keep on throwing balms and win without sending out a single Pokémon. That’s it on the flaws, I might edit this review if I encounter more problems or good things about the game. Now for the good things. First of, this is a complete shift from the traditional Pokémon formula. There is no gym battles, elite four, or any league to become champion of. Your job is to research Pokémon and create the region’s first Pokédex. I feel this gameplay can make or break some peoples interest to buy this game. But, I encourage Pokémon fans to give this a try for themselves to see if this is the style of gameplay they enjoy to play. The gameplay is about catching and researching Pokémon in which the objectives can vary between defeating the Pokémon with certain moves, feeding it berries, seeing it use moves, or just straight up catching it. Alpha Pokémon can also appear around the map and will always be tens of levels above your party. Pokémon can also deal damage to you, the player causing you to faint and lose some items if you take too much damage. I love the animations of the Pokémon, because they were able to focus on a smaller pool of Pokémon and actually delivering on that promise. (Let’s not talk about SWSH) Pokémon battles have also increased the freedom of the player. Now after a battle starts, you are freely able to move around the battlefield and look around with different viewing angles. A new mechanic is added with agile and strong styles of moves. Agile moves decrease the power of the move and give your Pokémon more likely chance of getting their next move soon. Strong style is the opposite, increasing power and less likely chance of getting the next move sooner. This does give an extra layer of strategy and also scraps the idea of alternating moves. You can and will get two turns in succession or take two moves from an opponent in a row. Side quests can be lackluster but be a good thing to do when you don’t want to progress the story. Speaking of the story, I really can’t judge the story based on my opinions because of my style of gameplay. But when I can say is that there is more dialogue and a lot more cutscenes than a regular Pokémon game. All in all, I support the gameplay direction that gamefreak is trying to do and hopefully this can be a regular occurring series and that some of the ideas will be implemented into gen 9 and beyond. I am a big Pokémon fan and I hope that gamefreak will finally turn around the quality of games that have been released these last few years.    … Expand
  52. oggiVVV
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    Some reviews for this game baffle me. Decided to post my own because some of the reviews here make the game seem better/worse than it is, claim things that are straight up wrong and some of them aren't even reviews, but just rants against the fans/developers. Half of them also give me the feeling that the writer didn't even play the game.

    8/10 from me. The game actually shakes things up    Some reviews for this game baffle me. Decided to post my own because some of the reviews here make the game seem better/worse than it is, claim things that are straight up wrong and some of them aren't even reviews, but just rants against the fans/developers. Half of them also give me the feeling that the writer didn't even play the game.

    8/10 from me. The game actually shakes things up when compared to previous Pokemon games. The new gameplay formula is actually fresh and interesting.
    This game revolves mainly around building the first Pokedex of the location where the game takes place, the Hisui region. In previous games, filling up the Pokedex was done simply by catching a Pokemon, and the whole page for this Pokemon would be filled up immediatly. That is not the case here. Catching a Pokemon will only get you so far in this case, despite what some others claim here. To fill out the rest of a Pokemons Dex entry, you'll need to interact with this Pokemon in a variety of ways. Catching and battling are obvious, but there's more to it. Seeing it use certain moves, evolving it, finding different forms/genders, feeding it, and so on. All of this will get you closer towards a complete dex entry. Thankfully, you don't have to do every task to fill an entry.
    When compared to previous installments, the total number of Pokemon in this game is lower than usual. There are a total of 242 Pokemon in this game. Some may say this lazy on Game Freaks end, but I personally think that this is fine. Filling out the Pokedex would be a nightmare to do if there were a lot of Pokemon, which is a problem since that is the main focus here. Also, again despite what others may claim, there are plenty of new animations present for each Pokemon, so having a lower amount seems fair. Every Pokemon also has their own personality in the wild. This Pokedex and catching focused approach makes for a fun gameplay cycle.
    Speaking of the wild, this game isn't just your standard Pokemon RPG. There are 5 big, open maps for you to explore, each of which are unique. They are well designed, exploration is rewarded with collectibles, items and Pokemon, but not mandatory. Catching Pokemon is handled differently here too. You can do it the standard way by battling them and weakening them, but you also have the option to catch them outside of battle. You may want to take a different approach depending on the Pokemon you're after. Some are docile, some are hostile, and some are easily scared. You can choose to sneak up on a Pokemon using the environment around you, or lure them out with food. If you are being attacked, you have to dodge their attacks, initiate a battle, or throw objects at them to stun them. The new types of Pokeballs complement this system well.
    The battle system has also seen some changes, specifically the new attacking styles and turn system. The turn system was previously just done with the speed stat deciding who goes first, but now the speed stat is more important. A high speed can give your Pokemon multiple turns back-to-back, but this also applies to the opponent. The new attacking styles also impact this, as a strong style move makes you slower but more powerful, while an agile style move does the opposite. Both styles also take more PP than a normal move. You can also walk around during these battles, but this doesn't have much of an impact on anything. Some battles will even have you outnumbered against multiple Pokemon at once.
    Due to the setting/story of the game, trainers aren't very common, but they are present. Gyms/Leaders aren't here, and have been replaced by the Noble Pokemon. These are essentially the bosses of the game, and have you battling them unlike any regular Pokemon.
    I'm sure you've seen this plenty of times, but graphically, the game is sub-par. The main issue seems to be muddy and low-res textures, bland lighting (lack of shadows and reflections) and some performance related issues (render distance of objects and the framerate of NPC's/Pokemon). Graphics don't mean everything but in this case it's all very noticable and should've been better. The game runs fine at 30 FPS overall, with a few stutters here and there. Music/Sound design however is some good stuff, but this has always been a stronger point for this series.
    I'm no expert on stories but what's here is fine. It's pretty interesting, mainly due to the setting. First two or so hours are pretty dialogue heavy due to tutorials and whatnot and could've been a bit less.
    Quality of life improvements are definitely present. The best change here is probably a better gameplay flow thanks to the better menu design, and less menu's in general.

    Overal, a big step and a fresh take on Pokemon. A new approach to gameplay and a fun cycle keeps me invested, with quality of life improvements everywhere. Graphically sub-par, bur story and sound design are fine. Interested to see where Pokemon goes after this. I'd say it's worth full price.    … Expand
  53. rhyaken
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    Regardless of my initial skepticism, I believe this is a really nice / fun game. I wasn't really sure I would enjoy this entry since I have always been more focused on pokemon battles with gyms and the pokemon league, rather than completing the pokedex. This game is solely related to completing the first pokedex. There aren't many trainer battles, which are made up for by introducing newRegardless of my initial skepticism, I believe this is a really nice / fun game. I wasn't really sure I would enjoy this entry since I have always been more focused on pokemon battles with gyms and the pokemon league, rather than completing the pokedex. This game is solely related to completing the first pokedex. There aren't many trainer battles, which are made up for by introducing new challenges: for example alpha pokemon.

    I think they nailed the gameplay loop quite well, Arceus introduces an open world game where collecting and training pokemon is a lot of fun and engaging. I haven't enjoyed the latest main line games that much (Sword and Shield / Diamon and Pearl remake) and Arceus really feels like a much needed breath of fresh air for the series.

    This is not the best pokemon game ever made, nor is it going to satisfy everyone. If you are interested in a new take on the Pokemon series, where you can freely explore a world full of pokemon in an engaging setting: then this game could be right up your ally.    … Expand
  54. dingusdingdong
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    Roughly 15 hours in and loving the game so far. Obvious complaints are the graphics, some Pokemon don't exactly interact with anything, but that's about it. Story wise it's a tad more mature than the older titles, which is always nice. I love the catching mechanics, and the lack of a ton of trainers on every route is incredibly refreshing. All the characters are unique in their own littleRoughly 15 hours in and loving the game so far. Obvious complaints are the graphics, some Pokemon don't exactly interact with anything, but that's about it. Story wise it's a tad more mature than the older titles, which is always nice. I love the catching mechanics, and the lack of a ton of trainers on every route is incredibly refreshing. All the characters are unique in their own little ways, move animations are beautiful and I love the new battle system. Honestly everyone saying this is "the worst pokemon game ever" need to go back 2 years and play sword and shield.… Expand
  55. MisterBox
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    Solid game. Very addictive gameplay. Battles are so streamlined compared to Sword and Shield they take about 1/3rd of the time to complete. This time there's actually incentive to catch them all. Graphics are a huge letdown compared to BOTW. Music is good, not as good as BDSP. Where the game shines is the gameplay. I wish the world was more open like BOTW with less hand-holding, butSolid game. Very addictive gameplay. Battles are so streamlined compared to Sword and Shield they take about 1/3rd of the time to complete. This time there's actually incentive to catch them all. Graphics are a huge letdown compared to BOTW. Music is good, not as good as BDSP. Where the game shines is the gameplay. I wish the world was more open like BOTW with less hand-holding, but compared to other pokemon games that feel like they're on rails this is a breath of fresh air.… Expand
  56. Rydrake
    Feb 1, 2022
    8
    Finally some fresh air in the pokemon franchise.
    Yes the game doesnt look good, yes it contains glitches, BUT after all those years, fan prayers were heard.
    A (kind of) open world with roaming and living pokemon everywhere, a new way to catch them and new methods to complete your pokedex.
  57. Klueber95
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    The graphics are just bad. But that's the only big point. The gameplay feels great and i think this is a really good step for the next Pokemon games. The best Pokemon game i played on Switch. I hope this is the new gameplay for future Pokemon games. The rewarding system is also fine and the side quest are okay. With voice actors for the main questline and better graphics it would be aThe graphics are just bad. But that's the only big point. The gameplay feels great and i think this is a really good step for the next Pokemon games. The best Pokemon game i played on Switch. I hope this is the new gameplay for future Pokemon games. The rewarding system is also fine and the side quest are okay. With voice actors for the main questline and better graphics it would be a 10/10. Still a great experience.… Expand
  58. Katsumon
    Feb 5, 2022
    8
    This game has a lot of what I've wanted from a Pokémon game. It's really good. It's like the devs came together and said "We're tired of the complaints. Let's make a better Pokémon game." It got lots of good stuff: a cool story, a fine collection of Pokémon, interesting characters, some mysteries to solve, excellent music, overdue quality of life changes, refined (and addictive) catchingThis game has a lot of what I've wanted from a Pokémon game. It's really good. It's like the devs came together and said "We're tired of the complaints. Let's make a better Pokémon game." It got lots of good stuff: a cool story, a fine collection of Pokémon, interesting characters, some mysteries to solve, excellent music, overdue quality of life changes, refined (and addictive) catching and battling mechanics, an interesting and sometimes beautiful world to explore... It's simply closer to the Pokémon game fans have wanted for decades. The graphics are mostly ok and can look good, and they certainly don't take anything away from the experience. They're just rough and there is pop-in and low-res textures. Most importantly though: it's a lot of fun.

    The game clearly took some inspiration from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But it simply lacks things that BotW got. And those are things it would need for a rating anywhere close to BotW. Things like better textures, voice acting, more modern graphics, larger/more detailed areas, more ruins and generally more to explore, more settlements and camps, Pokemon should be doing more than just walking around aimlessly and sleeping, dynamic weather affecting gameplay, better quests and side quests etc. The game is still too much fun for a 7/10 imo.    … Expand
  59. Inditorias
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    The game play is amazing, it's finally a redesign of the original formula. The boss battles are great fun, my only complaint is the graphics are really weak. Lots of alias artifacts, and the pixels are very clear. That's more of a switch limitation, would be nice to see a pc port for a similar style game.
  60. Jderraugh
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    I'm 30 hours in and it's amazing.

    The first 2 hours were a pain in the ass and I feel like they guide the player so much, it's infuriating. I'd prefer it if the game let you learn a lot more by yourself. The mechanics aren't complicated at all so there's no need to explain everything like it's the first time I'm playing a video game in my life. The combat system is fluid and you can    I'm 30 hours in and it's amazing.

    The first 2 hours were a pain in the ass and I feel like they guide the player so much, it's infuriating. I'd prefer it if the game let you learn a lot more by yourself. The mechanics aren't complicated at all so there's no need to explain everything like it's the first time I'm playing a video game in my life.

    The combat system is fluid and you can enter a fight beat a pokemon and then start doing something else right after. The only compaint would be that it's lacking a bit. You can't summon more than one pokemon at the time, but you can fight against four. If there was a way to summon more pokemon at the time or if the attacks could hit multiple targets it would be better. Something interesting is the fact that you don't have to fight a pokemon every 5 seconds. If you prefer to, you can almost play the entier game by just catching pokemons and gathering ressources.

    I'd really like to have a sequel with better graphics and polished mechanics. That's pretty much all it needs to be rated 10/10    … Expand
  61. NoahPKR
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    I’ll start with the bad. While the gameplay has evolved, the methods of story delivery have not changed a bit since the days of the DS - lots of reading and one big climactic fully rendered cut scene. In this fully expansive 3D world, 85% of the story is still dull cutscenes with text box after text box and no voice acting. While this isn’t inherently bad, nothing interesting is providedI’ll start with the bad. While the gameplay has evolved, the methods of story delivery have not changed a bit since the days of the DS - lots of reading and one big climactic fully rendered cut scene. In this fully expansive 3D world, 85% of the story is still dull cutscenes with text box after text box and no voice acting. While this isn’t inherently bad, nothing interesting is provided to keep your attention. The animation and rigging is downright lazy at times and the human character expressions / movement are uncanny despite their brilliant designs. Every time you interact with a human, it shatters the immersion as they play back the same 3 basic movements. The story itself is decent but is hidden behind layers of “telling instead of showing”, ie black screens and sounds to imply something is happening. I find myself just pressing the B button in rapid succession to get back to the actual fun parts. The graphics are the next gripe. It genuinely looks like a Wii game or older and it doesn’t seem that Gamefreak developers had the time to truly optimize this game for the system it’s on. My girlfriend who doesn’t play video games at all commented that it “looks like an old game” the first time she saw me play it. Optimizing takes time, so it seems they just dialed down the graphics to focus on other more important things. While the game looks great sometimes and the 3D models are beautifully designed, the graphics cannot be overlooked. Ugly textures, objects randomly clipping through each other, character details like hair are flat and lifeless, hovering 6 inches above the ground in some areas, you get it. Now, here’s where the game get literally everything else right. My first Pokémon game was Pokémon Diamond, and this is the most fun I’ve had playing a Pokémon game since then. The core gameplay is downright addicting, as the act of sneaking up on Pokémon, learning their behavior, stunning them with items, choosing when to battle is just… chefs kiss. It really feels like you’re in the world of Pokémon, running around just catching the little guys like you always wanted to as a kid. The wild battles are high stakes a lot of the time, as it only takes one alpha Pokémon to knock out your whole team. I found myself feeling genuine terror the first time I saw that alpha Rapidash, something that is MORE than welcome in a Pokémon game. In this regard, it’s everything you could want until that pesky story gets in the way. It’s easy to spend hours upon hours just filling out research tasks. It’s a huge JUMP in the right direction for Pokémon, as the old battle mechanics ran their course over a decade ago.

    It’s also exceedingly clear that this game is Gamefreak’s love letter to sinnoh, from the music, placement of landmarks and overall design of the wild areas. It’s really fun to feel like you’re exploring the past version of the region you explored as a kid. The moment you realize you’re in Eterna Forest or one of the legendary lakes, with the music to boot, is second to none. You won’t enjoy this game nearly as much if you don’t have the nostalgic ties to Sinnoh. Overall, while this game definitely drops the ball in a lot of areas, it picks it up and runs with it in so many others. I’ve had hours upon hours of genuinely bewildering experiences playing this game, just by running around and catching Pokémon the way The Lor-Arceus intended. The gameplay is second to none, and it’s a shame that Gamefreak didn’t get the proper time to see this game all of the way through.    … Expand
  62. RayulFrank
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    One of the best Pokémon games I've ever played, of course it has its flaws like graphics, pop in and empty places but it was still very enjoyable and I appreciate that The Pokémon Company took a risk and I can say it was worth it!
  63. Fabianlt25
    Feb 2, 2022
    8
    Alexelcapo se que tengo problemas cerebrales, pero a mi me ha gustado el juego.
  64. Nab21
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    Great new direction for the franchise, fantastic world building and lore expansion and fresh battle mechanics all make it the best pokemon game in over a decade. Let down by the graphics and somewhat grindy aspects.
  65. eddy12
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a preview what future pokemon games should look like.
    The Gameplay is great and with the pokedex quest quite entertaining.
    But it is lacking in some basics, for example: no breeding, no abilitys, no special evolution(Mega, ZStones or Dinamax). Though I liked some graphic elements (grassstalks, attacks), the overall graphics are garbage. The diffuculty was unexpected high, I was continuously underleveld and had trouble to travel areas without resting. The trainer battles were to easy (not level dependent), but with abilitys, items this could improve the difficulty. I really hope they continue evolving the series in this direction and maybe even doing this in a bigger scope and with better graphics.    … Expand
  66. FenFox14
    Feb 3, 2022
    8
    Not prefect, there's some graphical issues and lack of voice acting

    But all around refreshing change for gameplay. Gamefreak made a good Pokémon game since gen 5
  67. Guten
    Feb 4, 2022
    8
    Excellent jeu Pokemon dans le fait qu'il renouvelle grandement une licence essoré déjà depuis bien longtemps.

    Certes les graphismes ne sont pas bons, mais les animations et la DA forment un ensemble qui tend à équilibrer cet immense défaut. Le scénario est prenant, les personnages sont bien mieux écrit que les 3/4 du reste de la licence, sans que cela soit parfait malgré tout. Les    Excellent jeu Pokemon dans le fait qu'il renouvelle grandement une licence essoré déjà depuis bien longtemps.

    Certes les graphismes ne sont pas bons, mais les animations et la DA forment un ensemble qui tend à équilibrer cet immense défaut.

    Le scénario est prenant, les personnages sont bien mieux écrit que les 3/4 du reste de la licence, sans que cela soit parfait malgré tout. Les musiques présentes sont vraiment chouettes, même si elles ont tendance à rester discrète pendant une bonne partie de l'exploration.    … Expand
  68. AceTML
    Feb 4, 2022
    8
    The game is great and game freak really did a good job trying out new things. The only thing that is miserable are the graphics.
  69. Harry2P
    Feb 4, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A lot of great points about the game it is not the usual beat all the gyms then move on to the elite 4 and become the champion
    Story makes sense and the new features are great like being able to fly (working with pokemons) The game is also harder than the previous game pokemon sword and shield which is also a good thing
    The jubilife village theme changes the more you go into the story
    not to forget that your character and the wyndeer gets dirty depending on how much did you travel
    To the cons now
    Graphics could be much better and it looks like a game from the 2000s (doesnt mean the game is bad)
    The price of the games are questionable but nothing can be done with that

    People who go on to say the game is bad without playing are ignorant    … Expand
  70. albegres
    Feb 5, 2022
    8
    75/100
    Gameplay is barebone as everything in this game, but it's already so satisfying going around and throwing PokéBalls.
  71. Santithur
    Feb 5, 2022
    8
    This is the most untertaning Pokémon game I played for years.
    Yes, graphics are kinda ugly and there are some visual glitches from time to time. but that's really anecdotic when playing de game.
    The soundtrack is a sweet mix of nostalgia and modernity and the sound design is awesome. The gameplay is innovative and can get a little spicy, especially in postgame I would recommend this    This is the most untertaning Pokémon game I played for years.
    Yes, graphics are kinda ugly and there are some visual glitches from time to time. but that's really anecdotic when playing de game.
    The soundtrack is a sweet mix of nostalgia and modernity and the sound design is awesome.
    The gameplay is innovative and can get a little spicy, especially in postgame
    I would recommend this game more than any other Pokémon game.    … Expand
  72. Jorgeranio
    Feb 6, 2022
    8
    Un juego de 10, con muchas cosas buenas que debe de seguir la saga en futuros juegos... el gameplay, aún siendo repetitivo es muy adictivo, aunque tiene fallos grandes como los gráficos o mecánicas simples. Va haciendo falta doblaje en los juegos de pokémon para dar más inmersión en su historia, sobre todo en escenas importantes o cinemáticas que se puedan hacer pesadas.
    Si bien es cierto    Un juego de 10, con muchas cosas buenas que debe de seguir la saga en futuros juegos... el gameplay, aún siendo repetitivo es muy adictivo, aunque tiene fallos grandes como los gráficos o mecánicas simples. Va haciendo falta doblaje en los juegos de pokémon para dar más inmersión en su historia, sobre todo en escenas importantes o cinemáticas que se puedan hacer pesadas.
    Si bien es cierto que los modelos y animaciones están más trabajados, creo que el poco tiempo ha hecho que otras cosas queden sin pulir y generen problemas visuales bastantes importantes... En la historia no me voy a meter, no hace falta que sea buena o mala cuando queda en segundo plano, aunque en términos generales tienen diálogos más profundos, que como he dicho antes, mejorarían bastante con un doblaje acorde.
    En conclusión, el juego no tiene a Arctozolt así que le quito puntuación, vean Gintama    … Expand
  73. HugeSnorlax
    Feb 6, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have not played the entirety of this game, but so far, I've really enjoyed this new Pokémon game. Sure, the graphics could be a little better, but with the open world experience and that you can catch pokemon without having to engage into battle, it's really awesome.… Expand
  74. Kast2
    Feb 7, 2022
    8
    In summary it is a classic game of Pokèmon, I would have preferred open world than open map and graphics maybe better (here we are at the level of Unity crap). However, the leveling system is strange, throughout the story you can also go to equal level but towards the end, you are required to have a team leveled well, this I call it unbalancing and not good at all.

    I sincerely hope that    In summary it is a classic game of Pokèmon, I would have preferred open world than open map and graphics maybe better (here we are at the level of Unity crap). However, the leveling system is strange, throughout the story you can also go to equal level but towards the end, you are required to have a team leveled well, this I call it unbalancing and not good at all.

    I sincerely hope that for other games in the series, they improve starting from their negative points but knowing Gamefreak......    … Expand
  75. BaldursThones
    Apr 15, 2022
    8
    My greatest hope for this game is that it turns into a something bigger and fleshed out on the something like the scale of breath of the wild.
  76. Talyej
    Feb 13, 2022
    8
    Es una entrega diferente, eso no significa que sea perfecta por que no lo es, el juego me gusto mucho, encontre super que nos puedan dar una parte de esta saga que salga de lo tipico de pokemon muchas cosas se mantienen, pero lo que me decepciona son los diseños de las formas hisui, me enoja la falta de creatividad y lo manco que son al crear nuevas formas, teniendo tantas cosas comoEs una entrega diferente, eso no significa que sea perfecta por que no lo es, el juego me gusto mucho, encontre super que nos puedan dar una parte de esta saga que salga de lo tipico de pokemon muchas cosas se mantienen, pero lo que me decepciona son los diseños de las formas hisui, me enoja la falta de creatividad y lo manco que son al crear nuevas formas, teniendo tantas cosas como referencia para su pokemones, en vez de ver diseños de fans y inspirarse en ellos deciden crear usando su pie, muy mal, ese es el punto que a mi respecta el peor, ademas de que no tenemos todas las generaciones, que ganas de poder tener mas.… Expand
  77. Hirako25
    Feb 14, 2022
    8
    8 per eccesso perchè sarebbe più un 7.5.. gameplay soddisfacente che cattura e invoglia a continuare la storia, trama carina ma che poteva andare un po' più nel dettaglio. La grafica invece lascia veramente a desiderare e in certi momenti ci si chiede il perchè di certe scelte. Probabilmente bisognava dedicare almeno 1 altro anno di sviluppo.
  78. Fyshra
    Mar 19, 2022
    8
    After giving my thoughts time to settle I think I can safely say Legends Arceus is a very good game.

    Admittedly I wasn't even going to play this, after the massive slap in the face BDSP was, I felt supporting such a soulless company wasn't what I wanted to do anymore and instead I would go support a different soulless company because let's be honest they're almost all soulless, but    After giving my thoughts time to settle I think I can safely say Legends Arceus is a very good game.

    Admittedly I wasn't even going to play this, after the massive slap in the face BDSP was, I felt supporting such a soulless company wasn't what I wanted to do anymore and instead I would go support a different soulless company because let's be honest they're almost all soulless, but after hearing how good this was from personal friends and people online alike, I decided to shill out another £50 to GameFreak and to my surprise, I absolutely fell in love.

    At the time of writing I am yet to 100% the Pokedex and fight Arceus but I've done everything to that point so I feel comfortable writing this now. Arceus is a great and very fun game, not everything GF tries lands, for example some of the new evolutions are dreadful, looking at you Sneasler, the game is still VERY easy, and the story is still forgettable, but it does what SwSh failed to do in my eyes, and that is to make a cast of very likeable characters, I felt this cast was really good, you're still a mute loser with no impact but unlike SwSh your character makes several facial expressions depending on the situation, which probably shouldn't be so impressive but hey, baby steps. Other fun characters include Kamado, your towns leader and ancestor of Prof. Rowan, The Diamond Clans leader, Adaman, who I love very much, The Pearl Clan Leader Irida, Cynthia ancestors Cogita and Volo, both are interesting especially the latter, Arezu who, if you'll allow me to indulge my weeb side for a moment, is best girl and my waifu, that hoodie + tights combo just does it for me, and finally your rival, Akari/Rei, depending on your characters gender, both are pretty fun though. These are some pretty fun characters and given I've struggled to remember the names of half the characters from Gen 6-8, including SwSh which I finished like a week ago, I'd say it's a pretty good testament to these characters when I can remember their names off by heart.

    As for gameplay, it's probably the best part of this experience, being able to freely toss a poke ball at Pokémon and catch them seamlessly is a childhood dream I'm sure most of us shared, along with firing a Kamehameha blast and being Batman. Not only is the new gameplay good, GameFreak did the impossible and actually IMPROVED the standard Pokémon gameplay, Pokémon attacks are actually fully animated, and they CONNECT to enemy Pokémon, it's really standard stuff but goddamn I never thought I'd see it in Pokémon and I'm just happy GF are listening more than anything else.

    As for the games story, uhm... you get Isekai'd now go discover some funky animals and fight god. That's kinda it. Can't say I was expecting much from a Pokémon game for story and this is pretty serviceable but considering all the improvement they've made to other areas of the formula the story kinda sticks out as being worse by comparison.

    Now for the games flaws. Like I said the story feels stuck in the 90's, it's pretty boring and shallow, completing the Pokedex is also kind of a chore and some Pokémon have some pretty ridiculous evolution requirements which feel totally random and like they require the internet, how are you meant to know to use Psyshield Bash in Agile style 20 times with Stantler? That's stupid and I wish that kind of "heard it on the playground" sh*t wasn't here. The game also still suffers from real bad pop-in and textures just being real lazy with when they decide to load in, I know this issue has persisted for a while but every game it remains it gets a little more unforgivable each time, I pray they sort it out by Violet and Scarlet. I suppose you'll want me to talk about the games graphics now...

    So that's Legends Arceus, not a perfect game by any metric, but a very fun one and one I've spent 60 hours on and intend to spend a whole lot more, I really hope this is a new beginning for Pokémon and not a one-off success.    … Expand
  79. Epiclegend73
    Feb 24, 2022
    8
    The most fun Pokémon game I played in years!! The new gameplay of mix of stealth and combat is very polished. Progression in game is lock behind what your star rank is so it's given you motivation to catch and do Pokedex research in the game. Pokedex research is simple and easy to do come done to how many Pokémon you catch to how many you have beaten in battle or what type of moves you usThe most fun Pokémon game I played in years!! The new gameplay of mix of stealth and combat is very polished. Progression in game is lock behind what your star rank is so it's given you motivation to catch and do Pokedex research in the game. Pokedex research is simple and easy to do come done to how many Pokémon you catch to how many you have beaten in battle or what type of moves you us to beat a Pokémon. The biggest complaint I have is the Game Engine they used (think it the same one Game Freak used for Sword and Sheild) with textures pop in slow and the pop in before Pokémon do which can get annoying. Texture with glitch out in battles and wild Pokémon will randomly clip thought rock and tress making them uncatchable, and graphic aren't good at all but its Game Freak they never work on that.… Expand
  80. Super_ryn_
    Feb 23, 2022
    8
    A great step forward for the pokemon series, however, needs work. Honestly the most fun ive had catching pokemon and running through the world. This game has revamped the combat system as well as the pokedex. i would recommend this to anyone who has played pokemon and people who have been wanting something more from the franchise. The reason i gave this game an 8 is even though theA great step forward for the pokemon series, however, needs work. Honestly the most fun ive had catching pokemon and running through the world. This game has revamped the combat system as well as the pokedex. i would recommend this to anyone who has played pokemon and people who have been wanting something more from the franchise. The reason i gave this game an 8 is even though the world is fun to run around in and the combat is interesting, the game does look pretty bland mostly due to graphics. This is surely a great step forward for the franchise but there is a lot of room to improve!… Expand
  81. Kmee0507
    Feb 28, 2022
    8
    This game is a promising evolution for the Pokemon series and I hope the direction the series will go in. I was absolutely addicted to the gameplay loop of navigating the open area and doing the different requirements needed for each Pokedex entry. I highly recommend this game to any Pokemon fan.
  82. santajon
    Mar 2, 2022
    8
    The gameplay is fun and addictive. Graphics aren't that bad, not enough anyway. Level design is fine to me but is still improvable. This is the game we have been waiting so long, next Pokemon games must implement and improve this new mechanics.

    The graphics need to be improved but this is the way Pokemon needs
  83. CEREAL_SoUp
    Mar 2, 2022
    8
    It's an amazing Game, but the thing is it can get boring pretty fast and the terrain feels really simple and not engaging. It's very addicting and pretty fun, but at least for me it got boring at around the 25hr mark. I think it needed more polishing, you can tell that the devs put a lot of love into it but it feels very unfinished. Currently it has only trading support for online playIt's an amazing Game, but the thing is it can get boring pretty fast and the terrain feels really simple and not engaging. It's very addicting and pretty fun, but at least for me it got boring at around the 25hr mark. I think it needed more polishing, you can tell that the devs put a lot of love into it but it feels very unfinished. Currently it has only trading support for online play which is a downer. But other than that it's a VERY good game, and it's nice that for once you can catch Pokemon the way you want to.… Expand
  84. wnedgar
    Sep 15, 2022
    8
    2022 is going insane, I can't believe I'm actually saying good things about a GameFreak game.
    This game is highly recommended to everyone who loves Pokémon - from die-hard fans of the franchise/games, to casual gamers/Pokémon fans. It covers really well both sides of the spectrum.
    This is the best Pokémon game I've played since Black/White, and it's on my top 3 ever from this    2022 is going insane, I can't believe I'm actually saying good things about a GameFreak game.
    This game is highly recommended to everyone who loves Pokémon - from die-hard fans of the franchise/games, to casual gamers/Pokémon fans. It covers really well both sides of the spectrum.

    This is the best Pokémon game I've played since Black/White, and it's on my top 3 ever from this franchise. On the positive side (which I have a lot to say, but I'll keep it short), I'd like to mention the super fast load times of each area, the attention to detail when it comes to Pokémon animation on the world-map, and also the animation on battles. The quick battles and QOL improvements it has over the main games is freaking awesome - i can't see myself going back to a traditional Pokémon game ever again. The battle system is also awesome!

    Now, let's talk about the bad things - not to say the game is bad, but we desperately need improvements: WE NEED VOICES! I was so frustrated at some point about the story that I would just smash my A button non-stop to stop the super-duper-boring-long dialogues that would never end, without any voice acting or sounds on the background. It's just so lacking and annoying at some point, you start to HATE every interruption to tell you the story of the game. I just wanted to play for the game-play, because this part of the game was so boring after 20h of playtime. That said, I'd expect a better storyline on the upcoming games, being based on this same game-play system. It has just so much potential, we shouldn't just expect the foolish "I'm a kid alone and will find the legendary/confront Rocket teams out there for no reason" plot. I love that they've tried something different here.    … Expand
  85. Markianer
    Mar 22, 2022
    8
    Schmutz Grafik gutes Spiel ——————_—————-#‘.sösölala,ys
  86. Elias373
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    Das beste Pokémon seit langer Zeit
    Das Spielprinzip ist sehr gut, nur die Kämpfe nicht
    Story zum Schluss auch besser
    Wegen Grafik und Macher Nebenquests nur 8 punkte
  87. D0MlNlK
    Apr 22, 2022
    8
    Nice game, but open world is not open. Your choices don't matter, but is normal in pokemon series. New graphic is good.
  88. will_klein_
    Apr 23, 2022
    8
    A great game, but definitely not perfect. This game is a good sign of things to come for the Pokemon franchise.
  89. RosannaHomarra
    Jun 10, 2022
    8
    Great walking start to make the Pokémon franchise bigger and better and more importantly, free. Recommended.
  90. AShinyG1ratina
    Jun 21, 2022
    8
    Definitely the most fun I've ever had with a Pokemon game. The shiny hunting in this game is how they should continue to approach the aspect in the future.
  91. Madbert
    Jul 9, 2022
    8
    Jan 28, 2022

    Evidentemente estamos ante el mejor juego de Pokemon que se haya desarrollado nunca, es súper entretenido y a nivel gráfico hay partes que se prestan a foto. Comprendo que haya gente que esperase más del apartado técnico sabiendo que la consola puede y este Pokemon está lejos de alcanzar el potencial que podían hacer. Dicho esto no voy a valorar los gráficos, Sencillamente    Jan 28, 2022

    Evidentemente estamos ante el mejor juego de Pokemon que se haya desarrollado nunca, es súper entretenido y a nivel gráfico hay partes que se prestan a foto. Comprendo que haya gente que esperase más del apartado técnico sabiendo que la consola puede y este Pokemon está lejos de alcanzar el potencial que podían hacer. Dicho esto no voy a valorar los gráficos, Sencillamente es el pokemon con mejores gráficos. Loq ue si voy a valorar es el repetitivismo de la saga, no puede ser a estas alturas que todos y cada uno de los Pokemon hagan exactamente lo mismo sin apenas ninguna variación. Sabemos que se trata de cazar Pokemon pero coño que el 95% del juego se hacer eso una y otra vez y que para colmo al llegar al final del juego, el boss o bosses finales te obliguen a subir otros 20 niveles de golpe para poder vencer al juego es totalmente ridículo (y frustrante por cierto) Le doy un 8 porque no estoy valorando los gráficos, la próxima entrega si lo haré porque ya ha habido un precedente.    … Expand
  92. Ganon242
    Aug 16, 2022
    8
    A pesar de que el apartado gráfico es extremadamente feo el gameplay compensa bastante este fallo. El juego te deja explorar todo el mapa disponible para así poder hacer más cosas que capturar Pokémon. Ahora tienes que evitar los ataques de los Pokémon para que no te den, adaptarte en la hierba para poder hacer sigilo y varias formas de capturar a los Pokémon aparte de combatir con ellos.A pesar de que el apartado gráfico es extremadamente feo el gameplay compensa bastante este fallo. El juego te deja explorar todo el mapa disponible para así poder hacer más cosas que capturar Pokémon. Ahora tienes que evitar los ataques de los Pokémon para que no te den, adaptarte en la hierba para poder hacer sigilo y varias formas de capturar a los Pokémon aparte de combatir con ellos.

    No es una obra maestra, hay juegos como Ratchet & Clank (2002) que son mejor en cuanto a rendimiento, hay juegos de mundo abierto mejores (The legend of zelda breath of the wild), hay juegos con mejor historia. Pero a pesar de tener sus defectos, es un gran paso hacia adelante en la saga y un gran cambio a mejor después de lo decepcionante que resultó ser los remakes de 4a generación.

    Si eres fan de Pokémon, no te lo puedes perder por nada del mundo    … Expand
  93. DolphinReviews
    Jul 19, 2022
    8
    I have been waiting for this game since Pokémon: The First Movie. Pokémon Legends: Arceus breaks the stagnant mold Pokémon games have been following since Red and Blue. The new catching mechanic and open word is something I have been craving forever. The new Pokémon are mostly great additions. However, the graphics leave a lot to be desired. There is also a lot of stiff characterI have been waiting for this game since Pokémon: The First Movie. Pokémon Legends: Arceus breaks the stagnant mold Pokémon games have been following since Red and Blue. The new catching mechanic and open word is something I have been craving forever. The new Pokémon are mostly great additions. However, the graphics leave a lot to be desired. There is also a lot of stiff character animations and the story is bare bones. The core gameplay is exactly the direction I hope Pokémon continues. The new boss battles are also a welcome addition, as well as, the large amount of side quests the game has to offer. Shining hunting is also easily the most fun it has ever been. If you are a Pokémon fan this is definitely a must buy.… Expand
  94. the4ears
    Nov 21, 2022
    8
    该做一看就不是GF那批废物做的，素材和风格跟塞尔达荒野之息非常统一，估计是用同一个引擎开发的。
  95. levipon
    Aug 5, 2022
    8
    It's something different than usual. As a long-term pokémon can I really liked the new open-world setting and the idea of going back to the roots of catching and research. Being a complete opposite of the others game in the franchise has its ups and downs. I certainly missed the gym battles even tho I also kinda hated them in previous titles. Nonetheless they gave some feelings of success.It's something different than usual. As a long-term pokémon can I really liked the new open-world setting and the idea of going back to the roots of catching and research. Being a complete opposite of the others game in the franchise has its ups and downs. I certainly missed the gym battles even tho I also kinda hated them in previous titles. Nonetheless they gave some feelings of success. The idea with the rank system is a decent replacement. I'd love a pokémon game with the traditional setting that's open like this game. For me that'd be a perfect combination.… Expand
  96. Nightscape_
    Dec 1, 2022
    8
    Now this is a Pokémon game! Just picked this up a week ago instead of Scarlet and Violet due to their graphical and performance problems. I am happy I did, this is one of the best Pokémon games I have ever played! It has been hard to put down. How did they go from this well polished game to Scarlet and Violet that barely runs and looks like garbage? What a downgrade!

    It is not a perfect    Now this is a Pokémon game! Just picked this up a week ago instead of Scarlet and Violet due to their graphical and performance problems. I am happy I did, this is one of the best Pokémon games I have ever played! It has been hard to put down. How did they go from this well polished game to Scarlet and Violet that barely runs and looks like garbage? What a downgrade!

    It is not a perfect game, but it sure is fun. I love that you can see the Pokémon in the overworld and can battle right there; it makes the gameplay very fluid. I like that when traveling around your human character can be attacked by Pokémon and takes damage as it makes it feel more realistic (these are supposed to be wild animals after all). It also has one of the better stories in the Pokémon series; in fact, it might be my personal favorite. I actually remember the characters' names and their motives in this one! It is fun to do the side-quests to meet new people, Pokémon, and learn more about the game lore. Few of the side-quests are too time consuming and didn't complete them but that is my only real complaint about the game. I did think the purple shadow textures look off, but it is not that big of a deal, it just shows the skill and education limits of the game designers more than anything. I really like the pasture your Pokémon are kept in. It is neat to walk by it and see some of the different ones you have collected. I also like the Feudal Japan style, it really works well. And I have to say, the amount of clothing and hair options is the best I think I have ever seen in Pokémon.

    This game has a couple flaws but no game is perfect and the good more than outweighs the bad. It is like the game designers actually tried to make something fans of Pokémon would love instead of a soulless cash-grab like Scarlet and Violet.

    Seriously, skip Scarlet and Violet, vote with your wallet and pick this game up. It is pretty much what a Pokémon game should be.    … Expand
  97. Prizmeta57
    Feb 19, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game got each member of my family pregnant including me buy if you want pregnant… Expand
  98. bocles
    Nov 22, 2022
    8
    Right of the bat my biggest critiques of this game are it could look better and the story is bland. But the overworld is addicting to explore, sneaking around and catching pokemon is fun, the battles are fun with the open camera with the liberty of moving around, the move animations are beautiful and impactful.

    This game is fun and a step in the right direction for pokemon, if they    Right of the bat my biggest critiques of this game are it could look better and the story is bland. But the overworld is addicting to explore, sneaking around and catching pokemon is fun, the battles are fun with the open camera with the liberty of moving around, the move animations are beautiful and impactful.

    This game is fun and a step in the right direction for pokemon, if they continue to polish this style of gameplay and create a story worth getting invested into they can create great games.    … Expand
  99. gian_pkr
    Dec 28, 2022
    8
    One of the best pokemon games so far. Graphic could be better (it would be a 10 with good graphic) but it has an amazing gameplay and performance are pretty stable and everything works fine. Hope for the future of pokemon games!
  100. lks8492
    Nov 26, 2022
    8
    Really refreshing. Love the gameplay. It's necessary step for the franchise.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 118 Critic Reviews

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