For many years now, fans of the Pokémon series have been calling out for the games to undergo more than just a cosmetic change or two. We saw some of that come to fruition with Pokémon Sword and Shield, but not enough to really cause waves. Thankfully, the foundations have now been laid for the series’ future with the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Now, instead of simply wandering on over to a monster to start a battle, there are a handful of different ways you can approach them. Sometimes, you’ll simply want to hide in the tall grass and fling a Pokéball, hoping that it will take the target Pokémon by surprise and be enough to add them to your collection. Other times, you’ll want to distract with a berry or other food item, so you have a better chance of getting them on-side. And of course, there are times when you’ll have no choice other than to take them on in battle, wearing them down to progress in your journey. It’s a welcome and long-overdue change to proceedings.
Part of the beauty in seeing these Pokémon roam freely across the land is that they’re now allowed a level of personality unlike anything we’ve seen in a game before. Fans of the television show will of course know these creatures to be emotive and unique and so, finally bringing that level of detail to the gaming platform is sure to put a smile on the faces of those playing.
Whilst the title has been pitched as an open world one by many, it doesn’t quite reach the level of freedom some might expect when this label is assigned. There are a handful of different areas that you can choose to explore and, when you do so, you do have free will to roam around as you see fit. There is absolutely still a very linear approach to Arceus’ narrative, however.
Still, the addition of side quests is a welcome one, bringing yet another layer of immersion to what is undoubtedly the most immersive Pokémon game the world has ever seen - Pokémon Go included. If you want to spend some time doing favours for Hisui locals rather than progressing through the campaign, then you’re allowed to do exactly that - to a point. There will be certain points in the story you have to hit to unlock corresponding side quests, but the fact remains that there is always plenty to do and, with that, a fair amount of choice.
Another big change that has finally arrived is with the revamp of the battling system. Perhaps the most exciting is the opportunity to change out any Pokémon’s move-set outside of battles, so that any moves they have learned to that point can be swapped in and out of their active four with ease. With action at the centre of all that you do in this game, battles are more challenging than they’ve been before; and that’s something developers should be immensely proud of.
Perhaps ones of the game’s biggest failings however, is in its setting. The lands are vast but ultimately bland; where there is opportunity to add a splash of colour and excitement to proceedings, developers have instead opted for a more subdued tone which is unfortunately to the game’s detriment.
In cementing such a strong build to expand upon in the future however, the Pokémon game series has never been more impressive. It’s been hard to see how the franchise would evolve in the past but now, it’s clearer than ever; Arceus lays out the path for more instalments in the years to come and, if they take all of the good from what’s on offer here and add to that, Game Freak will continue winning.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available now, exclusive to Nintendo Switch consoles. A code fo rthe game was given to Female First in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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