I started playing Pokemon when I was 12 years old. Back then the Game Boy was king. It was a time when playground and afterschool Pokemon battles raged worldwide. As I got older I continued to dabble in pokemon games, but somewhere around the releases of Ruby and Sapphire, the Pokemon formula became predictable and boring. Unlike some fans, I wasn’t bitter though and understood (reluctantly) that the franchise was always remixing itself for a new generation of fans.
Fast forward to 2022 and the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and it seems all the Pokemon fans new and (especially) old are excited that the game is switching up the formula a bit outside, money grabs, gimmicks, half-assed attempts, and whatever the chaotic madness Pokemon Go evolved into.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
I straight-up ignored any Pokémon Legends: Arceus information like I do most Pokemon-related stuff these days (unless it involves Charizard). I was encouraged by many friends (Azad and Ayana) to take a look, I did, was tempted, took a bite and now I am smitten. Twenty hours in and it gets better every time I sit down to play (and stream @ twitch.tv/jamaiplays).
Play it how you want to
Are you a min-maxing, pokemon breeding, shiny collecting, spreadsheet consulting kinda trainer? Then play Pokémon Legends: Arceus that way. Maybe you are leaning into the Breath of the Wild (which I haven’t played by the way) comparisons and just want to explore the open world – you can play it that way too. Are you a completionist who wants to research every pokemon and *drum roll* “catch ’em all”?… boy have you got your work cut out for you. Or are you like me with no real focus who switches it up frequently but wants to have fun whether I am doing sidequests or having a 3-hour photoshoot with my pokepals. This “choice” or different style of play is really what I think makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus so special and I hope I continue to enjoy it the more I play. It’s not without its faults, but I will explore those and more in a follow-up post once I have seen the credits roll.
I hope old and new Pokémon fans enjoy it for my behalf (as I stopped playing after Sun & Moon). The trailer and gameplay looks really good, I agree the formula has gotten stale but hopefully since this release, things will get better for the future of the franchise! [jamaica]
sucks that you stopped playing. I think you would really enjoy this game.
WOO! Loving this game. As a long time Pokémon fan I am so happy that they are willing to experiment like this.
I just really hope they build on this, for everything I like about this game there is something I wish was better or more polished:
1. If they had voice acting it would really help keep up with so much dialogue.
2. The graphics are pretty bad.
3. Please display multiple side quests at once (and perhaps indicate outside of the quest menu when you have completed it)
4. Pull quest items from the damn box!
5. Some form of multiplayer PvE style would be amazing. Something that could pull people for rift events or allow others to leave messages/markings to one another.
6. Where’s my Bulbasaur and Charizard? xD
all excellent points especially 6 and 4!
I think the game could have benefited from a little more polish and seemed rushed.