“Pokémon Legends: Arceus” is an open-world game that provides its players with
exciting adventure, despite occasionally falling short in its animations and visuals.
The game begins with a character falling through space-time, drifting as the player gets closer to a hole beneath them. As one enters the hole, they emerge in the vast lands
of Hisui, where wild Pokémon roam.
As a Pokémon trainer, the player is tasked with stamping out the nobles that have been attacking Hisui for years. The player works their way back in time, at least 100 years before humans came to respect and live with Pokémon.
The story continues as the player attempts to beat five legendary Pokémon. To do so, one must gather stars on their research badge, earned by completing tasks such as catching new Pokémon and using certain moves in battle. In a subversion of the typical role-playing game plot, one enjoys a few minutes of excitement and celebration.
The game is well-written and comments on relevant themes of modern society, touching on subjects such as religious differences.
Unfortunately, the visuals and graphics in “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” do not live up to Nintendo’s ridiculously high standards set by other open-world games, such as “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”
Though the game’s graphics are good from a distance, they are disappointing when viewed up close. The game doesn’t run smoothly, with frames frequently getting dropped, especially when a Pokémon is moving in the background of a scene. There’s also some extremely frustrating lag, especially during the final noble battle.
“Pokémon Legends: Arceus” isn’t perfect, but it provides excitement for future open-world Pokémon titles, especially if they continue to explore the interesting relationship between humans and Pokémon.
Besides its visual shortcomings, “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” remains a great game.