Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends Arceus has our main character going further back into the past than any pokemon game before it. Or for that matter any game can after it, on this adventure our main character is asked to assist in making the first ever pokedex, an encyclopedia on every pokemon out in the wilderness of the Hisuan region, the oldest known region in pokemon history. 

Perhaps the strangest part of Pokemon Arceus is that this is where the series feels most at home. For the first time in many years Pokemon has reworked the old formula. It’s now more the open exploration, and hunt for pokemon that many fans have called for for a long time. The ability to see what you are trying to catch rather than rely on random chances, as you did in the game of old, is a welcome change for those of us more after old favorites or simply not interested in every pokemon.

The game is not without flaws. The characters often leave much to be desired. And the graphics overall lack of visual quality have been age old issues that even I, having been buried in the story, have begun to notice. The unnecessary long tutorial is back, and the alleged differences between the clans feel paper thin. I found choosing between the two clans difficult simply because I felt I knew almost nothing about them. Some members of the Pearl clan were fantastic, others were lackluster. The same was true of the Diamond clan. But neither seem guided by any clan principle, only a few personal ideals at the best of times. 

Despite its flaws there is no taking away that this was the most fun I had with a pokemon game in a long while. Certainly a game worth picking up for new and old members of the franchise.