I’ve been a Pokémon fan since elementary school; I’d trade cards on the playground and keep my Nintendo DS glued to my side with the latest entry in the series. I’m definitely not alone in my Pokémon fever, as the series is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. However, as I grew up, I never felt like Pokémon grew with me — until, finally, Game Freaks heard my plea. “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” for the Nintendo Switch, has ushered in a new era for Pokémon, and I couldn’t be more excited to keep playing.
Rather than focusing on becoming the greatest trainer in the region by defeating gym leaders, “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” returns to the root of Pokémon — that classic catchphrase “gotta catch ‘em all.” You play as a young researcher for the Galaxy Team in the ancient Hisui region, and your goal is to create the very first Pokédex. For those unfamiliar with the series, the Pokédex is a catalog of every Pokémon in a region, detailing their stats, moves and appearance. The device is omnipresent in the games, but this is the first time I have ever felt truly motivated to complete my Pokédex thanks to both the deceptively simple gameplay and the incredible worldbuilding the game successfully packs in.
Hisui happens to be the land that will eventually become the Sinnoh region, making this game technically a prequel to “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl,” but the variety of Pokémon spans every generation of the series. Each of the starters is from a different generation, and although I immediately fell in love with the timid-yet-powerful “fire mouse Pokémon” Cyndaquil, Oshawott and Rowlet are strong representatives for water and grass type fans.
Even the tutorial that Pokémon fans will be all too familiar with has changed. Instead of simply choosing your starter, you have to catch it as the game teaches you how to throw Poké Balls. After that, it’s definitely not your typical hopping town-to-town as “Legends: Arceus” immediately throws you into its surprisingly compelling story with minimal direction.
Core gameplay consists of traveling to a new area of Hisui to catch and battle Pokémon, reporting your findings, increasing your rank and calming surprisingly tough Pokémon that serve as the “lords” of an environment. As you continue to make progress on your Pokédex and raise your rank within Galaxy Team, you’re presented with more and more nuanced ethical dilemmas, and the main quest line often positions you as the mediator between the two ruling clans of the region.
The game is the franchise’s first attempt at a semi-open world game with freely wandering enemies not unlike “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” but it’s detailed enough to be far more than a copycat. Combat is similar to the usual turn-based battle system of Pokémon, in which the player chooses which Pokémon will battle and the moves they use each turn before waiting until their opponent is finished. However, now some real-time action has been added to the mix. Each Pokémon has a different personality, so players must carefully determine when it’s their turn to stealthily traverse the tall grass for a sneak attack or when it’s time to launch into battle by throwing a Pokémon at an opponent. This is all done seamlessly in the world, without cutscenes, loading screens or different menus.
Unlike its predecessors, this game also puts the player in danger. Instead of gyms, the culmination of each area in Hisui is a battle against an enraged Pokémon. Players must throw balms to calm down the Pokémon while dodging its attacks and attempting to throw your Pokémon into battle when an opening pops up. Regardless of whether you’re battling Pokémon or calming them, battles are actually challenging. In my play-through, I’ve already blacked out numerous times and have had a party full of fainted Pokémon, which hasn’t happened to me in a Pokémon game in years. If your party faints and you’re out of revives, you’re out of luck, as the game doesn’t automatically send you to the nearest camp to heal.
There is a slew of other new game mechanics that also change up the battles: strong and agile style moves add a layer of strategy while baiting Pokémon with crafted treats can distract them for an easier catch or send them scurrying away. Crafting is a welcome new addition to the game that’s integrated naturally and is genuinely vital to gameplay. It’s impossible to complete the Pokédex without Poké Balls, which can’t be crafted unless you find materials. Although you can buy items, the economy is balanced perfectly — money is difficult to earn and items can get expensive, but this depends greatly on your level of investment.
Money is earned by completing research tasks and reporting them to Professor Laventon, the head of Galaxy Team’s research department. A Pokémon’s page in the Pokédex isn’t complete until the player reaches research level 10, which is done by accomplishing a variety of tasks. These include catching and battling Pokémon, but extend to using specific moves, feeding them treats and finding different forms. As you progress through the Pokédex and complete entries, you raise your rank in Galaxy Team, allowing you to unlock new areas and progress the story.
While the gameplay shines, the story is equally interesting. Pokémon games have never really been known for impressive writing, but “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” adds nuance and worldbuilding in ways the series has yet to truly nail. Beyond the mysterious and compelling main storyline is a vast number of side quests that keep things fresh, never falling into a formula. Whether you’re searching for the cure to a Psyduck’s headache or investigating a strange form of Ponyta, there are hints about the world surrounding you along the way. Dialogue is smarter than ever before, introducing ethical debates that have never been considered in previous games and explaining the lore behind game mechanics that will be familiar to longtime fans.
The only disappointments are occasional bugs and the fact that the visuals leave something to be desired. The art style is meant to be simple, again calling to mind the cell-shaded design of “Breath of the Wild.” Where the game fails is distant landscapes, which are often blurrier and emptier than one might hope. This makes the multiple methods of traversal — flying, fish riding, climbing — momentarily refreshing until your camera gets stuck in between a tree and a hill. Invisible barriers not only make the world smaller than it appears but are also often the cause of frustrating bugs. Nevertheless, these issues are minor and rarely detract from the game.
The game makes so many refreshing changes to the Pokémon formula that it feels like an entirely new series. The days of Technical Machines and forgetting moves are long gone in favor of a system that allows you to change moves whenever you want. Held items is another lost system, with cakes, charms and potions taking their place. While many aspects of the series that fans have become familiar with aren’t present, this is a step in the right direction for the Pokémon franchise. The game does so much right that it doesn’t need filler systems to make it unique. Instead, it presents a thought-provoking story, immersive world and speedy gameplay loop that will leave you satisfied whether you play for 20 minutes or eight hours.
“Pokémon Legends: Arceus” is the opposite of a return to form. Rather, it’s a return to the core of what makes Pokémon so magical — the sense of discovery and awe that one can only get from entering a completely new world. This is the Pokémon that fans have been begging for since childhood, and I’m inclined to agree with the hype. The world of Pokémon finally feels like a living, breathing universe, and I can only hope that the series continues in this exciting direction.
Daily Arts Writer Harper Klotz can be reached at hkklotz@umich.edu.