4.5/5 ★ – AzulAzuril's review of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

This was a Pokémon experience that I had spent years waiting for. By changing up the game and making the focus on filling out the Pokédex through various research tasks, I found the gameplay to be so addictive. Exploring Sinnoh in this old-timey environment is such a fun way to reuse an old environment, and I loved getting to meet and interact with ancestors of existing Pokémon characters. The story had enough intrigue and mystery to keep me exploring, and I love some of the new evolutions and forms of Pokémon they introduced. I also found that the additions of Strong and Agile styles to the battle system added a new level of strategy to the game. I also enjoy how much faster paced this game is than the past few entries in the series and I like how everything in the game can be completed in single player (no more trade evolutions!). This just felt like one of the most fresh and complete Pokémon games in years. The game is not without its flaws. The game struggles on a technical level, with some Pokémon having frame rate issues. The lighting engine in the game can only be described as wonky, with some rocks appearing reflective at times. The decision to make the game’s art style like Japanese watercolor is a good idea, but in practice lots of environments and textures look washed out. Thankfully, the game is so good that these issues don’t drag it down too much, but the game would be near perfect if the graphics and frame rate could be at the level they need to be at.