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

Time to beat: 20 hours Platform: Nintendo Switch Score: 83/100 Deaths: 2 Story - 9/10 The story in Pokemon legends Arceus is decent for a video game, but excellent for a pokemon game. This is up there with sun/moon and black/white. The main thing that carries the story for me is the epic moments backed with awesome-looking cutscenes (a first for pokemon!) and the writing. The writing isn't groundbreaking, nor will it make you have an existential crisis, but it's fun and leagues better than the games that preceded it. Gameplay - 9/10 The huge gameplay overhaul really did wonders for this game. The real-time catching mechanics, along with no transitions between battles make the game feel so fluid and way less tedious than other pokemon games. The decrease of battles in legends Arceus is a major benefit because now whenever I get into a battle, it feels much more intense. This also ties into the real-time catching mechanic because I have free choice over what pokemon to catch, I don't gain as much EXP compared to other games, so instead of being over-leveled and destroying everything that comes in my way, I am under-leveled and I really have to think to win a battle. Graphics - 5/10 Personally, I don't really care about the graphics that much, but it is pretty hard to overlook them. Pop in is really bad and pokemon in the distance move at a singular frame per second. The cutscenes do look very good though. Overall not very good but it never affected my enjoyment. Artstyle/direction - 6/10 I like the cel-shaded-ey art style, even though it can look blurry. Soundtrack - 10/10 It's a pokemon game. Those battle themes are so good when the battles get intense. Sound design - 7/10 Nothing mind-blowing, but nothing bad. Everything (for the most part) sounds like what is happening on screen. But man voice acting would've really helped. Extras - 10/10 So much to do. The free roam and the fun of catching pokemon in this game gives me a lot of inclination to complete the Pokedex. The side-quests are overall pretty good and I rarely ever didn't want to one. Overall fun factor - 10/10 I love this game. The overhaul the series needed and a huge refresher for fans. Highly recommend for both old and new fans of the series.