Nintendo’s flagship license is getting a breath of fresh air

Since the birth of Pokémon 25 years ago, it has been a long time since the release of a game from the license had aroused such expectation. In addition to numerous editions, reissues and despite some attempts to renew the saga (Pokémon Go, Pokémon Snap…), the Pokémon games follow one another without real risk-taking, relying on a formula that has proven to be very effective since years and which has even made it the most lucrative saga in history.

With Pokemon Legends: Arceus, available since Friday January 28 on Nintendo Switch, Game Freak, longtime developer of the franchise, finally upsets the codes by reinventing the quest for these familiar creatures in its very first “open world”. Usually quite “codified”, the game system evolves in depth and leaves no one indifferent. Does this new game keep its promises and does it mark the beginning of the revolution promised to fans?

While the Pokémon games have always been set in modern times, Pokemon Legends: Arceus returns to a past where Pokémon were certainly revered but considered dangerous creatures that should not be approached. The player lands in the region of Hisui – which will become Sinnoh, known in games Diamond and Pearl –, projected from the sky thanks to a spatio-temporal fault. A voice then instructs you to “search all Pokémon”. In the meantime, you settle in Rusti-cité, the headquarters of the Galaxie Group, which aims to study the Pokémon of the region. Because more than “catching them all”, you will above all have to compile the very first Pokédex in history by joining the Corps of Researchers. A new perspective, to help humans overcome their fears and live alongside Pokémon.

In this scenario, which is very different from the line of previous games, no more badges or arena champions: several “traditional” elements of the saga have been removed. We do not lose our brands, even if some new products will give the impression of living a new experience. It is by rising in rank as a researcher, by meeting Pokémon in specific conditions or by completing secondary quests that you can take new steps and explore the vast world of Hisui.

Wandering through tall grass without a Pokémon has never been more dangerous. You will come across wild creatures in the most fluid and realistic way for a long time, through the hills, marshes or even in the mountains of the region. It’s a big step forward and the biggest novelty of this opus, a vast and open world (with a few restrictions), drawing heavily on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or monster hunter rise. On the back of Pokémon, you will be able to cross mountains and rivers and list many Pokémon which, more than in any other role-playing game in the saga, react to you with distinctive behavioral quirks, like real creatures.

A total reimagining of how to capture and fight is added to the overhaul of gameplay. There are now multiple ways to catch a Pokémon: by directly throwing a Pokéball, or hiding, as some might even attack you and inflict damage to your character’s life bar. The fights, now in 3D, are more lively and faster than before. Arceus is certainly a more difficult game than its predecessors with Pokémon that inflict more damage and more complex mechanics (everything is explained during a tutorial as often far too long and talkative).

If the promise of a new revolutionary gameplay has been kept, the game still has some weaknesses. Some fans are disappointed with the graphics, deemed too lazy with its repetitive and simplistic textures. Despite the pastel and warm color palettes, the Hisui region graphics lack modernity, sporting a very “retrogaming” style. GameFreak does not seem to have found the right formula to enrich its 3D environments, this endless expanse of hills proving to be rather empty and depopulated with trainers to face.

However, through its audacity and its major developments, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is indeed essential like the Pokémon that we have always been waiting for: an immersive adventure punctuated by the fights of creatures in the middle of nature, as we had imagined it in our children’s minds. The Pokemon Company certainly does not offer the most visually accomplished game. But it is undeniably the most refreshing and addictive episode for a long time and lays the foundations for an unexpected revival of the franchise.

“Pokémon Legends: Arceus”, available on Nintendo Switch

Watch video of the video game releases for the month of February: