Is Pokémon Legends: Arceus Worth It?
PHOTO COURTESY OF Pokemon Official Website: Of the Game
March 1, 2022
Pokémon Legends: Arceus released on January 12, 2022, a little less than a year after it’s initial announcement last February.
Legends: Arceus takes place in the fictional Hisui Region. Players are tasked with catching and documenting all of the 242 available Pokémon that can be found throughout the region. Unlike the traditional mainline titles, however, there’s no gym battles or random trainer encounters. Instead, there’s a bigger emphasis on exploration and wild Pokemon battles. The bulk of the game’s marketing focused on the different 3D open world environments, new Pokémon regional forms, and the gameplay alterations like crafting and the ability to manipulate turn order that made it stand out from previous entries.
“I think it’s a great game,” said COMPASS junior Mathew Martinez. “The open world nature they decided to take works, but it’s linear in a way that’s understandable to players.”
So far, the game has been generally well received. Players have praised the new gameplay alterations, the more advanced difficulty, and how different the game feels from past mainline games. However, they have also criticized the graphics, recurring bugs and glitches, and lackluster world design that feels somewhat empty at times.
I personally found the game to be a refreshing break from the series’ norm. It altered or removed most of the problems that I had with past entries and is overall a fun game for those who don’t mind the less than stellar graphics and the occasional bug glitches. I believe that whether or not you’ll personally enjoy this game depends on whether or not you like Pokémon. If you like the idea of an open world game with Pokémon, then Legends: Arceus will probably be satisfactory. If you care more about the open-world aspects than the Pokémon themselves, this game might not live up to you’re expectations.
As of now, Pokémon Legends has sold over 6.5 million copies, making it one of the fastest-selling Pokémon games and the second best-selling Nintendo Switch game in Japan. It’s likely that it will go on to further influence the future of the series, both for better and for worse.
The game is available at retail stores including Target and Walmart and it can be purchased digitally from the Nintendo eShop for $60. The latest trailer can be watched here.
Aidan Stickley • Mar 8, 2022 at 12:34 pm
March 4th, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor.
In issue 3/1/22 (published March 1, 2022), Rebecca Wilson wrote an article titled “Is Pokemon Legends: Arceus Worth it?” The article goes in-depth to weigh out the good and the bad of the game to try to discover if it is actually worth its sixty-dollar price tag. From reading the article, I have earned that it is an open-world game with the goal of catching all of the pokemon available to you. Allowing for an open world gives it a level of replayability that many other games at this time cant offer. New mechanics in the game also allow for a fresh way to play the game and further increases replayability through the mentioned crafting and turn manipulation. The article also asks a person’s opinion on it, and from his opinion, I can also tell that it is a good game as there is no reason to lie about you liking the game or not in that situation. Sadly some drawbacks to the game are the graphics getting worse and the open-world feeling very empty at times, both of which are serious drawbacks. Overall I think the game could be a good purchase and very enjoyable if you are interested in the open-world feeling.
Sincerely,
Aidan Stickley, Grade 11
Chambers • Mar 7, 2022 at 4:02 pm
In Issue 5/2022 (published November 20, 2020), Rebecca Wilson wrote an article titled “Is Pokémon Legends: Arceus Worth It?” The article gives a quick summary of the gameplay within the new main-series Pokémon game. I was super excited to see this article. I love this game and have a deep affinity for the Pokémon series as a whole. I like how the author, when writing about their opinion on the game, acknowledges other points of view, rather than just their own. I know I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back, haha. I personally think the graphics are stellar, and the best we’ve ever seen in the series. I agree with Mathew Martinez, the open world approach to the series is welcomed. Even if it’s just the wild area we got in Pokémon Sword and Shield, being able to see the Pokémon actually walking around makes the experience that much more immersive. But with Legends, the player can actually interact with these Pokémon in a new and exciting way. There’s so many small details within this title that I hope in some way we’ll see in the future. I know not all are into the series for the characters, but personally the detail of the NPC’s looking at your Pokémon when you send them out will never not be the cutest thing. And when your party Pokémon interact with each other, that’s adorable. I appreciate that the author didn’t spoil the story, and gave resources to buy the game at the end. Legends: Arceus really is something you have to experience for yourself. But as mentioned in the article, this game is very different and not for all fans. Let us all look forward to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, where we can hopefully meet in the middle.
Zachary Upson • Mar 7, 2022 at 3:37 pm
March 7, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor,
In issue number 5 (published on March 1, 2022), author Rebecca Wilson talks about the newest installment in the Pokemon series called, Pokemon Legends Arceus. The game released on January 12, 2022 that introduces a new open world aesthetic for players to experience. A COMPASS junior named Matthew Martinez says, “I think it’s a great game. The open world nature they decided to take works, but it’s linear in a way that’s understandable to players.” The game is being praised by most players for being significantly different from the games that came out earlier in the series. However, it is also receiving criticism for being full of glitches and having an empty feeling when you are traversing the world. Rebecca gives her own opinion of the game in which she says, ̈I personally found the game to be a refreshing break from the series’ norm. It altered or removed most of the problems that I had with past entries and is overall a fun game…. ” So far, Pokemon Legends Arceus has already sold over 6.5 million copies. I appreciate that Rebecca talked about the upsides and the downsides of the game and gave a thorough explanation on how the gameplay works. It is nice to see that the Pokemon series is taking a different approach from its previous games.
Sincerely,
Zachary Upson, Grade 11