Pokmon Legends: Arceus | Critical Consensus

gamesindustry.biz:

Marie Dealessandri

Features Editor

Thursday 27th January 2022

Game Freak

Nintendo

The Pokmon Company

Pokémon Legends: Arceus comes out on Switch this Friday, the latest entry in a series that has seen highs and lows since its first outing in 1996.

Game Freak's latest title currently has a 86 score on Metacritic based on 41 reviews. As a comparison, 2019's Pokémon Sword and Shield stood quite high at 80, while the recently released remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl scored a little lower at 73.

It's worth mentioning that not all major outlets currently have a review out, with prominent publications such as Edge and Kotaku not given a code.

IGN's reporter Rebekah Valentine also mentioned that Nintendo restricted what could and could not be discussed at the time the review embargo lifted, which is worth keeping in mind when going through the reviews that have been published already.

The overall impression from critics who were able to go hands-on with Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a positive one, with the series taking a welcome step out of its comfort zone. But it is also an experience that suffers technically.

"Think of things you know about Pokémon. Series staples. There is every chance it is gone"

Alex Donaldson

In his 4/5 stars review for VG247, Alex Donaldson praised the drastic change in formula that Arceus represents, labelling it "one of the best Pokémon in years."

"Think of things you know about Pokémon," he wrote. "Series staples. There is every chance it is gone. Pokémon automatically changing forms when they hit certain requirements? Gone; it's now an opt-in process, where you evolve Pokémon through the menu once you're ready. Random encounters? Gone, replaced with Pokémon out on the overworld. Gym Battles? Gone; they