With “Pokémon Legends: Arceus”, Nintendo has set out to do nothing less than revolutionise its own game. While much is familiar, the Japanese game maker is attacking several key mechanics. Not all of the innovations are good, however…
Criticism is high, of the new game. Too empty lands, too little variety, too much grind and poor graphics. Anyone who read through tests of “Legends” was immediately put off. We give the all-clear: it’s not that bad. Since there are already enough tests, we as eSports want to look at the competitive aspect of the game and the future perspectives.
Tactically dull
Pokémon games have been around for 26 years. Changes have always come in small doses, sometimes a different graphic, better animated monsters, a permanent EP divider….
But there have always been Pokémon competitions, up to and including world championships with substantial prize money. However, Nintendo has completely removed the trainer-versus-trainer battle from its new game. Although you can compete against some NPCs from ancient Sinnoh, they are cardboard cutouts.
In “Legends” it’s all about collecting and fighting the wild monsters. The most challenging battles are against “elite Pokémon”, huge and improved versions of the monsters, which on top of that are usually far superior in level to your own team. It’s the only combat challenge, because you don’t want to defeat these monsters, you want to catch them. This requires a certain amount of strategy.
Combat system geared towards fast action
What Nintendo has turned on its head, however, is the battle system. At first glance, everyone can find their way around. Strengths/weaknesses are still unchanged, monsters still have 6 status values. Although the approximate direction of the point distribution is still correct, the values differ a few counters from the familiar ones.
The actual battles are the biggest difference: Each attack drains Pokémon of an unusually high number of health points. If you make use of strengths, the opponent’s Pokémon is often immediately defeated. Level differences also seem to have a much greater impact, at least in terms of attack.
Nintendo focuses on fast battles that don’t care much about hypnosis and light shields, which are used for your own defence. If you hit fast and hard, you win.
From a strategic point of view, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, then, is really boring. Unlike what you’re used to, it’s possible to build a perfect team prepared for all eventualities and never switch Pokémon again. No monster, no trainer and no boss ever become dangerous. In my game, the character never died, but there are still 60 hours to play.
What is really impressive
Nintendo completely breaks the usual system of a Pokémon game. Free movement, Pokémon running around, action-packed battles: “Legends” is the biggest and boldest step the franchise has ever taken.
Those who pick up the new edition of Diamond in parallel will be completely blindsided: The old gameplay feels dusty, linear, stodgy and outdated in direct comparison with “Arceus”.
In Legends, Nintendo “forces” the player to catch really different and as many Pokémon as possible for the first time. Completing the Pokédex is the basic game mechanic and also prevents progress in the story if lazy. In addition, similar but specific things must always be “observed” for each Pokémon. For example, a Garados must perform “Wet Tail” as an attack to complete the entry.
What’s really bad
The Grind. While I never had problems making general items as many tests suggest, the player has to constantly collect something. And as Nintendo already tests this well in other games, certain materials become scarce.
Collecting enough “fitlauch”, which trainers absolutely need for stimulants and potions, becomes the only goal of the game in between. And in a game where Pokémon are constantly knocked out and lose hundreds of health points with one attack, these are the most important items apart from Pokéballs. To top it all off:
A farm round through the starter area yields an estimated 20-30 Fitlauch in 15-20 minutes of play. Totally unnecessary.
Equally unnecessary is the compulsion to catch and explore ALL Pokémon to complete the game. 242 different Pokémon with 10 exploration levels each, some of which can only be obtained through evolution, that’s easily 100-200 hours of play. Half of that is an exhausting grind. And after already having caught 240 (most of them you need twice and three times), the always similar catching process doesn’t get more exciting either.
The Conclusion
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is fun. It brings Pokémon into a new age. “Good” is still not what I can call it. It’s an excellent way for casual players to pass the time, because it’s fun to go on an expedition and follow the story. However, it is also a pointless grind and hardly contains any strategy.
Those who remember the early days of Pokémon: back then you won the game with a Turtok level 100. Now you can do that again. Every player also needs to know: Very few will finish the game, and you have to free yourself from that desire. “Finishing a game” no longer seems to be a relevant game goal for Nintendo. For all casual gamers who want to get something out of a game for a very long time, the €50 purchase price is therefore fine.
What remains is hope: If Nintendo continues the new development, the next Pokémon game from the Japanese will be absolutely phenomenal and great. Provided they don’t get greedy (again).
