Legends Arceus First Impressions and General Reviews Thread

[Nicolas721]

Hi guys, as you know the game is released today or tomorrow depending on were you live. Therefore I decided to create this thread so you can write about your first hours in the game and your opinions on them, and when you finish it you can also come back here to post your general thoughts. Remember to keep spoilers to a minimum for a few days.

Have a nice day!

 

[MrMeowPuss]

I got the game and starting to play just now, will be sure to share my impressions after a few hours of play!

 

[lisianthus]

disclaimer: Got the game a week early. tried not to post spoilers~
Posted this in another thread. I've been active in the leak and datamine threads, but I think I can actually share my thoughts to the general world now.

My review (based off of playing the game for around an hour and completing what I think is the tutorial):
This game is legitimately super good. There's some surprise twists at the start but they do make sense.
Throwing Pokeballs is awesome. The HD rumble adds to the experience.
I like the new battling style as well!
Camera looks great, models look great, Jubilife looks very lifelike.
10/10 game, it'll probably become my favorite Pokemon game. I really recommend buying it.

Adding onto this with more than 15 hours now, I love the Ride Pokémon (whatever they're called?). I love Basculegion's double jump feature, pretty neat. Also I like how throwing/aiming slows down while on Basculegion.
Wrydeer is super convenient to escape from almost being brutally murdered by Pokémon.
If you're not careful, you could die. I just exit out of the game before lol. It's def a good balance on the easy/hard level.
I like how I get a free Shiny from a quest! Might go on a Shiny run sometime???
Def my favorite Pokemon game, and honestly just game in general now. No game has captivated me like this one.
The soundtrack is BEAUTIFUL as well. The Heartwood's BGM reminds me of the Karate Kid 2's soundtrack, with the cool instrument that I think is a Japanese flute (fue).
I was really skeptical of the storyline at first but it honestly works very, very well. I absolutely LOVE how it's set in Meiji-era Hokkaido. So cool~

Really just a 12/10 game. Absolutely beautiful. It's perfect as it is but if there's DLC that would be amazing as well.
Let's go to Hisui!!

 

[indigohex3]

I am in Australia (which is in the Asia-Pacific region), so it has already been released here and got it at EB Games Watergardens about 3 hours (had to get credit for my phone as well, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and get the phone credit while I was at the shopping centre). I have started the game and already up to the first mission, which involves catching three species of Pokemon (Forgot what they are) . The beginning is pretty heavy on the cut scenes which is okay, but looks very good from the first half hour of the game. But it is a bit difficult, but I will get used to it.

 

[Esiouqrut]

My copy should arrive tomorrow at best, so I'll share my first-hand impression then. But I've seen some people played it already and so far I like what I saw, apart from the beginning tutorial which is kind of slow.

 

[MrMeowPuss]

So I’m just under 5 hours in and really enjoying it so far. I actually haven’t done that much mission wise and been mainly just focusing on exploring and catching Pokémon. Here’s what I think so far:

Gameplay - This is definitely it’s strongest area. The Pokémon battles feel so good and natural. I love how you can just run up to a Pokémon then choose to either throw a Pokeball at them or an actual Pokémon.

I also like how if two wild Pokémon are right near you and you imitate a battle, it will be a two on one battle. I’m not sure if you can throw another Pokémon out and make it a double battle but I’ll give it a try next time.

The whole strong/agile style mechanic is really fun and I like how if you want to run from a battle you can simply do that without selecting run. Being able to walk around during the battle and choose the best viewpoint is great too.

Alpha Pokémon are really fun to battle and catch and a good challenge that isn’t frustrating. It’s a nice touch that you can choose when to evolve a Pokémon which is great for ones like Eevee!

Graphics wise I’d say it’s just like SWSH and not really an upgrade in any way although I don’t mind it. I feel like they’ve focused on imrpoving gameplay first which I agree with, hopefully future games will focus more on graphics/art style.


That’s about it for now and trying to have a short break before I start again!

 

[MrMeowPuss]

One more thing I forgot to mention regarding moves (I’m not sure if we need the spoiler tags here but will do it just in case)

I love how your Pokémon can learn more than 4 moves now and you can easily select which ones you want them to know. This is such a great feature and really hope it sticks for future games along with all the new battle mechanics.

 

[techitisJ]

I'm about 3 and a half hours in and am enjoying it thus far. It's so easy to just get lost while exploring the world and catching Pokemon. I finished up my first research outing having caught 26 Pokemon. Honestly probably got a little carried away. But I had a lot of fun with it. The controls were a little hard to get used to at first, and I still find myself making little mistakes (the placement of the crouch button and the dash button annoy me and should be able to be switched), but overall I'm getting the hang of it.

 

[Dizzard]

I like what I've played so far (I'm about to fight Kleavor so not too far into the game yet), although I'm not really sold on the pokedex research side of it, it seems like a lot of busywork that isn't all that exciting. At least you don't have to do all of the research tasks, just enough to get to 10 points.

The gameplay itself and the QOL changes are very welcome though. Even though I keep forgetting to evolve my Pokemon now that they no longer evolve automatically...

I could see myself really loving a game like this but with more of a focus on battling and less on pokedex research. (so basically what gen 9 might end up being)

 

[CynthiaLover]

I'm about 3-ish hours into the game (as I wasn't able to get back home right away to play when Gamestop opened due to needing to help my folks). I've been going in totally blind, and I'm glad I did, as avoiding all spoilers (sans the Starter evos... damn Youtube...) is making this even more enjoyable. In terms of where I am in-story I just beat Mai and her Munchlax. If it wasn't for Cyndaquil burning it right away the battle could've gone a whole lot differently, as I was NOT expecting Munchlax to know Rollout. I've been spending most of my time gathering materials and ingredients for crafting and whatnot while also catching and battling what I can, trying to fill out information and whatnot. Time to give my own breakdown.

Gameplay: 10/10. This is one of the most well-designed gameplay styles GF has ever done. The various QoL changes (such as being able to freely adjust the moves of your Mons) has been wonderful. Battles are really much more fun now, what with the whole turn speed cool-down mechanic. I haven't dabbled much with Strong/Agile Styles but what little I have done shows just how good they are. I'm also really enjoying crafting more than I thought I would, which has resulted in me running around gathering materials like there's no tomorrow. Reminds me a bit of the Alchemy Pot from DQ8. Also I like the fact that this game is not and open-world game like BotW but rather similar to Monster Hunter (even though I've never played that franchise), where you have a "base" and the various areas are sectioned into different chunks. I find that more enjoyable, tbh. I was getting kinda tired of open-world games oversaturating the market so this is a nice change of pace. While the dex research is a tad repetitive at times it's still more interesting than just catching the Mon and being done with it. Overall, gameplay is solid.

Graphics: 7/10. This is definitely the low point of the game. The graphics aren't bad per se, but they're not quite what I'd expect. However, I also remember that this game was designed by GF: graphics and GF competence don't mix, so I'm willing to accept it. Compared to past Pokemon Switch games, however, it is definitely a step in the right direction. Could've used a bit more polish but the graphics are pretty good all things considering.

Story: 9/10. While I'm not very far what I've experienced so far is quite good. The story's quality is spot-on, right up there with SM but not quite BW. It certainly doesn't sugarcoat the life-and-death aspects that Hisui gives off, which is both quite dark and quite refreshing. The characters I've encountered so far have also been solid. However, again, I'm only near the first Alpha Pokemon bit so I wouldn't be surprised if the story gets better as I go along. Again, not quite BW level but overall the story so far has been well done.

Audio: 10/10. The soundtrack is AMAZING! If there's one thing that GF does right with its games it's the soundtrack. Their record for good audio is impeccable and this game is no exception. If anything, I'd rank the audio right up there with Gen 5 in terms of quality and variety. Really, everything just feels so good in your ears, from little jingles to battle music and everything in between. GF gets a gold star on this one, for sure.

Overall, I'm thoroughly enjoying Legends: Arceus. Easily one of the best games GF has ever done. While I'm not very far I'm very pleased with what I've seen and experienced. GF really did a good job here. This better become the new standard for their games or I know fan backlash will be enormous (well, more than usual, anyway). Overall, good work, GF, as you finally got out of your comfort zones by breaking new ground and pulled out a winner.

 

[PokeAmi]

Finally got to play not long ago after waiting forever for my job to be finished! And I love it! I'm not that far into the game yet. Out doing the research tasks after speaking with Kamado for the first time.

What I'm surprised about how fun it is to just catch Pokémon now, even if I'm just catching the 15th Wurmple in a row now. They made the catching mechanics in this game so engaging that I just can't stop throwing Poke Balls at everything!
I really hope they use this for the next games too moving forward.

I think the graphics are fine, but definitely rough some places and a little bit glitcy someplace, like often when a Pokémon it's trying to jump away from my PokeBalls it's looks a bit more like it's glitching then actually jumping to the side.
Looks much better when seeing the game yourself than via YouTube though.

It's past midnight here now and I have to go to work too. It's gonna be a looong day at work 'cause I'm already so excited to just thinking about continue playing!

 

[Daren]

So I got a good 150 minutes or so today. First impressions are...

...very positive.

Spoiler

This is preliminary so maybe something will go change later but so far I have mostly have good thoughts:
*The maps seem...significantly larger than expected. It might feel smaller once I get my hands on a faster way to move but the Obsidian Fields feel like they might be on par with or even larger than the Crown Tundra.
*The research tasks haven't proven as repetitive as I feared--I suspect because you get paid for capturing Pokémon, items for winning battles, etc. So far they feel like a good incentive to switch your party around to rank up, try different moves and capture methods, defeat different enemies to see what they drop, and so on.
*The writing is pulling significantly fewer punches than I expected. The lengthy forced tutorial doesn't bother me nearly as much as Sun/Moon because there's some decent tension here. It's more like the very lengthy openings of something like Suikoden V in that regard (not as good but also probably nowhere near as long).
*Love how we have a paid move tutor who gets more moved as the story advanced.
*I already like Effort Levels waaay more than the traditional IV/EV system--I never liked the way EVs seemed to weaken balanced Pokémon compared to the first 2 gens and the system is a lot easier to read in the UI. Too bad I suspect they'll stay in Legends.
*Level scaling seems fixed. It appears once you gain a few levels over a Pokémon exp gain drops significantly but underleveled ones ctach up fairly fast--again, reminds me of Suikoden, which is a good thing. Hard to say if it'll last though.
*I was a bit worried about the shrunk move list but I think it'll work out; it seems to me they're moving of removing moves that are too similar to others, especially of the same type, or redundant, like Harden+Iron Defense+Defense Curl all existing. We'll see how it goes longterm.
*Catching feels very good, so capturing the same species multiple times isn't as annoying; there's no big "you caught X" screen or request to nickname so it flows very well.
*Being able to rename your party on the fly is wonderful, the new move system is wonderful, the QOL in this game is a massive leap.
*Similarly, the wild Pokémon feel more threatening than ususal; my team tends to get banged up even by Pokémon quite a few levels lower. Again, we'll see how this last.

In general the game feels like an adventure in a way I haven't felt from the series in a long time. The world is big and wonderful but dangerous.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

I went into this game not sure what I was going to think of it, but it's really been a whole lot of fun so far. It just feels good to play. Does that sound weird? This won't be a very organized review. Just wanted to share 1st impressions; really.

I've wanted seamless battles for a while and they work out so well. There's something really satisfying about walking around and adjusting the camera as your pokemon battle that just makes the whole thing feel fresh and satisfying.

Quests have been better than expected too. While many seem like fetch quests on the surface they all seem to unlock useful features and/or add to the story in an interesting way. Plus there's been some unique ones as well.

I'm also having a lot more fun with the photo mode than I expected. You can make your pokemon 'play dead'; lol. It's so cute to watch them plop down on the ground. I've been switching in different pokemon to see their animations.

Story: So far, it's been refreshingly a bit more mature than previous entries. I'm very interested to see how that continues.

Spoiler: Pokedex Review

Getting a 'complete' pokedex (research level 10) has usually not been too big of a deal. There are some rarer pokemon that I've had difficulty spawning (such as Eevee). I'm not sure how I'm going to do theirs (maybe they are more common in a different area?). My only real issue is that my completionist brain wants to 100% the research tasks right away and I don't think that's what is intended by any means. It seems kind of hard to grind a specific pokemon. It seems like most tasks are just something that you have to complete over time.

I like that each Pokemon has their own variety of tasks so its not all the same, but again, my completionist brain wants to do them all and I constantly forget what I'm suppose to do for each one. I think I'll get use to it eventually. At least accessing the Pokedex is pretty quick and there's a shortcut to it while targeting a Pokemon.

Don't get me wrong; over all I like it. On paper it sounds like it would get boring or tedious, but gameplay is sped up so much in every little way, fighting random pokemon and catching them actually feels fun. It just works.

Spoiler: Unexpected challenges

Item management: Having a limited inventory space again feels strange? I'm not sure if I like it. There's an NPC you can pay to give you extra slots and I'm not sure how high it goes. There's a surprisingly large variety of items and you start with very little slots. The slots can stack, so it's per unique item, but even though I've added like 6 slots, I'm still running out of space and unable to pick up crafting items occasionally. Again, I think I'm just going to have to get into the mindset of throwing stuff into storage before I leave each time. In that sense, it reminds me of a mystery dungeon game.

EVERY WILD POKEMON IS A THREAT. Danger is everywhere. You are never safe. Level 4 pokemon were two or three shoting me at level 20. Stray too far from the path and you can bump into a level 60 alpha pokemon. I just got into the second area and it was madness. Rocks being hurled at me; getting poisoned. It's pretty easy to just run away if you're in danger, but you definitely have to stay on your toes. High level pokemon can have the advantage and attack in a fight before you're able to even attempt throwing a pokeball. I've also had to use a bunch of revives. Very early in the game, I got myself into a 4v1 battle.

Even though the ATB system seems like it would just be the same old same old with a small twist; that actually isn't the case. Everything is very familiar, and yet; also different. I'm loving it.

 

[Joker901]

So. The game is interesting and the gameplay is really captivating. The graphics however are really bad, the rendering is terrible and distracts you while exploring. I've spent more than 11 hours and I still have to find Ursaluna. So I would give this game a 7.5/8. It's a good direction with terrible graphics.

 

[Cute Charm]

I've only played it for about 12 hours off and I'm only up to Liligant. But from what what I played of it, I really like it. It's diffrent.

Sure some of the graphics could use polish and there are a ton of glitches I've found (I hit a tree and a Bidoof just flew off like Poochie) but other than that it's a really fun game that the trailers really did no justice for.

 

[Nicolas721]

I'm 4 hours in and the game is certainly different from the others, but in a good way. Overworld battles, more immersive catching and Pokemon having different behaviours is something one wouldn't expect from Game freak for a few years more, but here they are and they work very well! The styles are also fantastic and do an excellent job of making battles less simple, I'm sure I'll miss them in future games. The game has a very clear "How do we make this 25 year old mechanic more engaging?" mentaility which I feel is extremely beneficial to the franchise.

Another positive is the characters and the world and how you interact with them. It's a Pokemon game so you're still some kind of chosen one, but not everyone is licking your boots all the time. Some characters treat you more as an adult, others ask for help but not in a "I'm too weak and you're a god" way and others directly oppose you and judge your actions. You can be a badass but without feeling the world revolves around you, and that's a giant step compared to the latest generations.

It has a couple flaws, but nothing too big or disappointing:

• The beginning is really slow-paced.
• The day-night cycle is a bit too short, which kinda defeats the purpose of controlling it from your camp, since it's possible it changes while you explore.
• You can't use Heavy Balls in battle. Why? I know there is an in-game reason but I don't see any convincing arguments why you couldn't.
• Pokemon distribution could be a bit better. The only surprising thing I saw in the first zone was a Drifloon.
• There should be an Amie-like feature or at least a watered-down version of it. It could have been used for giving insight into the Pokemon's favorite foods.

 

[Cute Charm]

You can't use Heavy Balls in battle. Why? I know there is an in-game reason but I don't see any convincing arguments why you couldn't.

I caught a shiny Geodude in a heavy ball after initiating a battle so it's possible.

Are you sure you you have enough stars or had your trainer close enough to the pokemon?

 

[lisianthus]

So. The game is interesting and the gameplay is really captivating. The graphics however are really bad, the rendering is terrible and distracts you while exploring.

How does the rendering distract from exploring? Like you can't see Pokemon from far away? I get that if that's the issue, yeah

I've spent more than 11 hours and I still have to find Ursaluna.

???there's a button on the map that says "hey, go here", basically? so idk what that means. That's user error, not a game issue

So I would give this game a 7.5/8. It's a good direction with terrible graphics.

...fair, I guess, yeah, although I personally really don't mind the graphics. they even look good in some cases IMO, but I'm maybe a minority in that opinion????????

 

[Fairy Type Arceus]

Easily the best pokemon we've had since BW2. The story so far (only just beat Kleavor) is really good, the characters emote pretty well, the seamless overworld, the catching, everything so far has been a hit. I have noticed some technical issues like the lighting at night flickering, pokemon randomly jumping at times or getting stuck when running away by other objects. But honestly everything here is phenomenal and I'm having a blast.

 

[Joker901]

How does the rendering distract from exploring? Like you can't see Pokemon from far away? I get that if that's the issue, yeah

???there's a button on the map that says "hey, go here", basically? so idk what that means. That's user error, not a game issue

...fair, I guess, yeah, although I personally really don't mind the graphics. they even look good in some cases IMO, but I'm maybe a minority in that opinion????????

1) The game keeps uploading textures every two steps, so every time you move something changes look in the (not so far) environment. This is really annoying and distracting.
2) What I meant is that the gameplay is fun so I still had to go to Ursaluna after 11 hours.
3) You may like the graphics but, trust me, those graphics are bad even for the switch. It's really a 4/10 on the tech side, for really poor textures, bad rendering, mediocre shadows, pretty empty world. It's clear they couldn't handle frame rate, so they decided to reduce everything to the bare minimum so the game could run better. However, this is not just a problem of the console. BOTW or Monster H have shown how you could have a good gameplay and decent graphics on the Switch. GF really need to improve their ability to optimize cause I litterally play this game thinking "wow, if only it didn't look so bad".