The Pokemon Company has finally done it. Pokemon Legends Arceus is a GOTY contender, and it’s only mid-February. Yes, it’s early in the year, but, much like Breath of the Wild, Pokemon Legends Arceus is a very special game. It takes 20 years of traditional conventions and turns them on their head. Pokemon was an even more static franchise than Zelda was, which makes this feat even more phenomenal. Traditions and gameplay were completely thrown out the window for Arceus, and what we ended up getting was nothing short of a masterpiece. It has an excellent story, superb gameplay, beautiful music, and is even more engaging and immersive than any other Pokemon game to date. What else can one ask for?
The most impressive thing about Pokemon Legends Arceus is how it was able to take a concept that had become completely stale and make it compelling again. Battles in Pokemon games haven’t changed in 20 years, until now. While there aren’t nearly as many battles with fellow trainers and Pokemon Gyms don’t exist, the battle mechanics are fun and engaging. After a move is mastered, you have the ability to use an “agile” version of it or a “strong” version of it. This gives more of a risk-reward in combat and gives it more depth, especially when fighting bosses. That battles are still traditional turn-based, which is preferred (IMO), but the order in which your Pokemon goes is displayed in the top right of the screen. Using an agile or strong version of an attack can alter this order. Battles are not a walk in the park like in previous Pokemon games. It actually took me a bit off guard at how difficult it could be. There were a few instances where I’ve died/fainted. That hasn’t happened to me in years, but it’s refreshing and gives the game a level of challenge that has been severely lacking for decades.
Like with Breath of the Wild, exploration is one of the most satisfying parts of the game. There are secrets abound and tons upon tons of sidequests to complete. Hisui is filled to the brim. The world is gorgeous and the environments are unique. Not every location is unlocked as of the beginning, but that doesn’t take away from the experience. Exploration is also key in completing your Pokedex. Unlike previous games, you must complete multiple tasks in order to full unlock your Pokedex, such as catching multiple Pokemon of one type, or defeating a certain Pokemon X amount of times. These gain you research points and leveling up your star level is a necessity to progress through the main story. Your Pokedex is no longer some “optional” part of the game that you can skim through. You have to catch as many Pokemon as you can in order to advance, and by catch them I mean catch them — not just “see” them.
Pokemon Legends Arceus has also added a crafting system which was long overdue. Money is scarce, so in many cases you need to craft Pokeballs, revives, etc. instead of purchasing them. You can find collectibles all over Hisui, but your pouch has limited space. There is a character who can expand your pouch for you for money, much like the function of Korok Seeds in Breath of the Wild and how they allow you to expand the amount of inventory you can carry. The comparisons between the two games is inevitable, but this isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it’s a great thing. Pokemon needed a change even moreso than Zelda did.
There are also multiple gameplay sections that resemble nothing that have been done in a Pokemon game before. It’s beyond refreshing. Random battles are also gone and all the Pokemon you find you run into. You can either engage them in battle or use stealth tactics to stay undected and throw a Pokeball at them. This will net you extra research points, that again, are necessary for you to continue to advance through the plot.
The story is both intriguing and engaging, and there are some very interesting themes, but at the end of the day it’s just as much fun getting lost in the field finding collectibles, crafting, battling, and catching Pokemon. This is by no means an “easy” game. That’s not to say it’s overly difficult, but it’s not Pokemon of the last 20 years. This is a good thing. It’s the best Pokemon game of all-time and the future of the franchise. It’s unknown how it will stand up against this year’s competition, as Nintendo itself has one of its strongest software lineups in recent history, but despite that, Pokemon Legends Arceus is a legitimate GOTY contender and deserves to be considered for the honor. The game is that good.