It’s a strange kind of punishment, being a long-term player of Game Freak’s collective Pokemon works.
Of a publisher with a fondness for ever-tougher rounds of development-budget limbo.
But this is just what it means to enjoy Pokemon, now.
It’s never been as evident as it is inPokemon Legends: Arceus.
In this period, your Pokedex is a book.
A physical catalogue of Pokemon caught and registered by hand.
There are plenty of different research tasks you could complete for each Pokemon, for starters.
Doing all this gives you research points, and you’re able to see the cycle forming.
Research points are a kind of XP that goes towards your star rank in the Survey Corps.
It is compulsive, sure, but the process is intrinsically compelling too.
All splashes, naps, growls, and waddles.
There’s also a decent game of cat-and-mouse to actually catching them, too.
Different species have different temperaments but generally, you’ll need to avoid being seen.
A little more thought’s required as to how you approach a scenario before you go barrelling into battle.
Held items are gone, but their place is taken by things that help you prowl the wild.
Baits, smoke bombs, lures.
Alongside catching, then, comes crafting.
but steps up to prominent view here.
The one thing you’ll find besides Pokemon in the areas of Hisui are crafting materials.
This is where battling comes in, the other huge departure from Pokemon convention.
Stat-modifying moves like Swords Dance only last for a set number of turns.
This has an outsized effect in Legends: Arceus, especially when combined with the new kinds of attacks.
There are flipsides to of all this, however, the most obvious being challenge.
Battles, clearly, can be pretty tough.
Standouts on the difficulty front are absolutely the Alpha Pokemon mentioned earlier.
Add these to the proliferation of Candies and Lures and again you see the Pokemon Go influence.)
They spawn at well above the level for the area and usually well above your own.
They kick out mega damage.
More new systems still.
The obvious comparison is Monster Hunter, given the similarity in theory.
Is it overzealous budget cuts or pure, minimalist design?
Is it empty, or is it filled with newfound nimbleness?
But, considering what?
But they are also what started it all, which should count for something.
It’s hard not to despair.
There’s an overpowering sense of novelty to Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
This is something new, and it’s also Pokemon, a decades-old series, in its purest essence.
Battle, trade, collect.
Is it overzealous budget cuts or pure, minimalist design?
Either way, this is a game crafted by subtractive sculpture.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is either this series' bare minimum, or its purest form.
I think it’s both at once.
