Operation Backlog Completion 2025
Jul 182022
 

Over the weekend, I finally finished my playthrough of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Legends: Arceus is a very different sort of Pokémon game compared to the main series.

The biggest difference is probably the game’s structure. Instead of taking a journey across the region to challenge other Trainers, you have a city that serves as a hub area, from which you travel to large zones to catch Pokémon.

Catching Pokémon is the major focus here, much more so than in past Pokémon games. You can now catch Pokémon without getting into a battle first, by throwing Pokéballs at them on the field.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Sneaking up on Pokémon to have an advantage, cautiously approaching Pokémon that are prone to running, seeing if I could avoid a battle… it ended up being a big part of the experience.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is not open world (and was never marketed as such), but instead has several large regions unlocked over the course of the game. You’ll want to explore them to find Pokémon and also gather materials to use for crafting.

I’m not sure I’d say exploration is a major focus, since there isn’t a lot to do beyond finding new groups of Pokémon, but I had fun with it.

Now, this is set in an era when most people living in Hisui don’t understand Pokémon. Many are even afraid of them. You’re basically creating the world’s first Pokédex. Pokédex entries aren’t considered complete until you’ve finished a number of tasks with that Pokémon, such as catching them, seeing them perform certain moves, and defeating them with certain move types.

Not only does this system mean you’ll probably catch a lot more Pokémon than usual, it also encourages you to rotate different Pokémon into your team much more often.

Combat is still a big part of the game, but it’s also different than in previous games. Turn order is decided ahead of time based on speed, and you can change it depending on the move you pick and whether you use the new Strong and Agile stances. This means you can end up attacking twice in a row, or sacrificing a turn later on in exchange for a more powerful move now.

I also noticed that level seemed to matter a lot less than in previous games. In past Pokémon games, having a level advantage means you can steamroll past just about anything, but that wasn’t the case here.

Between that and the encouragement to rotate your team, as well as some other changes, I found Pokémon Legends: Arceus to be the most challenging Pokémon game I’ve played in a long time. I went into battles – especially battles against other Trainers, which are much less common but still occur – knowing that I might run into trouble.

(And because of these changes, I didn’t mind that your current team all gets experience from battles whether they participate or not!)

Now, let’s talk about the story. It doesn’t have a huge emphasis on story, but I’d say it’s stronger than in early Pokémon games. It’s interesting enough and has some memorable moments, and it doesn’t get in the way constantly like in Sun and Moon.

Click for Pokémon Legends: Arceus spoilers
And maybe I’ll never get the Distortion World in modern graphics, but at least I got to be terrorized by Giratina clawing his way into reality once again.

(I’d pay for Distortion World DLC, though.)

There are also several small changes to streamline the experience, like being able to change your Pokémon’s moves or nickname from the menu. Summoning Pokémon separate from your team for field skills also makes a return, although here it includes things like scaling mountains and sniffing out buried items.

It’s not a perfect game; there are a few things I found annoying. You have limited inventory space and have to pay to expand it one item slot at a time, so you have to regularly put items into your storage box. Crafting materials can be used from the storage box, so I wish you could just send them there automatically. There are also certain Pokémon that only appear in the dimensional rifts that spawn somewhat rarely, which added unnecessary tedium to the final stretch of catching them all.

Yes, I caught all the Pokémon in Hisui, something I’ve only done once before, when I completed the regional Pokédex in Pokémon White.

After the main story credits roll, there are numerous post-game story quests that continue the main story and are absolutely worth doing, and then after that it’s simply a matter of completing the Pokédex. I didn’t complete all the entries, but I did catch all the Pokémon, and the payoff for that was worth it.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a very different Pokémon game in a lot of ways, but I really enjoyed it. It disappoints me even more now that Scarlet and Violet opted for a direction I don’t care for, because Legends: Arceus is the most fun I’ve had with a Pokémon game since Gen 5. If they make another Legends game with this style, I’d absolutely get it.

Aug 182021
 

Today was the Pokémon Presents presentation, which I had certain hopes for going into it.

To start with, no, there was no Detective Pikachu news. The additional games shown beyond the two being highlighted were Pokémon Unite’s mobile release and the relaunch of Pokémon Café Mix as Pokémon Café Remix.

But let’s get into the main features, starting with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

There’s still no sign of the Pokémon Platinum storyline returning in Pokémon BDSP; some ominous lines in the trailer could hint at that but are also part of Cyrus’s Diamond/Pearl plans. However, I was also worried that they might cut the Underground mini-games from the remakes… but the Underground content is in!

These remakes actually look great to me (and I didn’t even mind the trailer’s zoom-ins on the dialogue).

The Underground’s mining mini-game is one of my favorite Pokémon mini-games, so I’m thrilled to see it return. It looks like there’s even more to do in the new “Grand Underground” now, too. Secret Bases are also back, which is great.

They also showed off Super Contest Shows, using Stickers for special Poké Ball visual effects, character customization, and Pokémon walking behind you. Overall, this trailer made me pretty excited for Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.

Then they moved on to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Combat is turn-based, but with some new twists. Your speed stat determines how often you can attack, so it sounds like it’s more of an ATB system. You also have two different combat styles to switch between.

As for it being open world, it looks as though you’ll unlock new regions as you progress through the game and then enter a region to explore it. I think. Some people still think it’s a full open world.

You’ll accept missions at Jubilife Village, a hub area where you work as part of the Galaxy Expedition Team. Okay, the connections to Team Galactic speculated about shortly after the announcement trailer are definitely not a coincidence. Commander Kamado is confirmed to be an ancestor of Professor Rowan, so it feels like a safe bet that Captain Cyllene is Cyrus’s ancestor (although that seems weird to me considering what we know of Cyrus’s backstory, so maybe not).

Interestingly, catching a Pokémon isn’t enough to complete its Pokédex entry. Completing the Pokédex is a major goal, and you need to study the Pokémon through additional research tasks to complete its entry. Catching Pokémon also seems to have more of a puzzle element, since you approach Pokémon on the field, and large Pokémon appear capable of attacking the player directly, too.

Legends: Arceus sounds like it could be a lot of fun, so I’m definitely interested in seeing more.

What are your thoughts on the new details shown about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Aug 162021
 

This Wednesday, August 18, there will be a Pokémon Presents presentation at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET.

The presentation is confirmed to feature the Diamond/Pearl remakes as well as Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Like I mentioned back when they were first announced, I’m part of the minority that doesn’t mind the graphics of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but I would prefer to see the Pokémon Platinum storyline be included.

Maybe this presentation will give a better idea of whether the remakes are strictly focused on Diamond/Pearl content, or if they will follow Platinum’s plot.

(Since the games are due out this November, we should get a good look at them.)

As for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the main thing I want to learn is if it’s truly an open world game or not. It appears to have turn-based combat, but the nature of the world and exploration is still ambiguous enough that I hope they clear it up.

But while those are the Pokémon games being featured, do we have a chance at seeing anything else? Unlike a lot of people, I don’t think there’s any chance of them announcing the next generation of Pokémon games, but I do hope they’ll finally reveal the Detective Pikachu game that was announced for a Switch a couple years ago.

(I still need to play the first one, but I might hold off if the Switch Detective Pikachu game turns out to be another expanded port… although I hope it’s a full sequel instead.)

What are you hoping for from this Wednesday’s Pokémon Presents?