Pokémon Legends: Arceus For Beginners
Pokemon Legends: Arceus has the potential to be the Pokemon game of my childhood dreams, and it comes so close to being just that. By shifting the Pokemon formula to focus on enhanced open-world exploration, and the quest to catch 'em all, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has truly revolutionized the series for a more modern audience. But that's not to say that it's perfect, as there are a couple of elements that hold this experimental Pokemon game back from being the very best the series has ever been. What it is able to accomplish is impressive, particularly for a 25-year-old series that's always been a little rigid with its formula.
Release date: January 28, 2022
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Game Freak has cleverly accomplished this long-overdue evolution by essentially starting from scratch, teleporting us back to a point in time long before anything we've seen in the series to date. You're exploring the Hisui region, an early version of Sinnoh where there's just one major settlement. That's Jubilife Village, which acts as the central hub from which you'll head out on expeditions to explore the land, help the residents, and discover new Pokemon. It works well as a base of operations, and as a space that will gently grow and change over time with shops and other facilities. It's also filled with people who are desperate to share in your adventure and learn more about the Pokemon roaming the wilds of Hisui around them.
You are tasked with completing the locale's first Pokedex as part of the Galaxy Team's Survey Corp, which essentially boils down to three different formats – discovering a Pokemon, catching a Pokemon, and completing a Pokemon's Pokedex entry by completing research tasks to move up the knowledge ranks until you max out at 10. This can be accomplished by observing a Pokemon using a certain move, catching or defeating a specific number, or allowing it to evolve. I'm admittedly disappointed to find there aren't more Pokemon Snap-inspired observational research tasks, where watching a Pokemon's behavior becomes as important as catching or battling it, as the tasks you're given in Pokemon Legends: Arceus can feel a little repetitive – particularly if you truly want to complete your 'dex.
Release date: January 28, 2022
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Game Freak has cleverly accomplished this long-overdue evolution by essentially starting from scratch, teleporting us back to a point in time long before anything we've seen in the series to date. You're exploring the Hisui region, an early version of Sinnoh where there's just one major settlement. That's Jubilife Village, which acts as the central hub from which you'll head out on expeditions to explore the land, help the residents, and discover new Pokemon. It works well as a base of operations, and as a space that will gently grow and change over time with shops and other facilities. It's also filled with people who are desperate to share in your adventure and learn more about the Pokemon roaming the wilds of Hisui around them.
You are tasked with completing the locale's first Pokedex as part of the Galaxy Team's Survey Corp, which essentially boils down to three different formats – discovering a Pokemon, catching a Pokemon, and completing a Pokemon's Pokedex entry by completing research tasks to move up the knowledge ranks until you max out at 10. This can be accomplished by observing a Pokemon using a certain move, catching or defeating a specific number, or allowing it to evolve. I'm admittedly disappointed to find there aren't more Pokemon Snap-inspired observational research tasks, where watching a Pokemon's behavior becomes as important as catching or battling it, as the tasks you're given in Pokemon Legends: Arceus can feel a little repetitive – particularly if you truly want to complete your 'dex.
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GamingTranscript
00:00 So, you want to be the very best? Well, Pokemon Legends Arceus is a big change from the traditional
00:07 Pokemon formula. This really isn't your average Pokemon adventure. Yes, you're tasked
00:14 with making the region's very first Pokedex, but with no Elite Four, no gyms, and very
00:19 few Pokemon trainers in sight, you might need a helping hand to get you off the start line.
00:24 So here are our top tips to get you started in Pokemon Legends Arceus.
00:32 If you're a Pokemon Pro, you will no doubt notice some big changes when it comes to evolution
00:36 and how your Pokemon learn new moves in this title. Firstly, your Pokemon will no longer
00:41 automatically try to evolve once it hits a certain level or fulfills a specific criteria.
00:46 Instead, your crew will let you know when they're ready to evolve, and then it's
00:50 up to you to decide when it happens. You do that by selecting the Pokemon you want to
00:54 evolve in your party menu, and then hitting X.
01:00 And it's the same deal when it comes to your Pokemon learning new moves. They'll
01:04 still unlock new moves at certain levels, but rather than having to choose then and
01:07 there which moves to retain and which to forget, new moves are just added to a move library
01:12 of sorts. Go to your Pokemon and hit A to open the menu, then tab down to change moves.
01:19 In here you'll find all the moves your Pokemon has learned so far, and you can switch
01:23 them out at will, anytime you like. It's super handy for finessing your team's move
01:28 set.
01:30 The initial zone, Obsidian Fieldlands, is absolutely teeming with medicinal leaks, and
01:36 they're possibly the most useful resource in the game. You'll use them to craft
01:39 revives and other craftable healing items. But as you move on to other areas, you'll
01:45 find they appear a lot less. So whenever, wherever you can, stock up on those green
01:51 goodies, because there's nothing worse than being caught without a stock of revives when
01:55 an angry alpha attacks.
02:02 Some trees and rocks will be seen doing something rather strange in Hisui, wriggling. Well,
02:07 if you spot one, throw a Pokemon at it, because some Pokemon can only be found hiding in trees
02:12 and other objects. So if you want to catch them all, make sure you keep an eye out for
02:16 those wobbly trees.
02:23 When you first go up against an alpha Pokemon in Hisui, it's a daunting experience. But
02:28 as your Pokemon get stronger, and you obtain better quality Pokeballs, it is actually possible
02:34 to catch an alpha without battling it. Just make sure you sneak around them. You can use
02:39 tall grass to hide, or just desperately avoid their eye line. Either way, don't do anything
02:44 to alert them to your presence, like interacting with the world or catching another Pokemon
02:50 nearby. When you're close enough, just let that Pokeball fly and keep your fingers crossed.
02:59 The general rule of thumb is that when using Agile or Strong Style for your attacks, is
03:03 that Agile moves are less powerful, but let you chain two moves together. While Strong
03:08 Style moves are more powerful, but will make you forgo that next turn. However, that's
03:14 not always the case. It might be that your Agile move now will earn you an extra move
03:19 later on, or not at all. And the same with Strong Moves too. You can make the action
03:24 order appear on the screen by hitting Y whilst in battle, and make sure you keep an eye on
03:29 it to know what effect your style switching will have on the turn order.
03:35 Pokemon Legends Arceus lets your Pokemon earn XP in a number of ways, and it works a little
03:40 differently to previous titles. Firstly, your entire party will earn XP from catching and
03:44 defeating other Pokemon, unless any of them have fainted. In a trainer battle, you'll
03:50 have to defeat the entire opposing party before you can bank the XP. This isn't great for
03:56 situations where you're left with one Pokemon standing at the end of a fierce battle. In
04:01 this case, your entire party won't benefit from the XP.
04:06 Pokemon you use to interact with the world will earn individual XP, for example, if you
04:11 use a Pokemon to break a rock or shake a tree. You'll also find XP candy items by exploring
04:17 the world, as well as catching and defeating Pokemon. These come in small, medium or large
04:22 sizes and can be fed to individual Pokemon in your party for an additional XP boost.
04:30 Legend stones and other seriously useful items can be found by defeating wild Pokemon, but
04:35 that's a bit of a gamble when you're after something specific. So make sure you're using
04:39 the trade post in Jubilife Village. You can buy special items from there using merit points,
04:45 which you'll earn from collecting and returning lost satchels you'll find in the world. It's
04:49 super handy if you're after a particular Pokemon or item.
04:53 Thanks for watching, let us know in the comments if you have any great tips for Pokemon Legends
04:57 Arceus and we'll all help each other become the very best. You can watch our full review
05:02 of the latest Pokemon game right now on our YouTube channel. And finally, remember to
05:06 head over to gamesradar.com for all the latest gaming news and reviews.
05:13 (chiming)
05:15 (laughs)