Parents' Guide to Pokemon Legends: Arceus

All of the main titles in the Pokemon universe have made use of the same formula over 20+ iterations since the mid-1990's. Though many players have asked for innovations beyond the ability to change a character's hairstyle or the introduction of new Pokemon to catch, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is really the first main installment to deliver on fans' requests for a totally new way to experience the in-game world. In this way, changing anything at all could be seen as a risk for Nintendo, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus succeeds in delivering enough twists and refreshed gameplay to keep long-time fans invested. In conjunction with its new objectives, this title offers brand new mechanics such as using the Switch joysticks to aim Pokeballs at unsuspecting Pokemon, the option to catch Pokemon without battling, a slew of side quests to break up the monotony of going after one goal, a crafting system, and extended "boss"-type battles which can be surprisingly challenging at times.

Pretty much all of the changes made to the Pokemon formula in Legends add to the experience, but it should be noted that some of the same issues that players have experienced in past titles do unfortunately carry over. Even with the addition of side quests and more goals to complete within the Pokedex, some mid-game tasks can begin to feel repetitive. In addition, the world can sometimes feel a bit empty. With an effort to make other gameplay in Legends feel more like an open-world RPG (role-playing game), the downside to this is that it's hard not to compare with similar titles that have much more developed and unique towns and spaces, such as Breath of the Wild. Not every game should be expected to reinvent the wheel, but it's hard to overlook feeling like something's missing. All in all, though, Legends lives up to Nintendo's promise of a new kind of Pokemon adventure.