Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Excellent!
Levels: …Hard to say
The maps in Legends Arceus are all fairly generic, but there are individual elements I enjoyed. There are lots of pleasant rolling mountains, and I like that Mt. Coronet is always visible.
New Pokémon: Hisuian forms for Zoroark, Decidueye, & Goodra
We’re finally getting a better balance of alternate designs for Pokémon outside of Kanto. Zoroark is amazing with its wild hair and canonically verified lacerations across its pale body. Decidueye’s Rōnin aesthetic fits perfectly with the game’s time period, and I like that its feathers change with the seasons like they’re tree leaves. Metal squirrel-tail snail Goodra is superior to the original design in every way, that I’m at a loss for words.
AWFUL
Levels: Coronet Highlands & the ocean zone in Cobalt Coastlands
Coronet has a lot of staring dead ahead at Sneasler on a terrible dirt texture. This map would benefit from a heavier focus on mining for materials. There could be numerous ore veins crawling up the mountainsides. Sneasler could have a mechanic around scouting and digging for minerals in the largest veins. This would be a cute homage to digging in the Underground from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
Cobalt Coastlands is a decent map overall, but its oceans are rank garbage. There’s no variety to the water. Not even a little coral reef is found near its shorelines; it’s all the same shiny water texture.
New Pokémon: Origin Dialga
Put simply, this clunky timelord can never hold a candle to the incredible physique of Origin Giratina. Even Origin Palkia grew on me, because an armless centaur creates a striking and usettling appearance in the same vein as the Ultra Beasts. At best, Origin Dialga is just okay.
I’m at least relieved that Game Freak learned to not repeat history with glorified palette swaps like they slapped onto poor Groudon and Kyogre.
