After a mildly experimental game in Skyward Sword, the Zelda team went for it, and in the process created a game that’s now regarded as defining for the series as the game whose formula they’d been following for the last two decades. The Zelda series had essentially been dining out on the formula set out in Ocarina of Time (itself a subtle 3D evolution of Link to the Past) for around twenty years, and it’d been doing so with relative success. It was a high watermark because of the resulting quality, but it was notable even before considering that – because of how brave it was. It’s a different sort of game – and as I said, Monster Hunter is likely more key to the development philosophy of this game as any Zelda-based inspiration.Īs I teased earlier, though, it does have one key thing directly in common with Breath of the Wild – and it’s the best possible thing the two games could share.īreath of the Wild shook up the Zelda formula, turning some aspects upside down, removing some, respecting others, but reconsidering absolutely all. But my point is that the constant comparisons to Breath of the Wild does a disservice to both games at best, and at worst it cues up expectations that Legends: Arceus isn’t designed to meet. In fact, as I explained in VG247’s four-star review, it’s actually excellent, and is the best Pokemon game for a very long time. None of this is to say that Pokemon Legends: Arceus is bad. Even though there are now systems where multiple wild Pokemon can engage against you at once if you start a battle when more than one creature is nearby, there’s none of that emergent system focus – everything is more static. Pokemon Legends: Arceus has a static world, and is focused on more defined play within that. Nature can be as much a tool as your sword. The world is reactive, meaning you can chain together powers, or do things like make fire spread to your advantage. Second, I think of the interactive, layered nature of Breath of the Wild’s systems. There’s nothing anywhere near as obtuse and open a goal as “Defeat Ganon.” Also, it’s always super clear, and always gently trying to push you towards the next story development. Structurally, it’s closer to a Monster Hunter game than any Zelda. ![]() ![]() Pokemon Legends: Arceus doesn’t so much have an open world as open-ended zones. Let’s check them off and compare them to Legends.įirst of all, there’s the wide open world of Hyrule, which sets you loose with a level of player freedom that feels the antithesis of your typical Nintendo handholding. When I think about Breath of the Wild, I first think about two key aspects of that game’s design. Even as reviews dropped yesterday, I saw quite a few reviews - which arguably should’ve known better - refer to it as ‘Pokemon of the Wild’ or something similar.īut just how much like Breath of the Wild is it? Well… it isn’t. From the moment it was announced, Pokemon Legends: Arceus faced one constant comparison – to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
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