POKEMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS: THE BOLDEST POKEMON IN YEARS, WRAPPED IN MUD

8.0 of 10 bananas. Game Freak sends you back to old Sinnoh, called Hisui, to catch Pokemon in open areas by sneaking and throwing. It changed the series for the better, even though it often looks rough.

By the Alpha. US version Switch cartridge listing. Updated Nov 5 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, and it plays on Switch 2 (developed by Game Freak, published by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, released January 28 2022). Single player. The Amazon button is the US version cartridge. At my Nov 5 2026 check it was sold by a third-party seller, eKings, at 54.00 dollars, under the 59.99 dollar list price. Sellers and prices change, so look at the seller before you pay.

Sit with me a moment. For twenty five years we threw balls from a menu. Then one game let you crouch in tall grass, wait for a Bidoof to turn its back, and throw by hand. It felt like the first time again.

What It Wants To Be

Legends: Arceus is an action RPG set long before the other games. You build the first Pokedex for a village in Hisui by exploring large open areas, catching Pokemon directly in the field, crafting items, and fighting boss Pokemon called Nobles.

What Works

Critics put it in the low 80s on Metacritic, and many fans still call it their favorite modern Pokemon. Catching is fast and fun, research tasks give every species a reason to revisit, and the open areas paved the way for Scarlet, Violet, and Legends Z-A.

What Breaks

Listen well. It looks rough even for Switch, with bare land and pop in. Towns are thin, and battles are simpler than the main games. Prices for physical copies stay high years later.

Who Should Play

Play it if you want the freshest Pokemon gameplay of the last decade. Skip it if you mainly want competitive battles.

Related: Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Pokopia.

Sources: Metacritic.

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