Pokémon Legends: Arceus is truly wowing Trainers around the world, and its arrival on the Nintendo Switch console represents one of the biggest hits in a long time, whether it’s for the dynamic new gameplay or the adorable shapes. news from Hisuian, many have found this to be the best Pokémon game in years.
Something that seems quite curious to us is that Pokémon Legends: Arceus have been plagued by overwhelmingly positive scores, which place it as the highest rated Pokémon video game in more than a decade, 13 years, to be exact.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus reviews are the best in a decade
On Metacritic, reviews are classified into two categories: critic reviews and user reviews. Each game is given a score on each, with reviewers representing critics and fans having their own reign to represent the user’s score.
The critic score, or Metascore, for Pokémon Legends: Arceus is 84/100, which is solid for a Pokémon game. However, the user score of 8/10 is monumental and is the best the franchise has seen since HeartGold/SoulSilver in 2009.
A Reddit user went through some of the other video games that have been rated on Metacritic and discovered just how low some of the others have been rated in recent years, again showing how much fans have come together to show their love for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Notable Review Scores
- Pokémon Black and White: 7.6/10
- Pokémon X and Y: 7.5/10
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: 7.5/10
- Pokémon Sun and Moon: 7.6/10
- Pokémon Sword and Shield: 4.6/10
- Pokémon Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl: 5.3/10
- Pokémon Gold HeartGold and SoulSilver: 9.1/10
Many in the reviews have referenced the game’s compelling gameplay and plot as reasons for its higher rating, while slightly knocking its graphics. A recent user review on Metacritic wrote:
“The best Pokemon gaming experience ever. The quality of life improvements, open world areas, quest/mission based progression, reward system, and new combat mechanics really make this a big step up for the series.”
Another wrote: “Great step forward for Pokémon. The semi-open world is a big improvement for Pokémon, but the graphics could be better. And the lack of trainer battles is the only point I criticize about the game, although the story explains it. Therefore, only 8/10”. Both, along with the hundreds of other reviews on the site, have expressed similar sentiments.