PREORDER: The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch game Pokémon Legends: Arceus comes out this Friday, Jan. 28. Reserve a copy through Amazon ahead of time and you’ll get $5 off the game (from $59.99 to $54.99) plus an exclusive in-game outfit.
The reviews are trickling in for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Game Freak’s upcoming action RPG for the Nintendo Switch — and from the sound of things, it’s one of the finest Pokémon games we’ve gotten in years (albeit a little “messy” at times):
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“It stumbles often on its way to innovation (it’s trying to evolve a nearly 24-year-old series, after all) and brings equal parts brilliance and frustration in its updated systems,” writes Polygon’s Ryan Gilliam. “But the good bits in Pokémon Legends: Arceus outweigh the bad, rounding out a successful first attempt at an action-centric Pokémon game.”
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Per Steve Watts of GameRant: “Once Pokémon Legends: Arceus finds its stride … it’s the most daring and inventive the series has been in years, breaking apart the staid core and creating something new and exciting from its pieces.”
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CNET, meanwhile, deemed it “Breath of the Wild, for your Pokémon.” (They had our curiosity; now they have our attention.)
If that’s enough to sell you on Arceus, you still have time to pre-order a copy on Amazon ahead of its release this Friday, Jan. 28. Doing so will save you $5 and nab you an exclusive in-game Garchomp Kimono outfit inspired by the powerful, pseudo-legendary Generation IV Pokémon.
Part of what makes Arceus so compelling is that it’s set long before other modern Pokémon games like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which saw people and pocket monsters living side by side. Players will actually be tasked with compiling the ancient Hisui region’s first-ever Pokédex to better understand the mysterious wild creatures that roam its lands, from brand new beasts like the Wyrdeer to regional variants of classic Pokémon. (PSA: Hisuian Growlithe are simply adorable.) If you’re lucky, you’ll even catch a glimpse of the mythical Arceus.
Note that Walmart has the game on sale for the slightly better preorder price of $54.88, but Amazon is the only place where you’ll get both a skin and a discount for reserving a copy — grab one ASAP, as its offer expires today (Jan. 27).
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