Hello readers, I hope everyone is still enjoying their summer.
This column may be a little off-kilter from my normal work because I am jet-lagged from a long trip going from Ohio to San Diego and back in about 48 hours. While vibing in the airport and crammed on to a full Boeing 737, I spent some time enjoying my Nintendo Switch (obviously in portable mode). Since I can’t play Palworld while on my flights (since that is a native PC game on Steam), I swapped over to similar titles like Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
First, I hope we get more Pokemon Legends titles in the future. While they are spiritually still Pokemon titles, their slight deviations from the standard Pokemon formula are refreshing.
I started with Legends: Arceus on the way to California. It took me a few minutes to recalibrate what I was doing and to remember how to play. Once I found my rhythm, I was creeping around and smashing unsuspecting Pokemon in the face with Great Balls.
I can see how this set up the eventual system for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Being able to freely move around and not constantly stop for traditional battles makes for more fluid gameplay. The story is all right, kind of a standard isekai tale where you have fallen through space-time. Everything has an ancient Japanese look to it, and watching your character do martial art stances when throwing out a partner Pokemon is amusing.
The pacing in Legends: Arceus is a little uneven. Sometimes I feel like I am advancing at a decent rate, while other times it feels like nothing is happening quickly. The side quests in Arceus can definitely turn into a muddy, time-consuming slog.
Eventually, I started getting a little tired, so I switched to Legends: Z-A. That was different because I had already beaten it and had not bought the DLC yet. I will say the story for Z-A felt more immersive. The characters felt more relevant, and narrowing the scope to the city really helped.
I also enjoyed taking some time to just go through the safari areas and capturing Pokemon. Of course, I forgot about the party of lions waiting at the entrance to eat my Pokemon for dinner. Legends: Z-A also felt better paced because the distances to go anywhere in it were shorter.
I may potentially get the Pokemon DLC. I have heard great things about the added content for Legends: Z-A, and I want to get that DLC and replay Violet too. I may have to milk some extra life out of these games because I don’t envision a world where I get a Switch 2 anytime soon.
Despite the fun I had with these titles, I am glad to be home where I can relax for a little bit. I am excited that Ledgerbound is releasing soon and hope to lose myself in it. And if I ever get a Switch 2, I will be excited for Pokemon Colosseum on Nintendo Switch Online and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
Now, I am going to sleep off the jet lag so I can type once more without shaking.
