Pokémon Legends has been played by the Japanese press. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'

Following a recent hands-on event in Japan, a number of Japanese video game publications have started giving their first thoughts of Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

"It's reasonable to say that this game is radically different from prior games," Famitsu said, praising the game for taking the Pokémon series in a new direction.

"The thrilling feeling of roaming around freely in the huge field was the first thing that struck me when I first started playing."

Its article also highlighted the way Pokémon could be discovered freely roaming about each region, as well as the thrill of not knowing which species they would encounter each time they arrived at a new one.

The ability to ride Pokémon was also praised, with a reporter for Famitsu claiming that it made travelling the wide world more interesting, especially when employing a flying-type Pokémon.

"It's exciting just to be able to fly freely in the sky," it continued, "but it's even more fun to seek for Pokémon that appear small below you."

It also revealed a boss battle with an enraged Kleavor, who attacked the player while they tried to calm it down by hitting it with food. According to the report, this battle was surprisingly difficult for a Pokémon game, but not impossible to win.

The ability to ride Pokémon "really matches the world view, making you feel more like you're travelling in the Pokémon world, which I personally considered to be a wonderful feature," according to Game Watch.

It also praised the open-world gameplay's integration of the more traditional Pokémon combat system.

“This system, which successfully combines the action of this title with traditional Pokémon battles, is highly accomplished, and I especially appreciate the fact that Pokémon battles are ‘a means to a different end’, which fits the worldview of the game”, it said.

“In addition, since you are directly attacked by Pokémon in this game, you will feel a great sense of tension when you discover a tough Pokémon.”

"The building of the world was particularly outstanding in this encounter," it concluded. I was pleased with how well the same old Pokémon battles were incorporated into the new and novel action.

"It's a game unlike any other in the franchise, and I'm excited for it as an entirely new type of Pokémon game."

4Gamer, on the other hand, was taken aback by how unique each wild Pokémon was.

"The Pokémon that appear in the game appear to change depending on the time of day," it claimed. "At night, we spotted Drifloon and other Pokémon."

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