Arceus is a Mythical Pokémon believed to be the creator of the Sinnoh region, formerly known as Hisui. It is also in this historical version of the territory that the god who gives his name to the game chooses to transport a young teenager, thanks to a spatio-temporal fault. This hero, or this heroine, is of course the avatar of the player, who will therefore be able to take advantage of a context relatively different from that of the classic episodes. The modern era thus gives way to a bygone era, where the Féli-Cité metropolis, well known to fans of the saga, is still only a village under construction, judiciously named Rusti-Cité. Apart from the first clothes of the main character and his smartphone "Smarceus" which serves as a guide, no modern element is therefore displayed on the screen. Dwellings are made of wood and stone, nature is thriving, and even Poké Balls are made from pebbles and Noigrumes berries. Interesting aesthetically, this period also gives us the opportunity to meet inhabitants who do not really know Pokémon yet, and who are often even afraid of them.
This is rather refreshing, and which would almost constitute a real return to basics since the ultimate goal of the hero is simply to complete the very first Pokédex in the region. However, the main principles of the series remain unchanged. The adventure therefore begins with a meeting with a professor (Professor Lavender in this case), who suggests that we catch three Pokémon (Brindibou, Héricendre and Moustillon) then choose one of them as our first companion. You can imagine what's next: battles, captures, Pokédex tasks to complete, main and secondary missions to accomplish, money and research points to collect, and experience ranks to earn. Note that the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan play a special role in the scenario, thus definitively sealing the link between this episode and the opuses of the fourth generation.
OPENNESS, IT ENSURES
Where Arceus stands out the most from classic episodes is in the level design, which is eyeing the side of the open world. Even if we are not dealing with a gigantic ground made of only one block, the promises of opening remain held. We are indeed entitled to a semi-open world, consisting of a main city which serves as a hub and five vast independent regions, like a Monster Hunter. This environment allows us to use mounts, offers fast travel points and is full of resources to collect, which themselves encourage the manufacture of multiple objects. Crazy collectors can spend hours searching for 107 strange flames scattered throughout the different regions, while a lost object to pick up mechanic brings a small online component. In the event of the hero's "death", part of his inventory disappears and is transformed into a package that can be picked up by other players. Returning a package to its owner then earns good deed points, which can then be exchanged for new items. Poké Mounts are also available to simplify exploration. Cerbyllin offers fast rides, Ursaking can dig up treasure, Paragruel overcomes the impossibility of swimming and therefore allows navigation on water, Farufrex makes it possible to climb steep cliffs, and Gueriaigle acts as a flying mount. This is all very nice, and very useful! But the element that benefits the most from free exploration is certainly, and quite simply, the hunting of Pokémon.
First of all, we are rid of surprise encounters, the presence of which we still regretted only two months ago during our Sparkling Diamond and Sparkling Pearl test. From now on the creatures are permanently displayed on the screen, which makes it possible to avoid the most dangerous ones, to disdain those which one does not need, to find our favorite targets more easily and, above all, not to undergo the outbreak of unexpected and overly repetitive fights. The capture is done in a very natural way, by aiming with the right stick and launching the Poké Ball with the right trigger (the funny players who wish can also activate the gyroscope function in the options). The scouting phases are enriched by the possibility of crouching and hiding in tall grass. This allows you to surprise the Pokémon and therefore take the advantage in the event of a capture or a fight, especially if you manage to touch them in the back.
HISUI, I STAY THERE
The fights always take place on a turn-by-turn basis, and in a fairly classic way (different abilities, affinities according to the different types, team of six Pokémon, multi-exp, etc.). A little extra freedom is still offered to us, since it is possible to move our hero in real time during the confrontation, in order to obtain a better view of the battle. Another novelty concerns the possibility of changing the style of certain abilities on the fly, in exchange for a few additional power points. The fast style advances the caster's position in the action order but lowers the ability's power while, conversely, the powerful style increases the ability's power and moves the caster's position back in the action order. 'action. We can get by without ever using this system, but this little tactical supplement is welcome. Among other things during encounters with Pokémon Barons, which are difficult to catch creatures, much larger than normal, with red eyes and rare abilities. The game also places us in front of some enraged Monarch Pokémon. These phases essentially take place in real time and require us to reduce the frenzy gauge of the creature with pacifying balls. A good aim and a good mastery of the dodge command are therefore required here. A dose of turn-based action is still relevant, since it is possible to send a partner Ball from time to time in order to trigger a classic fight which, in the event of victory, will leave the Monarch defenseless and increase the effect of pacifying balls. Finally, note that the semi-open world gives us the opportunity to explore Spatio-Temporal distortions from time to time, the appearances of which are random and limited in time. These dangerous areas obviously contain particularly rare Pokémon and objects.
IT'S TIME FOR THE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT, AND IT HAS IT!
With Arceus, one could therefore think that the Pokémon saga is improving and modernizing. It is entirely true in substance, but oh so false in form. But before tackling the issue of graphics (because that's where the shoe pinches), let's settle the case of the sound environment. If some music remains of quality, the game regularly weighs down the atmosphere with almost silent passages. It must be said that the dialogues are not dubbed in any way, not even by "yogurt" or small sound effects hiding misery. In a slightly more anecdotal way, the menus seemed to us to be perfectible. They would have benefited from being arranged with a little more logic and practicality. But it is indeed the visual aspect that shocked us the most. Clipping, mirrors without reflections, blades of grass of rare ugliness, interiors that are far too empty (hello, old ruins that look like simple sheds...), repetitive textures and/or in low resolution thus respond to the 'call.
Anything to do with the human characters isn't much better, since we're treated to Playmobils faces devoid of any real animations, with the game basically just switching abruptly between different eye and mouth shapes to try and convey emotions. As for the village NPCs, who are particularly static, they stay far too wisely in their place to be credible. This sad observation is all the more surprising since the Pokémon themselves are doing quite well. They're modeled with enough detail, and the attacks have decent animations and visual effects. But for everything concerning the exploration part, disappointment is at the rendezvous. A few lens flare effects here and there and the presence of vast airy landscapes save the day from time to time, but this window dressing will only deceive the youngest or most beginner players. Anyone who has ever laid their hands on a beautiful recent game will feel the throwback violently. Now, it's up to you to see if the graphic question seems important to you or not... and if you want to endorse or sanction this philosophy of least effort!
