Developer Game Freak

Publisher Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

Format Switch

Release Out now

Would-be Pokémon trainers tend to start their journeys around ten years of age –a reflection of the primary audience whose imaginations Game Freak seeks to capture with each new generation. Among the changes to series formula introduced here, a small one is perhaps the most telling: this time you’re 15. Those few years makes a crucial difference – it suggests the studio is aware that, in spite of Pokémon’s broad appeal, some players have begun to feel left behind by the game they loved. True, you could argue it’s because they’ve aged out of a series that was never really intended for them, but it’s hard not to agree that Pokémon’s incremental evolution has led to it becoming predictable. Arceus, however, is anything but.

While it skews a little older, we’re hardly in gritty reboot territory. Rather, we return to an old stomping ground with a game that’s closer to the apparent – and oft-mooted – ideal of a singleplayer MMORPG (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms). Hisui is Generation IV’s Sinnoh, in a time long before it gained its modern name. Its proximity to remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl both in terms of release date and setting throw the game’s bold shifts into sharper relief – and allows Game Freak to reference the region’s history and use the player’s familiarity with the setting to its advantage. Characters are sufficiently fleshed-out that it matters little if you’re unaware of their descendants, but it’s fascinating how some personalities diverge from expectations.