Arceus almost hits the mark of what I've wanted in a main Pokemon title. Unfortunately, the game falls into the trap of holding your hand tightly during the first couple of hours of the game. Stomach that though, and the game actually becomes really fun to play once it lets you play.

The elements that it borrows from Breath of the Wild, along with some changes made to the formula made the game one of the most engaging Pokemon titles I've played to date. I loved how you can capture Pokémon without needing to battle them, and the way the game handled that feature feels great, especially when sneaking up on an unsuspecting 'mon and throwing a ball behind them. I also loved how the game seamlessly transitions to and from battle mode and exploration mode while you're still in control of your player character. It may not amount to much for some, but moving around while ordering your Pokemon to attack feels great to me.

However, even with all those changes carrying the game, it really needed more time to get refined into something even more compelling. There is still a lot of the jank that has plagued the previous 3D games including some graphical glitches, and seeing the same 3 or 4 animations the NPCs and even your avatar plays at every interaction. The graphics are still not up to par with the majority of the first party Switch titles. Battle animations have improved though, as any move that requires physical contact will cause the Pokémon to run at the opponent.

Overall a fun time.