On January 28th, the latest installment of the Pokemon series, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, released on Nintendo Switch after months of anticipation since it was first revealed almost a year ago. And in my opinion, it’s definitely lived up to the hype. It’s not just me, either – in its first week of release, the game sold over 6.5 million copies, more than the first week sales of any other Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch. The game has already gotten great reviews as well. It’s safe to say that fans are loving this game. But why?

Well, contrary to Pokemon’s mainline games, in Legends: Arceus, you are thrown into a world where little is known about Pokemon and many people even fear them. Your job is to help research Pokemon, and this is more fun than it sounds. Like many Pokemon games, you are given a Pokedex to complete, but this time around, there are many ways to complete it besides just catching Pokemon. You can also defeat them in battle, do side quests relating to them, observe them using certain moves, and more. You do have to catch at least one of a Pokemon to complete its entry, but this feels like less of a chore than previous games. Battling them and catching them when they’re weak is still an option, but it’s not the only one anymore. Players can also sneak up on Pokemon in the overworld or lure them closer with food. To me, filling out the Pokedex is much more fun than it was before. It actually feels meaningful, and the variety of ways to research Pokemon stops it from getting dull. Pokemon Legends: Arceus did a great job of deviating from the standard Pokemon formula to create a completely different experience.

The game also adds more elements that set it apart from other Pokemon games. There are now side quests which give you much more to do, and a chance to take a break from the main quests if you don’t feel like doing them at the moment. Exploration is also an important factor of the game, as you need to explore everywhere you can to find new Pokemon and complete the Pokedex. I also personally really like the new characters introduced, though I wish they were fleshed out more. The game certainly isn’t perfect and is a bit lacking in some places – I think that the graphics and environments to explore could be better – but these are just little things, and overall, playing this game is a great experience.

If you’re a Pokemon fan, or even if you’re not, I would recommend giving Pokemon Legends Arceus a try. It has been so much fun, and I think it is one of my favorite Pokemon games. I hope that future installments in the Pokemon series will be like Pokemon Legends: Arceus by changing up the standard Pokemon formula for a fresh, fun experience.