Widely Hyped Pokemon Legends: Arceus Subjected to Fan Backlash Hours After Its Launch

Published 01/28/2022, 1:15 PM EST

The fan-favorite franchise The Pokemon Company is back with another game teaming up with Nintendo and developers, Game Freak, launching their latest title Pokemon Legends: Arceus today, January 28, 2022. The much-awaited game debuted earlier today and has had a mixed reception from the community.

While some fans absolutely adored the concept of the open-world RPG mechanics, blended with the unique world of Pokemon, many individuals seem to despise the graphics of the game. The claims went as far as comparing the brand-new Switch title to the legacy console PlayStation 2’s graphics. Here are some of the brutal remarks from the community.

#PokemonLegendsArceus is the best looking Pokemon game and it still looks like a PS2 game.
— Scott Hoch (@Artscotthoch) January 28, 2022

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus receives harsh criticism for its graphics

Pokemon is one of the biggest franchises ever making millions, if not billions, with the value the IP holds. The franchise bags in millions for Nintendo as well. And that’s where the question from certain fans arises. Why does the game still not meet the standards set by titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?

I’m still mad The Pokémon Company is worth $90 billion and Arceus looks like a PS2 game.
— Meowster Chief (@jsmith189) January 28, 2022

I’ve played and seen some beautiful games on the Nintendo Switch. I know it’s possible. And with how massive an IP Pokémon is, you’d think it would get the same treatment as Mario or Zelda. Idk man it just blows my mind people lol
— Gare@ (@garrettFM) January 26, 2022

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I really do think The @Pokemon Company REALLY needs to stop cheaping out on the graphics in their games. Considering how many other JRPGs on Switch look so much better, it's embarrassing when they release a game that looks like a HD PS2 game & looks worse than one like SMT III!
— Jean-Paul Bartolomei (@ultimablackmage) January 28, 2022

Interestingly, some fans even pointed fingers at the developers for opting to not do the best they can with the title.

We are talking about the biggest gaming franchise of all time and this game looks like a PS2 game.I love Pokemon but Gamefreak is slowing killing the Franchise. How is it possible that for example some spin-off games are better than the main ones??
— Marty27 (@Marty271gam3r) January 26, 2022

Pokemon fans defend any crap gamefreak comes out with.
Its why the series looks like a ps2 game.
— Josh Baron (@Shadowjay1431) January 28, 2022

PL:A is underwhelming. Got PS2 graphics. Gameplay looks mundane and boring. Pretty sad from what is probably the most innovative Pokemon title in a long time. Gamefreak showing how it can do as little possible and will outsell any game in this generation from brand alone.
— ً (@Rehgallion) January 28, 2022

On the other hand, some fans seemed to enjoy the gameplay. But their experience was seemingly ruined by the allegedly poor graphics. Some fans even claimed the title could’ve been one of the best Pokemon games concept-wise, if not for the disappointing development.

Pokemon Legends looking like it has good gameplay but mediocre graphics. There's PS2 games that look better (Dragon Quest 8).
The graphics are okay enough to be enjoyable for me, but they do admittedly look pretty weak compared to the total potential.
— Anthony (@Kaizer11646125) January 21, 2022

It seems like Pokémon Arceus is a solid game but man, I can’t jive with them visuals.
I’m far from a “graphics whore” but dawg it’s 2022 and GameFreak still cranking out PS2 looking titles.
Not even a stylistic choice either, the games struggle to hit a consistent frame rate.
— Neo a.k.a Negro Kuwabara (@NeoGameSpark) January 26, 2022

new pokemon game slaps. everything feels so different in a good way. wish the terrain didn't look like a PS2 game but otherwise i'm having a blast
— 🦇 Fester 🦙 (@wogglebugg) January 28, 2022

Additionally, individuals on Twitter even compared the game to other titles from years ago, showcasing the developers have clearly lacked out on the graphics end.

This thread is full of everything you'd expect:
Looks like a PS2 era game ✅
Pokémon fans will buy anything ✅
Looks like a Unity starter project ✅
Game Freak gave up ✅
Gade Freak should've kept it 2D graphics ✅
I know we see this EVERY time a new game comes out (1/5) pic.twitter.com/ZpqYnkfnls
— Lupus Rex XIII (@No_Ordinary_Nrd) January 21, 2022

no vi prego guardate il gioco gun della PS2 (BELLISSIMO) e Pokémon Arceus madò Gun è del 2005 😭 https://t.co/Sv9DE0J3uT pic.twitter.com/FbMp1RQwSk
— 🐨 (@jessdeukie) January 28, 2022

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But not everyone thought the graphics were as lackluster as the claims being made said. Some fans, including popular industry insider Chris Scullion, believed the title might not have the best graphics. But the PS2 comparisons were utterly outrageous.

Listen, nobody's claiming that Pokémon Legends is the best-looking game on the Switch. Far from it. And yes, we all know Breath of the Wild looked better. But some of the hyperbole for a game that is simply visually okay is ridiculous.
— Chris Scullion (@scully1888) January 28, 2022

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With Pokemon Legends: Arceus clearly not hitting the write notes with a large chunk of the audience. Will it attain similar heights and standards set by its predecessors? Will Game Freak take the criticism into consideration, hoping for better reception for the title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Tanay Grover, an eSports writer for EssentiallySports, is currently pursuing a degree in technology. Before finding his way into the world of eSports, he worked on Social Media management. An enthusiastic soccer player who never played any other game except FIFA, he found his calling when he started playing Valorant and Pokemon GO.

Widely Hyped Pokemon Legends: Arceus Subjected to Fan Backlash Hours After Its Launch

Pokemon Legends: Arceus receives harsh criticism for its graphics

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