Pokemon fans are slamming Pokemon Legends Arceus graphics after Game Freak released a new overview trailer just weeks before its release. Players claim the Nintendo Switch RPG has poor graphics that look “empty.”
When Pokemon Legends Arceus was first announced in February 2020, the trailer was met with mixed reactions. Some players were not impressed with the semi-open world title’s graphics, and its struggling performance.
With only a few weeks from its release, a new PLA trailer has kicked off a similar worry. According to fans, the Sinnoh origin story looks “empty” and “barren” compared to similar games in the genre.
Pokemon Legends Arceus graphics spark backlash
Despite the Hisui title launching on January 28, 2022, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the Hisui region titles. That silence was broken when Game Freak released a special overview trailer in Japan on January 6.
The new six-minute video showcased Pokemon Legend’s sprawling map and various vistas. Some fans, however, were not thrilled with how the game looks just a few weeks away from hitting stores.
Angry players took to social media to voice their frustrations and argued that PLA’s graphics look awful for a title releasing in 2022.
Over on the r/Pokemon forums, users reacted to the trailer with criticism. “The scenery textures that aren’t buildings look so crusty,” one fan wrote. Another comment exclaimed, “The textures look so bad, jesus christ.”
A major point of criticism from other fans was the game’s seemingly empty map. “The overworld looks so sickly and barren I would have believed you if you said this game was still in alpha,” a player wrote.
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One user even threatened to boycott the RPG. “Not buying it. First time in over 15 years that I won’t buy the latest AAA Pokémon game. It looks like s**t, they should have taken at least 1 more year to polish this game.”
Over on Twitter, the reaction from some players were similar such as one Tweet that read, “I’ve got a few thoughts after watching that new Pokemon Legends Arceus trailer. For one, the world looks empty as hell. I really hope the actual game has more life/ pokemon in it. The locations shown look generic and boring too.”
Another fan posted an image of Skyrim from 2011 to criticize Legends Arceus. “Yeah I too am in awe at how despite the year being 2022, Gamefreak still makes games that look worse than games from 15 years ago. If you think this looks good you should see snow areas from Skyrim, a 10-year-old game.”
Interestingly, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl received a similar backlash as Pokemon Legends when it was announced. However, its trailer weeks before its release won over many critics who praised its improved graphics.
Only time will tell if PLA will also win over critics. The Game Freak RPG officially lands on store shelves on January 28, 2022.