This is part two of my coverage of the new forms introduced in Pokemon Legends Arceus, a spin-off game that ended up introducing way more than the fandom expected in terms of new forms, new features and... basically new everything. I've seen people calling it basically 'Generation 8.5', bridging the gap between Sword/Shield and all its DLC's and the upcoming Scarlet/Violet.
Anyway, we covered all the brand-new species of Pokemon in Hisui in the previous segment, and I also tacked on any new regional forms specifically tied to those new evolutions (Qwilfish, Sneasel and Basculin) there. This one, we'll focus on all of the other regional variants. I had originally intended to do all of these in a single article, but I guess let's spread things out a little bit, eh?
Obligatory disclaimer #2: because these are all regional variants, I will inevitably be scoring them more as how they differ from their original counterparts, which was also something I did for the Alolan and Galarian variants.
Click here for the previous part.
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#058-059: Hisuian Growlithe & Arcanine
So after going through a couple in the previous article that also came with new-species evolutions, we're starting off this group of Hisuian regional variants with good old Growlithe! Growlithe is a Fire/Rock Pokemon this time around, turned into a 'Scout' instead of a 'Puppy', and... and I guess where regular (or 'Kantonian') Growlithe is a mammalian animal based on a Shisa or a Komainu, Hisuian Growlithe, being part-Rock, is meant to be the statue itself? Regardless, though, while I get the inspiration, visually Hisuian Growlithe doesn't really communicate the 'Rock' part all that well.
Those extra chunks of fur that are meant to evoke the 'curled fur' style that these shisa statues are carved, and Growlithe does end up looking cute. I do like the little visual flourish of the head-fur covering its eyes, too, and I like that the main colouration is a darker shade of red instead of regular Growlithe's brighter orange. I didn't care for this regional variant at first, but I think it's grown on me a little.
There's a couple of neat details in her dex entries, too. Hisuian Growlithe is noted to have transformed into this regional variant due to the volcanic activity in its habitat, causing igneous rock components to build up in its fur. Neat! They also patrol their territory in pairs, just like how Shisa statues are built -- you always need two for each side of the door. While there certainly was a pair of Growlithes in the game's story, the actual wild Growlithes only ever appear as single specimens. Boo!
It then evolves into Arcanine, with its mane and tail and cloud-feet things all being cast in a much rockier stone-grey. I actually do like the gradual change from the more natural (and more 'classic' Growlithe/Arcanine) lighter gray rock-fur into full-on darker gray. It looks pretty distinct from regular Arcanine, and while I will readily say that I feel like the original Arcanine looks cooler, that design has had 25+ years to ingrain itself into my brain. I like that Hisuian Arcanine is a fair bit more leonine, too, with the shape of its mane. Like Kleavor, this is a design that, once more, looks a lot neater in motion -- and as one of the game's five Noble Lords, you actually fight them. Or, well, dodge their attacks, Dark Souls style, and Arcanine was pretty impressive in his boss fight!
If nothing else, HIsuian Arcanine most definitely feels like it earns the 'legendary' moniker a lot better than Kantonian Arcanine, though that might just be me really being impressed by that mane and tail. With those, Hisuian Arcanine could be far more conceivably be mistaken for a peer of the likes of Entei or Raikou. Pretty cool, honestly. I don't love them, but they're very competent variants.
3/6, could be a 4/6.#100-101: Hisuian Voltorb & Electrode
Pretty wonderful little lore in-joke, actually! If Voltorb and Electrode are Pokemon who mimic the shape of Pokeballs, what would they be in prehistoric times, when Pokeballs don't exist at all? Do Voltorbs even exist? Turns out that... yes, yes they did. We have established all the way back in Generation II, Gold & Silver, that ancient Pokeballs were created from special fruit called Apricorns... so Hisuian Voltorb actually mimic these ancient Apricorn balls! And since they're mimicking fruit, they're Electric/Grass instead!
A very, very fun little update to reimagine these Pokemon as part-Grass-types, and I actually love that the normally grumpy Voltorb is re-characterized as being a 'uproarious' little prankster that giggles as it zaps people who pick it up. That's a cute set of eyeballs and those eyes just scream 'what a jackass'! But more than anything, I love the commitment of the game team trying to think of one of the more 'man-made' Pokemon and seeing how it would be in the past-times.
Also, I guess unlike most of the other Hisuian forms (which could just be in hiding), if the Voltorb species as a whole are just the Pokemon equivalent of Mimics, I guess all Voltorbs have transformed into 'Kantonian' Voltorbs by virtue of these Apricorn-style Pokeballs being out of production in modern-day Pokemon settings? In-game, the Voltorbs can drop out of trees like fruits, or even hide in chests... like actual Mimics!
In contrast, where Kantonian Electrode normally has a shit-eating grin on its face, Hisuian Electrode is almost always pissed off. I actually do like that its 'eyes' are actually carvings gouged into the 'wood' part of its fruit body, with the 'eyeballs' being the holes in the fruit, just like the one you see on top of Hisuian Voltorb's head. Is that why Hisuian Electrode is so pissed off? That it doesn't actually have real eyes?
Instead of just having Explosion and Self-Destruct, Hisuian Electrode has access to 'Chloroblast', which... merely cuts down half of its HP. I guess fruits are less naturally destructive compared to whatever metal that regular Pokeballs are made out of? Anyway, I actually like the idea and concept behind these two guys. There's honestly not a whole ton that could be done to make Voltorb and Electrode look different without vastly altering them. I just feel like with the gazillion Alcremie sub-forms and whatnot, they could've at least given Hisuian Electrode/Voltorb variants based on other Pokeball sub-types, perhaps? Nah, that'd be a bit too much work, I guess.
3/6. Again, remember that I rank these guys as variants. #157: Hisuian Typhlosion
In an interesting twist, instead of Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup, the Hisuian protagonist is allowed to choose from three different starters... which are all taken from different generations! You get a choice from Alola's Rowlet, Johto's Cyndaquil and Unova's Oshawott... very interesting choices! And all of them receive Hisuian final forms! The three Johto starters have kind of been notorious for being mono-typed and being relatively overshadowed by literally every starter that came before and after them. And while mean ol' Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise kept getting mega evolutions and gigantamaxes and whatnot, the Johto starters were left in the dust.
Clearly the Nintendo staff realize that Cyndaquil is the most superior of the three Johto starters, though, and good old Typhlosion gets a brand-new Hisuian variation that's Fire/Ghost. It's a pretty simple change on paper, but I really do love just how they went through the trouble of even redesigning the patterns on Typhlosion's head and neck and giving him a calmer personality. Hisuian Typhlosion's flames are now ghostly flames, and it's connected to the "energy of the sacred mountain towering at Hisui's center"... which I assume is going to be something that's a bit more relevant to the story and the setting. I just kind of wished that there are a couple more extra ghostly regional variants to highlight this, but I guess three (?) are plenty.
I do like the purple flames, and I do like that the necklace of fireballs on its neck are meant to represent magatama beads specifically. While it's normally peaceful and content to guide souls to the afterlife, Typhlosion can still unleash, well, an 'explosion' of anger. And when it's fully angry, it unleashes 108 "ghost flames" from its neck, which is its signature move, Infernal Parade. And since this game's Hokkaido-inspired setting draws a lot from Ainu culture, Hisuian Typhlosion is apparently meant to represent Kamuy-huci, a goddess who lives in the flaming hearth and serves as a gateway between the world of humans and the spirit world. Pretty cool! I didn't think I'd like this variant so much, but ultimately, the more I learn about Hisuian Typhlosion, the cooler he becomes.
3/6.#483: Dialga: Origin Forme
Okay, since Giratina received his "Origin Forme" back in Platinum, which transforms him from a centipede-demon to a snake-wyrm-demon, I guess it's not a surprise that his 'brothers' Dialga and Palkia have origin forms too? It's just that... it's kind of bizarre, I feel, that the game called Legends: Arceus doesn't have a brand-new Arceus form but rather new ones for Dialga and Palkia... or, well, that the game's main plot actually still centers on Dialga and Palkia.
Dialga's Origin Forme seems to be such a mishmash of design elements of the original Dialga and Arceus himself, though. It's got Dialga's head and distinctive tail, and Arceus' little midsection choker thing, and... and what is going on here, anyway? This reminds me a lot of Black/White Kyurem. At least Dialga Origin Forme at least has colour continuity. The dex entry notes that Dialga is taking a form that 'bears a striking resemblance to the Creator Pokemon'. So depending on choices you make in the game, Origin Dialga or Origin Palkia will be the boss you fight, while the regular version of whichever one you didn't fight ends up aiding you.
So yeah, it sure is Dialga and Arceus kind of combined. Its head certainly looks more like Arceus, and its rear legs has Arceus's slender horse legs in contrast of those giant murder-masher front legs. And there's Arceus's little waist-ring thing.
...and what the fuck is up with that giant... thing on its chest? That giant gem-cannon thing? What is that? The in-game model makes it clear that the chevrons extend on either side so it's not Dialga choking on a giant inhaler, but it's still utterly weird.
And... I don't know. I've never been the biggest fan of Dialga and Palkia, and out of the 'mascot' legendaries, I've always felt like the space-time duo were the most cluttered. Dialga Origin Forme does have better colours, but is so much more bizarre and incoherent everywhere else. I almost appreciate that they're going for something weird, something almost Ultra-Beast-esque in trying to show that Dialga is morphing into something... eldritch and beyond comprehension or something. I get that. But there's just a bit too much going on here for me to give it a good score, really. I do appreciate the mean-looking front legs, but that's about it.
1/6, for the idea that this is a distorted design. #484: Palkia: Origin Forme
Likewise, Palkia also transforms into a more Arceus-looking form, although since Dialga already starts off as a quadruped while Palkia starts off as a kaiju... Palkia looks so much more different. It loses its dinosaur hands, and instead gains four slender horse-legs. That stomach-ring thing also doesn't look quite as much as Arceus's as Dialga's does, and I'm not sure where that Ninetales-tail comes from. The overall look of Palkia's Origin Form is a bit more coherent, I feel, compared to Dialga's, while also exuding the (I think intended) sense of wrongness that this form doesn't look quite as cohesive as the Palkia we're used to.
Interestingly, while the dex entry for Dialga Origin Forme notes that Origin Forme is Dialga's "true form", Palkia's Origin Forme is described as "Palkia's strategy for gaining Arceus's powers", which hints at something more sinister or desperate on Palkia's part?
Again, I actually appreciate these two a bit more now that I realize that they're meant to represent something so bizarre that they look 'wrong' to us. It doesn't make me like these two origin formes, but at least there's a reason to them looking like something out of this world. I'll give Palkia the higher score cause it looks a bit weirder to my head by being not quite just a mishmash of two Pokemon features.
2/6, same as above.#503: Hisuian Samurott
As mentioned before, our Water starter is Oshawott, hailing all the way from Unova... and over the years, I've developed such a huge appreciation for Unova, the bastard unfavourite child of the fandom, that I'm happy anytime an Unovan Pokemon gets the spotlight. Hisuian Samurott doesn't change a whole ton from the original Samurott design, I'd argue. But it goes from pure-Water to Water/Dark, swapping all the brown-gold shell implements for more raggedy dark-blue-and-maroon ones. This small change alone makes Hisuian Samurott look so much edgier and more threatening without trying to change too much, and the addition of the more mean-looking eyes and a slight change in Samurott's facial hair really seals the deal.
Hisuian Samurott is basically a huge contrast to the samurai-knight theme of the original Samurott, and is a savage, tricky fighter befitting of the Dark-type. Apparently, growing up in the region of Hisui has really caused poor Oshawott to become jaded to the world and essentially adopt a more pragmatic fighting style. Its signature move, "Ceaseless Edge", even leaves behind shell splinters that continually cause damage to the enemy over time, which is defintiely something I could see happening from the jagged coral spikes on this thing's armour.
I've always kind of been 'yeah, he exists' with regular-flavour Unovian Samurott, but this one? This one's actually cool. It improves on the original Samurott by a fair bit and I didn't even know I needed this variation.
4/6.#549: Hisuian Lilligant
Okay??? Okay, to be fair, Liligant is one of those Pokemon that I kind of forget exists a lot of times. She's been featured a fair bit in the Isle of Armor segment with a specific set of areas that Liligant shows up all the time, but... but her cross-version counterpart Whimsicott is always more memorable to me, and especially after Whimsicott got the Fairy-typing. Poor Liligant is kind of forgotten, especially since flower-humanoid Pokemon became a bit more common. So it's a pleasant surprise that good old Liligant receives a Hisuian variant... and one that turns her into... Grass/Fighting? The game really highlights how much Hisuian Liligant now likes to spin around and kick around as a dancer.
Liligant apparently adopted to life on mountains with deep snow, but instead of turning into Grass/Ice (which would be cool), Hisuian Liligan instead sheds her big bulb-skirt, dons a pair of ice-skating shoes (which look like flower stamen, a nice touch) and generally becomes a bit more meaner-looking in terms of her leaf-arms and the smaller flower on her 'hat'. I also appreciate the addition of purple-pink to her palette.
There's honestly something just a bit lacking and I feel like they could've done a bit more with her, though. Maybe emphasize more on her spinning ballerina ice-figure-skater thing? Would I have liked Liligant more if she was Grass/Ice, or would that be too obvious? I really don't know what to decide. It's a nice colouration, and at least Liligant has something now.
3/6.#570-571: Hisuian Zorua & Zoroark
...sometimes you just take a look at a design. Like, a regional variant or super form or a mega or giga evolution or what-have-you in Pokemon. You look at it, and you go... 'yup, that's an obvious attempt at being a crowd-pleaser', you know? Like... Gigantamax Charizard is one that springs to mind immediately. With some of these you just nod and move on, but with some of them, you go... yeah, it's meant to be a crowd pleaser but I'm screaming as part of that very crowd.
That's how I felt with Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark. Without even going to the fact that Zorua and Zoroark are already two of the most popular Pokemon from Generation V, just look at the colours here! Turning Zorua gray isn't super exciting, but to turn his tufts of fur into wraith-like blobs of ectoplasm that trail off into flames? Not to mention those sad baby fox eyes. There's just something so... so eerie and spooky about Hisuian Zorua that you just know that they're really trying to tap into the 'yokai' side of inspiration for these guys.
And then you read the description in the Pokedex. Hisuian Zorua is "a once-departed soul, returned to life in Hisui". It's a ghost baby fox. Yes, Hisuian Zorua is a Normal/Ghost type, and the dex notes that it "derives power from resentment", which is the source of the hitodama-esque flames that raise from its head and neck, and that's how Hisuian Zorua vents lingering malice. Holy shit! That's such a metal concept, and probably simultaneously one of the saddest backstories!
Hisuian Zoroark goes even wilder and there's just absolutely nothing that I dislike about this form. Those eyes, those absolutely 'pent-up anger and frustration' eyes so commonly seen in anime, just look so perfect knowing that Zoroark is canonically a very protective parent Pokemon. And, as the existence of Hisuian Zorua has shown us, every single damn Zorua is dead in Hisui. Yeah, all those Hisuian Zoroark, as ghosts, would be pretty pissed off. I also love that Unovian Zoroark's traditional kabuki hair gets transformed into this utterly unkempt, raging mass of lashing hair-tendrils that end in red-pink. Such a great and striking design that really embodies how it "looks like an embodiment of death", as the dex itself notes.
Hisuian Zoroark is then basically just a psychotic anti-hero that attacks anything and everything that comes into its path, a sort of... maliciousness that I don't think I can easily remember being so key-coded into a Pokemon before. And the dex itself even mentions that 'Zoroark attacks its nemeses with a bitter energy so intense, it lacerates Zoroark's own body' -- which explains those nasty, frostbite-like tumours on Hisuian Zoroark's arms and legs. And from the wording of the Pokedex, at least, it's implied that these aren't necessarily wounds it has fighting to defend its territory or anything when it was alive, but rather wounds inflicted from the sheer amount of malice pouring out of it.
And that's without mentioning Zoroark's signature 'illusion' ability. Instead of using it as a kitsune would to trick travelers going into its forest territory, these Hisuian variants are noted to actually use the illusions more maliciously, to torment and terrify any who encounter it to the point of insanity. Damn, you're intense!
Yeah, it's kind of 'basic' if you come down to it, but I really like the visuals of both Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark. There's a trace of the 'old' Zorua/Zoroark here (and I'm frankly surprised they didn't slap the 'Dark' type on them anyway) because Hisuian Zoroarks are still extremely protective of their young... and any trainer that earns its loyalty. It's just that Hisuian Zoroark has been so burned by the sheer injustice in the world that it'll just murder first and ask questions never.
6/6.#628: Hisuian Braviary
Okay, okay, this isn't bad! I was a bit confused that USA-bird Braviary is transplanted to Hisui, but turns out that this eagle is specifically based on the Steller's Sea-Eagle, which apparently is distinguished by its pointed central tail feathers, something that Hisuian Braviary most definitely has. The Steller's Sea Eagle is well-known in Hokkaido for migrating there during winter, which is apparently what Hisuian Braviary does. Hisuian Braviary is also slightly bigger than regular Braviary, and serves as transportation for your characters.
Black-and-white is a very neat colouration even if it's a bit more subdued compared to Unovan Braviary, but Hisuian Braviary is actually Psychic/Flying, represented here by a collection of... psychic flames? I guess those are psychic energy? That coalesces into two almost eyespot-looking markings on top of Braviary's forehead. Its little gimmick is that it's a terrifying hunter that uses psychic shockwave 'bloodcurdling battle cries' to blast lakes, stun fishes, and grab the stunned prey that float up. Interesting. It's not the most interesting thing in this game and I almost gave it 2/6, but the Psychic flame eye-spots does give Hisuian Braviary something a bit of a neatness factor.
3/6.#705-706: Hisuian Sliggoo & Goodra
Oh. OH!!! How unexpected! Kalos's pseudo-legendary Goomy doesn't get a Hisuian form because everyone knows that Goomy is the most perfect and amazing and completely-designed of all Pokemon designs to have come in the past eight generations, but I think I'm not alone in saying that its evolutions left something to be desired, right? Or was that just me? I have really nothing against Sliggoo and Goodra; they're snail-dragons... but the fact that they had to live up to Goomy and be a pseudo-legendary and also inexplicably not have the Water-typing even though their method of evolution ties to the raining weather all end up making me not like them quite as much. I gave Goomy a 5/5 when I first reviewed Pokemon XY's designs, and I gave Sliggoo and Goodra 3/5, which I think is still more or less consistent with how I feel.
But now? Now Sliggoo's Hisuian counterpart has a SHELL! I... I don't realize just how much Sliggoo and especially Goodra needed that je ne sais quoi to really stand out. The base Sliggoo herself isn't really changed and in fact has quite an adorable expression poking out of that otherwise very smooth shell, and that super-smooth shell has given it a Steel/Dragon typing. Dialga, eat your heart out, Clearly Sliggoo is the superior metal dragon here!
Despite is :D expression, Hisuian Sliggoo is described to be a 'creature given to melancholy'. No! Sliggoo! She's the evolution stage that can sometimes accidentally melt its owners and friends because she can't control her acid mucus, right? Nooo! The adaptation given to Sliggoo's metal shell is noted by the Pokedex to be 'mucus on its skin reacting with the iron in Hisui's water'.
Also, while it isn't exactly one-to-one, the fandom has picked up a possible real-world inspiration in the Scaly-Foot Gastropod Chrysomallon squamiferum, also known as the "Volcano Snail", which is a deep-sea gastropod who gained metal deposits in its shells due to its proximity to underwater volcanic vents.
Of course, Hisuian Goodra's tail has entirely coiled up into a giant metallic shell, which... which I would call as boring compared to Sliggoo and her portable home, until I saw animations of this thing that show that the entire dinosaur-dragon body could actually squelch and hide inside the shell. That adds so much points to Hisuian Goodra being actually an adorable and well-realized snail monster concept!
Hisuian Goodra is noted to 'loathe solitude' and 'extremely clingy' and 'will fume and run riot' if left by its owner. So like a particularly clingy pomeranian dog, then. Honestly, it's the shell. It's the shell that really made what was otherwise a pretty forgettable design into one of my favourite Hisuian designs.
6/6.#713: Hisuian Avalugg
Oh! Another Kalosian Pokemon that's more or less been forgotten, I think the only time I actually cared about Avalugg was in one of the Sword/Shield DLC where I thought 'oh, these guys in the water, that's how they're meant to be integrated to the overworld'. Or that might be screenshots of the New Pokemon Snap, which I also need to play at some point. But poor Avalugg himself has kind of been a Pokemon that I always kind of forget. And I'm not sure why it's so forgettable. I guess because it looks kind of awkward or something with its sheared-flat dorsal side? But that's the whole point of its design!
Hisuian Avalugg is an Ice/Rock Pokemon, though, I think meant to resemble a glacier or an icy mountain. Fortunately, they realized that simply changing Avalugg's lower body to rock isn't going to be much more interesting, so they decided to strap... uh... those two gigantic snowplow implements to the sides of Hisuian Avalugg's mouth like a giant set of beetle mandibles. Avalugg's original quasi-reptilian face is still under there, by the way. The snowplow-manidbles swing aside to reveal its actual mouth. Cool! A much cooler and more organic usage of the shovel mouth than Mega Rayquaza did!
I wasn't very impressed with Hisuian Avalugg originally, giving it a score of 2/5, but... but here's one thing that the games didn't really make clear. The Hisuian Avalugg that plays a major part in the story? He's gigantic. He's kaiju-sized. The size of a small iceberg. And you stand on a rocky outcropping, dodging ice mortars and surface-to-surface Icicle Crash missiles launched from him like a sentient ice-godzilla-battleship creature. That boss fight alone has elevated Avalugg into being one of the more memorable designs from this game.
4/6. Solely thanks to the giant boss fight. #724: Hisuian Decidueye
And our final Hisuian regional variant and our final starter is good old Decidueye! And... the Rowlet line has always been my favourite of the Alolan starters, and honestly, if I ever did a grading of them, Decidueye would come scarily close to being one of my all-time favourites. The fact that I was so utterly underwhelmed with the final evolutions of Sword/Shield's choices also means that, by proxy, I end up feeling just a bit more attachment to Alola and Kalos's starter evolutions and how well-done their final forms were.
And Hisuian Decidueye swaps regular Alolan Decidueye's Grass/Ghost typing for a Grass/Fighting typing... but then it's coloured in autumn colours, which is something that most people would more associate with death. Okay? I guess this would be the more 'natural' Decidueye since I would assume that these owls' original default state would be... not ghostly? The Hisuian Pokedex notes that the air stored inside the rachises of Hisuian Decidueye's feathers insulates the Pokemon from Hisui's extreme cold... and somehow, this influences its evolution into this regional variant? I'm sorry, I don't quite get how that turned him from Robin Hood into a ronin.
But that aside, I do like the idea of what they're going for here. That huge set of leaves arranged like a kasa hat is essentially the stereotypical image of a wandering ronin, and as a wandering ronin, Hisuian Dedicueye basically goes around beating the shit out of people with its long legs, only using its arrows as a finishing move. Unlike Alolan Decidueye who uses its shadow-sealing "Spirit Shackle" arrows as its primary method of fighting, Hisuian Decidueye's "Triple Arrows" are actually meant to represent hidden ninja-samurai weapons? I felt like the animation could've done more to emphasize this, though, since Decidueye just summons the three arrows literally out of thin air.
Just like his fellow starters Typhlosion and Samurott, the choice of Decidueye as one of the Hisuian starters draws from another Ainu kamuy, Cikap-Kamuy, deity of the owls that watches over the country and villages. Very cool! I think I ultimately like the original Decidueye more than Hisuian Decidueye, but that's not to knock this badass owl-ronin's design at all. It's a perfectly serviceable and pretty cool regional variant; it's just that Alolan Decidueye's simultaneous dorkiness and badassery just appeals to me so much more.
5/6._____________________________________
For completion's sake, I guess I'll mention the 'Alpha Pokemon', which are... honestly, flavour-wise basically the same thing with Totem Pokemon from Sun and Moon, minus elaborate lairs. Some Pokemon are just bigger than average, and roam the overworld with glowing eyes and an aggressive nature that will basically force you to battle whenever they meet you. It's more of a gameplay standpoint, really, so I don't have a whole ton to say about it. It feels much more natural than the nonsensical gimmickry they have with Dynamax, at least!
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And that about wraps it up for Generation VIII... for the... third time? Is this the third time that I've said "I'm finally done with Generation VIII", I think? Well, with Scarlet and Violet announced relatively recently, I think I can safely say that, yes, it is actually adieu to Galar and Hisui for the foreseeable future. (i.e. the starters for that generation... I don't immediately love any of the starters, not the way I immediately took to Froakie, Rowlet or Sobble...)
It's such been a wild run, this generation. So many decisions that Nintendo and Gamefreak made that I clearly don't agree on, but still so many designs that I end up liking. I was very hesitant about Legends Arceus in general, but I am so happy to see that it's actually both well-received and actually brings in a whole ton of great new designs for us to enjoy. Honestly, the whole Hisuian gang feels so much more cohesive as a 'DLC pack' compared to either the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra, both of which felt kind of scattershot with the theme of the Pokemon they're introducing.
Anyway... that's it. I've edited my reviews after finishing the game. Still unimpressed with the Origin Forms and think they are messy, but a lot of the Hisuian forms have grown on me a lot. And even the ones that didn't wow me originally have mostly gotten an extra point or two to get into the 3/5 range. Pretty fun stuff. Bring in Scarlet/Violet now!
These forms are so cool, so it's a shame we probably won't see them in other games.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame, really, that so many of these Pokemon forms end up just being one-offs now...
DeleteI guess I was wrong about this huh?
DeleteAt least regional forms still pop up in new games! That's really cool. I just am really waiting for Mega Evolutions to come back.
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