When a Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, fans of the series were both optimistic and cautious. The franchise had been on handheld systems were so long, and had even made a massively popular mobile phone game. Part of the fun was being able to play anywhere and would bringing it to a console not feel right? Game Freak and the Pokemon Company knew that a look to the past would present a plan for the future. The result was two games Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee.
Let us get this out of the way first. These games are a remake of the 1998 video game, Pokemon Yellow. The story line is practicality the same, with you getting either a Piachu or Eevee to start, and your mission to get enough badges that you can challenge the Elite Four. Characters from the anime appear and the number of Pokemon you can catch is 150. While some criticized going back to the Kanto region, the reason is that the skeleton of the game had to be set so that other improvements could be made.
There is a lot of Pokemon Go in this game. Catching the Pokemon means making a throwing motion with the controller to catch them. Candy is used to power them up and you can transfer Pokemon between the two games. The new improvements are so good, you wonder why it took so long to put them in. On the over-world, you can see Pokemon moving about. No more wandering until you get a random battle and hope it’s with one you need. While the Pokemon in the game are the original, their forms from newer games are here as well. The graphics and sound are very good, and the fact that you can dress up your Pokemon means you have some style choices to make.
Fans of the series are happy with the game, but wonder why an entirely new adventure could not be created. I think this had to do with a new system that the developers had to get a handle on first. There are already plans for a new game that might be coming out as soon as next year. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee bring one of the original games back to a new system and a new generation. This game might just make you remember why you fell in love with Pokemon to begin with.
9/10
Available on Switch
