“Pokémon Let’s Go: Pikachu!” and “Pokémon Let’s Go: Eevee!” are remakes of the original “Pokémon Yellow”. I played “Fire Red” on the Gameboy, so I am more than familiar with the Kanto region. This game includes many changes to the quality of life and graphics from the previous games set in Kanto. There are things I definitely enjoyed, but there are also some things that I wish were changed or left out.
Let’s start off with the catching mechanic, which is the main method of gaining more Pokémon. It uses a similar style to that of Pokémon Go, and if you are familiar with that game, the catching mechanic in the “Let’s Go” series is not much different. You have to aim and time your throws for the best chance of a successful catch. One thing to note is that for almost all Pokémon encounters, you do not need to battle them to weaken them first. This means that you can safely find and catch Pokémon without worrying about yours dying. Catching Pokémon also gives experience points to all Pokémon in your party. As long as you have Pokéballs in your bag, you can gain experience.
There is also a mechanic for catching the same type of Pokémon in a row. This builds your combo and increases the amount of experience gained. One thing to note, however, is that if the Pokémon you are trying to catch runs away, this snaps your streak, and you start over from zero. You also can’t save your combo by saving the game, quitting, and reloading to regain the combo. Unfortunately, the game erases any combos when it closes. This means you have to either catch the Pokémon before it runs or quickly run from it when its run animation starts to save your combo. I like that you can catch Pokémon without having to battle them first, but I hate the throwing system and feel like I waste so many Pokéballs by missing.
Additionally, I miss having the option to choose a starter. In the game, players are limited to either Pikachu or Eevee depending on which game you have. This might seem awful at first, but it isn’t as bad as it seems. In fact, you can get all three original starters from talking to people in different towns. Your starter is also very powerful and can get you through most of the game alone. You can talk to trainers in various Pokémon centers. These special moves are especially powerful. My favorite move for Pikachu is Zippy Zap, as it always goes first, is a guaranteed critical hit, and gets a boost because it is the same type as Pikachu. Insead of HMs, “Let’s Go” uses secret techniques, which are non-fighting moves taught to your starter. These allow you to keep all your moves without having to sacrifice a spot for them. The move Fly is now just a ™, but you cannot use it to travel to different cities like in previous games.
“Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu!” is much easier than any other Pokémon game I have played. Some things that make it easier are your ability to train Pokémon without fighting, TMs being reusable, Pikachu having really good stats and moves, and the game being designed for a younger audience in mind. These aspects make for a quicker journey through the game, but I really didn’t experience any struggle, so it felt like a cake walk the whole way through.
I enjoyed the game, but I might wait to come back to it. I’ll give it a 6.5/10.