Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! Review — A Modern Classic
This title is exclusive to Nintendo Switch and was reviewed as such.
As someone who grew up playing what is now known as the first generation of Pokémon games, I always knew I was going into this game with rose tinted glasses. How could I not — Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition was the first video game I ever owned and played, and it’s no exaggeration to say I’ve been playing Pokémon since before I could read. It kickstarted a lifelong passion for video games that turned into something vaguely resembling a career in the industry, so you can imagine the emotional connection I had to this remake before I’d even popped the cartridge in.
If you’re not familiar with the Pokémon formula, that’s great actually — these games are probably a good entry point for those who didn’t grow up on the early games and want to see what all the nostalgia is about. Not only that, it’s something that a portion of the fans — especially the genwunners — have wanted for years now; a Pokémon game with modern 3D graphics set in Kanto with the OG 151 Pokemon. So how does it hold up against the game that was an iconic part of so many 90s childhoods?
The bulk of the game remains largely unchanged; players must travel Kanto challenging the Pokémon gyms to collect the eight badges that allow you to take on the Pokémon league, catching various Pokémon and training them through Pokémon battles along the way. The secondary objective is to catch many different species of Pokémon along the way to fill out the Pokedex, a digital encyclopedia given to you by Professor Oak — pretty stock standard Pokémon stuff for long term fans.
So what’s different, you ask? A lot actually, but the biggest and most obvious change is the way you hunt and catch wild Pokémon. Random encounter battles are a thing of the past, and are now replaced with what is essentially the Pokémon GO capture system. Players can see wild Pokémon and start encounters with them in the overworld, then must catch them by throwing pokeballs using the Switch Joy Con’s motion controls. I didn’t really know what to expect from this feature, but was pleasantly surprised with how well it fits with the rest of the game, and what it does for the pacing. First of all, it makes the game a helluva lot less grindy, removing hours of tedious wild Pokémon battles in favour of a lighter minigame that if anything improves on the tension of trying to catch a Pokémon. After all, if you spend too long trying to catch a Pokémon, it will run away, leaving you empty handed and down few pokeballs. Being able to see Pokémon in the overworld is also a nice touch, meaning you don’t have to push through battles with random wild Pokémon just to try and find the ones you want or don’t have, and this ability to pick and choose (Pikachus?) makes trying to fill out the Pokédex a lot less hassle.
Otherwise, the Pokémon battles with other trainers remain largely unchanged. Your party Pokémon gain exp when you catch wild Pokemon or defeat other Pokémon in trainer battles, which makes them level up, learn moves, and of course evolve. One mechanic that has been removed from modern battle system are Pokémon abilities, which usually grant passive effects in battle, a controversial choice, but one that I feel reflects the back to basics feel of the original gen one games that didn’t have Pokémon abilities. I feel it’s a change that was also necessary to keep the game balanced due to the somewhat limiting nature of only having the original 151 Pokemon — more on that later.
There were some changes though, that were slightly disappointing, if not just downright strange. The best example I can give is the game corner in Celadon City. Now I can understand why they might want to remove the slot machines, because 20 years ago people weren’t as concerned about the idea of children learning to gamble from handheld video games. I did still expect them to at least replace it with some other minigame, especially considering they turned the game corner into a video game arcade rather than a casino. Instead, there’s nothing special to do in the arcade, which I suppose was little more than a nice detail and time killer in the original games, but still something that feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
One thing that I did notice going back to Kanto, is how limiting the original 151 Pokémon are in terms of variety, and while 151 sounds like a lot, when you take into account Pokémon in the same evolutionary families, that only leaves roughly 80 different species to choose from, a handful of which are unique legendary Pokémon. What this means is a lot of tedious and repetitive slogs through trainer battles in some areas. One that comes to mind is Pokémon tower in Lavender Town, where almost every trainer exclusively uses Gastly and/or Haunter, not to mention that most of the wild Pokémon you encounter tend to be Gastly as well. Back in the original gen one games, this was an accepted limitation of the technology at the time, but it’s an issue that’s highlighted in the remakes, especially after being spoiled for choice with the staggering 800 or so different Pokémon that now exist — a number I had to double check because I lost track a couple generations ago.
In terms of presentation though, Game Freak have really outdone themselves. The art style is modern and colourful, but simple, and captures the feel of the original art style perfectly. The cinematic cutscenes are nothing short of charming. The 3D Pokemon models have been reused from other modern games, but they do a good job of representing the 2D character designs they were based on. The cherry on top though, is the modern reprises of the original sountrack, with fresh rousing tunes that do their original 8 bit counterparts justice, and are enough on their own to send you into a euphoric nostalgia coma.
Looking back on the game now, there’s probably one question that most long term fans want answered; is it “dumbed down”? To which I’d say, dumbed down isn’t the right term. Some elements have been simplified, yes, such as the wild Pokémon encounters, but they work to the game’s benefit, and ultimately offer a more rounded experience with a lot of the bloat of the modern games left out, stuff that mainly exists to cater to the competitive scene anyway, making for a more casual and dare I say comfy approach to a long standing formula that the games have become known for. Is this how I’d want future main series games to be? Not really, but for what it is — a charming, colourful, retelling of where it all started, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! offers an experience for all Pokémon fans from old to new.
Originally published at The Insatiable Gamer.
