Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu Preview - E3 2018
We try out the upcoming Switch entry for the popular franchise
Pokémon is a difficult property to tackle. The series has a long history, across many different genres and consoles - starting with the GameBoy and landing on almost every system from Nintendo. But the biggest change for the series was when it came to mobile devices with Pokémon Go. Pokémon has always been huge, but the arrival of Go catapulted the series to a whole new stratosphere. With millions of players, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo found a way to make their mobile game compatible with the Switch.
I wasn’t entirely sold on Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! when I first saw it. It looked like a watered-down version of a traditional Pokémon game and while the idea of compatibility with Pokémon Go was interesting and I’m sure that appeals to a lot of people - I wasn’t really one of them. I was hoping for something a little meatier. However, after getting a chance to play Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu, I have to say I’m warming up to the idea of the game. I suppose it might be time to finally re-install the Pokémon Go app on my phone.
The thing that really stands out is how well the Pokéball controller works. It’s a simple piece of hardware, but it’s very effective. The button on the Pokéball acts as an analogue stick to guide the player around the world and also as a confirm button. Given that Pokémon has always been a relatively simple game, controls-wise, it’s been easy for developer Gamefreak to divide everything out between the needed buttons. There is also a menu button on the Pokéball that acts as a “Start” or “Select” button.
The game is simple. You wander the environment and attempt to find Pokémon - which is plenty easy. The game is vibrant in color, everything is whimsical and bright. Let’s Go Pikachu is clearly focused on fun and the joys of hunting for the little pocket monsters. The little forest area I explored was filled with bright green grass, tall trees, and a little dirt path that guides the way forward. There’s no doubt that this is a Nintendo game and a Pokémon game. The aesthetic is largely in keeping with other entries in the series.
The capturing of Pokémon works a lot like how it did in Pokémon Go. You either hold the paddle of the Switch controller or the Pokéball controller and flick it at the screen to throw. It’s the same sort of physics used when flicking in Pokémon Go mobile. It’s a little tricky, but not overly difficult, an inexact science of making sure you’re lining up the controller correctly and putting the right oomph into the throw. A way to make this a little easier is to feed Pokémon treats. I fed berries to a little Metapod in order to make it easier to catch. You also have to time the throw with a shrinking circle.
As you capture Pokémon, your roster of previously captured monsters improves. You can think of the capturing process much like the random encounters in the RPG - though it’s a much faster event - so you’ll want to continue catching Pokémon, not only to flesh out your squad, but to improve them overall. You can also add Pokémon that you’ve captured in Pokémon Go to your roster in Let’s Go Pikachu.
The other way to improve your Pokémon is to battle with trainers. While playing the game, Pikachu would always hop down from the player-character’s shoulder and rush into the fight, therefore you’d have to trade him out if you wanted to use anyone else. This would usually sacrifice your initial turn, which is a little annoying. The battle also move quickly as you navigate menus very similar to a traditional Pokémon game. Defeating the other trainers would also help you progress through the world.
I’m interested to see if there’s anything else to Let’s Go Pikachu. I didn’t play too long, but already the whole experience was starting to feel a little repetitive. Spending hours walking through the environments might be a little much, especially when it’s the repeated process of hunting Pokémon, throwing your Pokéball, leveling up, and then battling other trainers. I’m hoping that there’s a bit more to it that will keep the game fresh.
Still, while playing Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu, I couldn’t help but be a little won-over. It’s a small and relatively simple game, but it’s clearly designed to take advantage of the many types of Pokémon and provide all the whimsical fun one would expect from a game in this series.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee will be released on November 16, 2018 for the Nintendo Switch.