Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee prompted a fair bit of controversy when they were first announced. Many fans didn’t feel like the games were necessary or improved the franchise. Despite the worry, both games did very well in sales and critical reception.
Now that there’s been some time since the games launched, we can look back and see that some of those worries were justified. Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee are by no means perfect games or without fault. Today we’re exploring some of those issues and give you five reasons to avoid Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee.
Another Remake
©IGDB – License
Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are technically remakes of Pokémon Yellow. This makes it the second remake of a Generation I game after FireRed and LeafGreen. Although it is nice to have a new game that updates Generation I to the modern day, this is the third time we’ve explored the Kanto region.
Players battle the same Team Rocket members and take on the same eight Gym Leaders they took on all those years ago. Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee doesn’t provide a new story or a new region to experience. It’s a retread of familiar territory that’ll give you a nice hit of nostalgia but won’t shock you with anything new like other Pokémon games.
Starters That Don’t Evolve
In almost every Pokémon game, players receive a starter Pokémon right at the beginning of their journey. This Pokémon grows stronger and evolves as you battle alongside it. Most players will take their starter with them all the way to the Elite Four. This creates an emotional bond between that starter and the trainer.
That sadly isn’t the case in Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee. Both starters, Pikachu and Eevee, can’t be evolved at any time in the game. This was the same in Pokémon Yellow. These games do give the starter Pikachu and Eevee higher stats, unique moves, and perfect IVs to compensate for not evolving. It’s a nice bonus to the starter that makes it competitive throughout the game, but it doesn’t give the same satisfaction as evolving your first Pokémon.
No New Pokémon
Most Pokémon games include a new collection of Pokémon to catch and battle with. Even remakes like FireRed and LeafGreen allowed you to catch Pokémon from Generations II and III. That unfortunately, isn’t present in Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee. These games exclusively only have the original 151 Pokémon from Generation I.
Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee admittedly does provide a compromise. The Alolan forms of the original Pokémon and their Mega Evolutions are available in the games. The only brand new Pokémon in the remakes are Meltan and its evolution, Melmetal. Without that new collection of Pokémon, Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee just doesn’t have that same feeling of newness that other games have.
No Wild Pokémon Battles
Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee was designed with Pokémon GO in mind. Pokémon from GO can be transferred to Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee. Both games also use the same system to catch wild Pokémon. Instead of battling, players catch Pokémon by aiming the Poké Ball with motion controls.
In addition to this, wild Pokémon no longer hide in tall grass. Wild Pokémon are visible in the overworld, and players choose when they interact with them. While this new feature makes catching Pokémon easier, it also takes away a lot of the challenge.
Players don’t have to worry about blacking out from losing wild Pokémon battles. Wild Pokémon battles have been a core part of the Pokémon franchise since the beginning. Not having them just doesn’t feel right.
Absent Features
Overall, Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee is a simplified version of a standard Pokémon game. It’s a much easier experience that anyone could play. Although this does make the game more accessible, it also means that it’s missing a lot of core features that other Pokémon games have.
Some of the features missing from Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee are breeding, HMs, a day/night cycle, and the Safari Zone. Certain moves like Z-moves and Abilities are also gone. Often, Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee feels very bare bones. The remakes just don’t have the qualities that make it a true Pokémon game.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Pokemon.com.