Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee appreciation thread (also, my personal review of the game)

May 2024 · 4 minute read
I recently got Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, and I have been playing it since then. I am now in the postgame, so I think it is a good time to give my review of the game. Let's Go has really surprised me in a positive way. So much so, that I am willing to name it a hidden gem in the Pokemon franchise.

I already knew that I love how the game looks since the very first time I saw it. It's definitely the best looking Pokemon game ever for me, and I'm not talking strictly about graphics, but mostly about art style. The whole world in Let's Go is bright, colourful, and designed in such a way that it makes one happy just by walking around the Kanto region, without even doing anything in particular. It also gets inspiration from the Anime, which makes things even better! All I can say is this: I wish every Pokemon game looked the way Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee looks.

What I didn't know about Let's Go, is some other features that surprised me in a positive way. One such feature is the Pokemon catching mechanic. Catching Pokemon in Let's Go is actually very addictive, and things get even better if you decide to go for a Catch Combo. Also, the lack of Abilities and Held Items didn't bother me.

For some reason, I enjoyed the Pokemon being visible in the overworld a lot more in Let's Go than I did in SwSh. One of the reasons is probably that, Pokemon don't chase after you like in SwSh.

Following Pokemon and Ride Pokemon is one of the best thing about Let's Go. Both of these things are implemented much better in Let's Go than in other games. I guess the limited number of Pokemon in Let's Go (151 + Alola forms) allowed the devs to put more attention to detail to all of them. It feels really organic and fitting.

Another thing I really like about Let's Go is, surprisingly, the plot. I really enjoyed having a cocky-but-not-a-jerk Blue as a part of the game progression. I also really appreciated the presence of Archer, my favourite Team Rocket Admin.

The most underrated thing about Let's Go, and one of my favorites, is the postgame. Gym Leaders rematches, Pokémon League improved rematches, battling Red and Green, getting to fly on Charizard/Aerodactyl/Dragonite, and battling the almost 150 Master Trainers in a 1 vs 1 battle, it all feels surprisingly rewarding and rich. I just wish for the Master Trainer battles, that both sides were level capped to level 50, like in Battle Facilities, to make things more fair. This is one of my few criticisms about Let's Go, as I think a level capped battle vs Master Trainers would have been even more challenging.

Another thing I would've liked is for the Playing mechanic to not be exclusive to your partner Eevee/Pikachu, but to be extended to all 151 Pokemon.

My biggest criticism about the game has to do with the Celadon Game Corner. Game Freak bothered to reconvert the Gambling Casino into a Game Arcade, to avoid the PEGI controversy, but then didn't do ANYTHING with the new Arcade. It could've actually had playable minigames in there, because those wouldn't be considered gambling anymore. Instead, we just get told by the owner that there are no tickets left, so we can't play. HUGE FACEPALM.

The only possible excuse for Game Freak here, is that maybe even Arcade Games are considered "close to gambling" in some countries, so Game Freak didn't want to attract any additional criticism on that front. If that was the case, then fair enough.

Despite these few criticisms, I would say that the game does a lot more right than wrong.

Pros:


Cons:

Final score: 8'5/10

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