You basically take the role of a young trainer and set out to become a Pokémon master. As Professor Oak tries showing you the ropes, the two of you are startled by a wild Pikachu that Oak quickly catches. He then hands you this newly-captured Pikachu at his lab, while your childhood friend/rival takes an Eevee. From here, you venture through Kanto, find new Pokémon, battle trainers and prove your worth. It’s a basic hero’s journey experience, complete with a blank-slate character.
Truthfully, this game doesn’t have much of a story. It has plot points, all of which are rendered with beautiful cutscenes, but while several elements are expanded upon from the original games, this is as bare-bones as possible narratively. The true experience lies in interacting with NPCs, trainer and non-trainer alike, and getting glimpses into their lives. If there’s any recurring theme here, it’s about using Pokémon for selfish VS selfless reasons. This takes shape via the frequent encounters with Team Rocket, which includes Jesse and James from the TV series and their boss, Giovanni.
Save that, the allure of this game is reliving classic Gen 1 moments, but with fresh paint. It was nice perking up like Rick Dalton seeing himself on TV in Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood at the references, be it classic dialogue, or an item or two. My favourites involve that trainer on Cerulean City’s bridge who tries coercing you into joining Team Rocket, the initial encounter with Pokémon fanatic Bill and a back massage for the seasick captain of The SS Anne. There were other moments that got me, but none quite like these three.
Another aspect that’s revamped is the original OST. This isn’t the first time Gen 1 has been remade, but the tunes shine in full orchestrations. They might not be as impressive without the bleeps and bloops of the Game Boy, and perhaps they’re showing their age, but that doesn’t make them less-iconic. Like the visual references, these cues had me jumping for joy when they played. They made me feel 9 again.
But no Pokémon game’s complete without battles, of which there are plenty. Following tradition, whenever you make eye contact with another trainer, you have to battle them. If you win, you get money and items, as well as witness stock animations and reactions. If you lose, you fork over money, black out and have to run back to your nearest Poké Centre to heal. Fortunately, thanks to Pikachu learning Thunder and Zippy Zap, I only ever lost one battle. Zippy Zap was so effective I was practically invincible, leading to me to think, “Zippy Zap, shut your trap!” whenever I used it.
Then there are Gym Leaders. If regular battles tested you on the road, Gym Leaders were boss fights that helped progress through the game. Each one required a pre-set condition that made me explore and level up, while the gyms themselves had unique patterns that kept me guessing. Fuchsia City’s gym, for example, had an invisible maze with a path that occasionally lit up, forcing me to time your moves. In contrast, Celadon City’s gym had me teleport from rooftop-to-rooftop in an attempt to get to Sabrina, requiring me to hope I hadn’t already visited a rooftop. My one complaint is that Blaine’s gym felt like a downgrade from the original. It transformed a guessing game into a game show quiz, robbing most of the gym’s intrigue.
But no Pokémon game’s complete without battles, of which there are plenty. Following tradition, whenever you make eye contact with another trainer, you have to battle them. If you win, you get money and items, as well as witness stock animations and reactions. If you lose, you fork over money, black out and have to run back to your nearest Poké Centre to heal. Fortunately, thanks to Pikachu learning Thunder and Zippy Zap, I only ever lost one battle. Zippy Zap was so effective I was practically invincible, leading to me to think, “Zippy Zap, shut your trap!” whenever I used it.
Then there are Gym Leaders. If regular battles tested you on the road, Gym Leaders were boss fights that helped progress through the game. Each one required a pre-set condition that made me explore and level up, while the gyms themselves had unique patterns that kept me guessing. Fuchsia City’s gym, for example, had an invisible maze with a path that occasionally lit up, forcing me to time your moves. In contrast, Celadon City’s gym had me teleport from rooftop-to-rooftop in an attempt to get to Sabrina, requiring me to hope I hadn’t already visited a rooftop. My one complaint is that Blaine’s gym felt like a downgrade from the original. It transformed a guessing game into a game show quiz, robbing most of the gym’s intrigue.
The change I’m mixed on involves the new Pokémon capturing mechanic. Because I play my Switch in docked mode, I could only use one joy-con. Being a weird individual, I chose the right joy-con, yet used it with my left hand. This mostly played out fine, but wild Pokémon, save some exceptions, no longer let you to battle them directly, instead relying on tossing a Poké Ball and praying. Ignoring how a good chunk of the original challenge was combatting Pokémon and whittling down their health, I have a notoriously-bad throwing arm and frequently felt like I was playing Russian Roulette. It helps that wild Pokémon are now telegraphed in the overworld, but that’s not enough of a trade-off.
On the flip-side, a mechanic I welcome involves interacting with Pikachu directly. Pokémon Yellow teased hints at this, but it’s here that this concept’s fully-utilized. With a simple waggle of the remote, you can see Pikachu’s mood, play with him and feed him berries. Essentially, your companion’s now your personal pet, made better by Pikachu learning moves in the overworld that are well-above his pay-grade. This is true with his ability to fly and surf, both of which defy logic for an electric rodent.
Pokémon Let’s GO: Pikachu! may not be anything outside a simple remake, save for some minor updates, and there’s little post-The Elite Four outside of Mewtwo and more specialized trainers, but it doesn’t need to be. It took me roughly 22 hours to complete the campaign, and 4 or 5 of those were me reacquainting with some of the objectives, so it’s also not particularly lengthy. Despite some quibbles with stock animations and the capture mechanic, this was a nice trip down memory lane. It might not be as complex as many newer titles, but sometimes simple’s best. And given that I started growing weary with Gen 2, that’s what I need. I only hope it’s what you need too.
On the flip-side, a mechanic I welcome involves interacting with Pikachu directly. Pokémon Yellow teased hints at this, but it’s here that this concept’s fully-utilized. With a simple waggle of the remote, you can see Pikachu’s mood, play with him and feed him berries. Essentially, your companion’s now your personal pet, made better by Pikachu learning moves in the overworld that are well-above his pay-grade. This is true with his ability to fly and surf, both of which defy logic for an electric rodent.
Pokémon Let’s GO: Pikachu! may not be anything outside a simple remake, save for some minor updates, and there’s little post-The Elite Four outside of Mewtwo and more specialized trainers, but it doesn’t need to be. It took me roughly 22 hours to complete the campaign, and 4 or 5 of those were me reacquainting with some of the objectives, so it’s also not particularly lengthy. Despite some quibbles with stock animations and the capture mechanic, this was a nice trip down memory lane. It might not be as complex as many newer titles, but sometimes simple’s best. And given that I started growing weary with Gen 2, that’s what I need. I only hope it’s what you need too.
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