Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

 Switch
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1782 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 952 out of 1782
  2. Mixed: 283 out of 1782
  3. Negative: 547 out of 1782
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  1. cripii5
    Dec 16, 2018
    5
    Is a great remake of the old Pokemon 1st gen, but, they screw it all with one thing, the controller. Really GameFreak, what's wrong with you? Only motion controllers can be used, if you wasted 70 expensive dollars on the Pro Controller, it doesn't work with this game (in Super Mario Party neither). The joycons are not the best motion controllers ever made and in Pokemon Let's Go they'reIs a great remake of the old Pokemon 1st gen, but, they screw it all with one thing, the controller. Really GameFreak, what's wrong with you? Only motion controllers can be used, if you wasted 70 expensive dollars on the Pro Controller, it doesn't work with this game (in Super Mario Party neither). The joycons are not the best motion controllers ever made and in Pokemon Let's Go they're really frustrating. I'll explain. To level up in this game, battle trainers is not very effective. Encounters with wild pokemons doesn't turn in to a battle (if you didn't know it yet), is a throw a pokeball and good luck, just like the mobile game, Pokemon Go. Here is the problem, most of the Pokemons moves like crazy all over the screen, and with awful motion controllers like the joycons, is way too hard to throw the pokeball to a side of the screen (and when you want to throw it to the center of the screen, the pokeball goes to one side, it doesn't make any sense). And that's it, you NEED to master the Pokemon catch if you want to play this well, and that is very very very frustating. Of course, you can play it in portable mode and throw in pokeballs is not that hard, but I want to play Pokemon in my big TV for the first time. Great remake, bad decision to make motion controller mandatory. They screw it the entire game with that.… Expand
  2. Alex-Rainx
    Nov 16, 2018
    5
    Such a simple game at 30fps? Wft Game Freak? Where is the optimization? It cost you so much?And The Pro controller is not compatible with this game, because? And only 1 JoyCon works if you play in TV mode. If you play in portable mode joyCon vibrate none, you have to separate them from the console to vibrate. I do not understand you Game Freak company because you do not take care of theseSuch a simple game at 30fps? Wft Game Freak? Where is the optimization? It cost you so much?And The Pro controller is not compatible with this game, because? And only 1 JoyCon works if you play in TV mode. If you play in portable mode joyCon vibrate none, you have to separate them from the console to vibrate. I do not understand you Game Freak company because you do not take care of these things, it seems unforgivable so many failures in a game that you have not taken care of the details. Bad bad, very bad ....... too many things wrong.
    -------->>> PD: Please Game Freak Company, put the vibration in portable mode, optimize the game better and activate the Pro controller, listen to your fans who love you.    … Expand
  3. Xirsa
    Dec 11, 2018
    5
    As a reboot of the original Pokemon Yellow, this game does a perfectly passable job. I got exactly what I was expecting with a few changes here and there. The main story, collecting the badges, and facing the elite four are all typical of what I would expect of a Pokemon game, and I don't really have any complaints apart from the atrocious throwing mechanic which pretty much forces you toAs a reboot of the original Pokemon Yellow, this game does a perfectly passable job. I got exactly what I was expecting with a few changes here and there. The main story, collecting the badges, and facing the elite four are all typical of what I would expect of a Pokemon game, and I don't really have any complaints apart from the atrocious throwing mechanic which pretty much forces you to play hand-held if you want to be able to catch anything. If that were the only issue, this game would have a higher score from me, but, sadly, there is a GLARING problem that comes in post-game.

    In all other main-name Pokemon games before this one, you have the option to fight wild pokemon in order to grind experience. This game is missing that. It might not seem that big of a deal until you get to the post-game content where EVERYTHING from Mewtwo to the Master Trainers are significantly higher level than the elite four you just defeated. Normally, that would be fine, fun even because it's an extra challenge, but not when they have effectively removed the main source of grinding levels: battling wild pokemon. Now, you are forced to chain-catch the same pokemon over and over again in order to gain experience, which also doesn't seem like a big deal, until you factor in seveal things:

    1.) You have no control over which Pokemon shows up. So you could be trying to chain-catch one particular pokemon, but it might go from appearing every few seconds to never appearing at all.

    2.) If the Pokemon DOES appear and it's not either Huge or Tiny, it gives very little experience when you catch it.

    3.) If you don't catch the pokemon with the VERY first throw of your Pokeball, the experience you get from catching it is lowered significantly. That means, if it breaks out of the ball even once, you lose experience. And you can only get decent experience post-game by catching VERY high level pokemon, which means your chances of catching ANY of them on the first ball is slim.

    4.) If you don't get either a "Great" or an "Excellent" throw, the experience you get from catching it is lowered significantly.

    5.) If you get a chain going, and the pokemon you're trying to catch runs away before you can catch it, it breaks your chain and you have to start all over.

    In other words, they have turned the ONLY means of getting decent experience into a chore. The only other way to gain experience post-game is by re-battling gym leaders and challenging the elitor four again, but the experience you get from those things is negligible at best. Just to put it into perspective, I wanted to raise a Dratini post-game so that I could have a better chance of defeating Mewtwo. I challenged Brock's gym to see how much experience the Dratini would get from the battle. It was level 27, and by the end of Brock's fight, the Dratini had gone up a measly ONE level. So it would take literally months of challenging gym leaders every day to get the Dratini to the level I need it to fight Mewtwo.

    The game is okay if you only want to beat the main story, but they have effectively made end-game content a chore, not fun.    … Expand
  4. rulezfin
    Dec 2, 2018
    5
    This is a spinoff Pokemon game that is a quality remake of Pokemon Yellow. Pokemon Let's go is also a huge missed opportunity to bring the Pokemon franchise to younger generations.

    This game was built to cater for Pokemon Go fans, there it is too easy and lacks depth. It is a simple game (I don't view lack of difficulty as a sin thought) that is too short. While it adds so many quality    This is a spinoff Pokemon game that is a quality remake of Pokemon Yellow. Pokemon Let's go is also a huge missed opportunity to bring the Pokemon franchise to younger generations.

    This game was built to cater for Pokemon Go fans, there it is too easy and lacks depth. It is a simple game (I don't view lack of difficulty as a sin thought) that is too short. While it adds so many quality of life improvements such as the lack of grinding, in detracts heavily from the PvP complexity of other Pokemon games.

    This is also a huge missed opportunity because in this spinoff they should have retold HeartGold/Heartsilver story    … Expand
  5. Javichuck
    Feb 23, 2019
    5
    Remake del pokemon amarillo sale mal.

    La nostalgia te pega en la cara nada más comenzar, cuando entras en el laboratorio del prof. Oak y cuando ves a tus pokemon favoritos brincando por los caminos que conociste hace mucho. Pero cuando te topas con el primero viene la otra hostia en la cara, la mala. No hay combate contra pokemon salvajes salvo excepciones muy puntuales, los combates    Remake del pokemon amarillo sale mal.

    La nostalgia te pega en la cara nada más comenzar, cuando entras en el laboratorio del prof. Oak y cuando ves a tus pokemon favoritos brincando por los caminos que conociste hace mucho.

    Pero cuando te topas con el primero viene la otra hostia en la cara, la mala. No hay combate contra pokemon salvajes salvo excepciones muy puntuales, los combates clásicos se han sustituido por lanzar directamente la pokeball con un sistema porteado directamente del pokemon GO. Este sistema está recomendado para usar la pokeball plus (50€ + un Mew gratis) o un joy con, no se puede jugar al juego con mando pro o con el grip, pero curiosamente la precisión del joy con va regular.

    Una vez asumido el primer golpe (usamos el modo portátil apuntando con el giroscopio), llegamos a los primeros gimnasios y recuperamos la ilusión. Volvemos a tener combates, derrotamos a los enemigos y ganamos las primeras medallas, todo bien. Utilizamos nuestras skills de ninja para evitar los combates innecesarios y llegamos al siguiente gimnasio y nos violan sin miramientos. Toca ir a farmear y nos encontramos el siguiente problema, ya no podemos luchar con los pokemon para subir de nivel, solo podemos capturarlos.

    De esta manera se pierde todo vínculo posible con los pokemon ya que los estamos capturando y enviando al profesor de 10 en 10 a cambio de experiencia y caramelos. Además es algo muy recurrente ya que hay barreras de nivel importantes de gimnasio a gimnasio, si hacemos todos los combates no tendremos que farmear tanto pero aún así me parece un mal diseño.

    Una vez que ya tenemos para hacer un buen equipo con tipos variados y de niveles entre 40 y 50 el juego se vuelve más divertido explotando los aspectos estratégicos más interesantes.

    Remarcar la habitual exclusividad de pokemon según la versión elegida, que no por habitual debe ser libre de crítica y es que una persona por si misma no puede completar la pokedex si no intercambia pokemon con otros jugadores o con su cuenta de pokemon GO.

    En conclusión, es un mal remake que toma la estrategia equivocada para hacerlo más accesible. Busca ser más sencillo para nuevos jugadores y lo que consigue es ser más tedioso cambiando la habilidad y el conocimiento por la paciencia. Si a esto le añadimos los fallos técnicos, las exclusividades y el pagar por pokemons tenemos un mal juego que solamente la nostalgia consigue salvar.

    Gráficos 6, Historia 6, Jugabilidad 3.    … Expand
  6. Stonewallish
    Nov 20, 2018
    5
    Pokémon Lets go manages to constantly make one step forward in the right direction and three steps backwards in the wrong one. It’s infuriating to see something so long awaited and with so much potential, falling short on crucial gameplay standards set by previous, older entries in the series: you can now freely move your Pokémon from your team to your PC without having to visit a PokémonPokémon Lets go manages to constantly make one step forward in the right direction and three steps backwards in the wrong one. It’s infuriating to see something so long awaited and with so much potential, falling short on crucial gameplay standards set by previous, older entries in the series: you can now freely move your Pokémon from your team to your PC without having to visit a Pokémon Center, but you can’t look for a specific Pokémon to trade online (GTS has been completely removed). You can see Pokémon in the wild without having to engage in multiple random battles hoping to see the one you’re looking for, yet you cannot battle them -nor make eggs to breed your own (the egg breeding system has been removed). The experience sharing is surprisingly perfectly balanced, yet 90% of the battles with trainers end up being a “press A to win” fest, removing any kind of strategical thinking whatsoever present in previous titles, which is made worse by the fact that 95% of the trainers never have more than three Pokémon to use in battles and they are almost always repeated in set of three of the same species, making it even easier to win by spamming the same move without even having to think. On top of that, the day/night cycle is gone, along with weather changes and abilities. Pokémon can no longer even hold items and berries.

    The game has the best graphics ever seen by the series as a whole, and that’s pretty much the only thing it has going for it. It’s really pretty to look at, but reveals itself to be an extremely linear (much more so than previous games) experience from beginning to end, lacking a lot of the complex game mechanics we’ve come to know and learn throughout the years. On top of that, the game presents some truly idiotic game design choices which I find absolutely baffling in a 2018 title. Gone are all the quality of life changes we’ve come to love from Sun and Moon. Every single action requires you to navigate a menu and manually select whatever action you want to take: for example, if you choose to ride your Charizard, you’ll have to open the menu, select team, then make charizard follow you. This makes you go pretty fast, but also makes you unable to interact with anything on the ground or surmount certain obstacles. It would be great if you could just press a button to dismount charizard in a matter of 1 or two seconds, yet, you are required to open the menu again, select team and select another Pokémon to follow you, which makes Charizard go back into his pokeball and consequently enabling you to interact once again with the environment. A simple action that should take 2 seconds at best takes now 10 seconds because of idiotic and archaic game design, which again, after seeing all the improvements made from previous games, simply baffles me.

    Let’s go can be seen as perfect remake of Yellow, throwing 20 years of improvements in the trash and going back to lacking every single thing that Yellow also lacked. Don’t forget that Pokémon Yellow came out in the 90s, though, while Let’s Go came out in 2018. There simply exist no justification for all the things missing in this game. Will it hit your nostalgia hard? Sure, it will. Some of the moments you’ll be presented with will have a chance to make you tear up, depending on how much you loved and grew up with the original game. Once those moments are gone though, you’ll realize how shallow and hollow this game really is, making the original from the 90s seem at times more feature packed and thought out than this one.

    Let’s Go comes with a lot of shortcomings. Whether you’ll be able to get past them is up to you and your love of the series. OG fans like me will surely give it a try, but not doubt, they’ll end up being disappointed. Sad to say, but this is not a Pokémon game to be taken seriously, and it angers me that Kanto was chosen to be the protagonist of this half assed, lazy “remake”. I can only hope they will learn the lesson for the eventual Let’s Go Gold and Silver.

    5/10    … Expand
  7. Marklane
    Nov 16, 2018
    5
    Pokemon Let's Go is a divisive game, there is no doubt. Many new additions to the game design are excellent quality of life choices that will ultimately benefit future titles. However I cannot recommend this game as it's riddled with questionable controls and design choices, infuriating many veteran players of the series.

    While random battles were cumbersome to many, the outright    Pokemon Let's Go is a divisive game, there is no doubt. Many new additions to the game design are excellent quality of life choices that will ultimately benefit future titles. However I cannot recommend this game as it's riddled with questionable controls and design choices, infuriating many veteran players of the series.

    While random battles were cumbersome to many, the outright removal of them alltogether may appear very jarring to returning players, especially with the lack of an option to turn wild battles on or off. Controls are another confusing addition, requiring players to use one Joy Con controller when in Docked Mode without any alternative options. While this is made for the Go inspired capture mechanic, the feature is at best mixed, with numerous pokeballs wasted for little reason.

    For all the positives and negatives Let's Go provides, the highest I can give it is a 5/10. For some players, Let's Go will be very fun. Others will loathe the forced changes to the Pokemon formula. As a recommendation however, do not listen to those claiming these are perfect or the absolute worst games in the series. Let's Go is neither. These games are a moderately adequate return to Kanto, with changes to the traditional formula that will be a joy or pain depending on the individual player.    … Expand
  8. Riocaz
    Nov 19, 2018
    5
    Honestly I like the game. The graphics are a nice update... I do wish they had given all the Pokemon real "voices" instead of just a few (it's jarring when Pikachu or Eevee have an voice, but everything else just get random blast of noise that hasn't changed gameboy of the 90s)...
    However I can't get away from the fact that I HATE the Pokemon go style capture system. With an absolute passion.
  9. Pannopap
    Nov 20, 2018
    5
    Pokemon Let's Go is a fun game. It has many returning features that veterans of the series and newcomers will enjoy. HOWEVER, this is NOT a game worth $60. This is stated by the Pokemon company to be a main series title. Other titles in the main series are, Heart Gold/Soul Silver which offer 16 gym badges to collect across 2 regions, secret trainers such as Red to fight. Black/White 1 andPokemon Let's Go is a fun game. It has many returning features that veterans of the series and newcomers will enjoy. HOWEVER, this is NOT a game worth $60. This is stated by the Pokemon company to be a main series title. Other titles in the main series are, Heart Gold/Soul Silver which offer 16 gym badges to collect across 2 regions, secret trainers such as Red to fight. Black/White 1 and 2 which had the battle subway, musical hall, engaging stories, secret legendaries, and a tournament to fight dozens of series icons, along with triple and rotation battles. All of these games were $40 with tons of features. The you look at Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. There is no depth to this game, it is repetitive, and while there are dozens of hours of gameplay it never truly changes up or gets more challenging. The game holds your hand the entire way through, it is extremely easy and honestly, there is very little reason to play it. The only reason to get this game is out of a lack of contest, there is no other traditional Pokemon game on the Switch. The game is going to sell well regardless due to the fact it is a Pokemon game and the Switch has such a high install base. Kids will enjoy this I'm sure, but if you want a Pokemon game with more depth, challenge, and replay-ability, tell Gamefreak by voting with your wallet by not buying this game. On the other hand, if you just enjoy the world of Pokemon and don't care about the mechanics of it and want a fun casual game you can relax and enjoy on your tv or on the go, then I would recommend this. All in all this game is not a disappointment, they advertised EXACTLY what it was from the get go. A casual game meant for casual gamers, newcomers to Pokemon, and young children or adults who grew up with Pokemon to play with their own kids. I can't fault this game for not being something it was never advertised as, a game with depth, compelling story, characters, and gameplay. HOWEVER, I can fault it for calling itself a main line Pokemon title priced above all those before it with not even a third of the content that those games had, yet is priced at 1/3 times the price. This game is a rip-off price-wise, I would not recommend paying this amount of money no matter the type of 'gamer'/fan you are. Wait for it to possibly go down in price, because in the end, you really aren't missing much.… Expand
  10. Averel
    Nov 27, 2018
    5
    To tell the truth i haven't played any pokemon game since sapphire and ruby , my brother did and informed me that is the same game with some new gimmicks to make interesting for a while. I bought in January a nintedo switch to play xenoblade 2 ( which in the end didn't enjoy so much) and i was waiting to some exclusive games to play . in the mean time i played some first party title and iTo tell the truth i haven't played any pokemon game since sapphire and ruby , my brother did and informed me that is the same game with some new gimmicks to make interesting for a while. I bought in January a nintedo switch to play xenoblade 2 ( which in the end didn't enjoy so much) and i was waiting to some exclusive games to play . in the mean time i played some first party title and i really enjoed super mario odessy . The last game i played was octopath traveler and dana of lacrimosa . I loved the first one and i enjoed the second one .But from the august i didn't have played anything on my switch and i really wanted to . So i wanted to buy something new and i checked to see my options and i saw that i have to choose from 30euro games with 2 to 12 hours content and 50 euros pokemon lets go which i thought will have more than 30 hours content and technical is an rpg game which i like . So i choose the pokemon .

    I just finished the game with 24 hours playtime and when i say i finished i mean got mewtwo and his mega forms. its the same game as the original 3 games with some new mechanics but it wasn't fun atleast for me it felt like chore more . And the post game i find really laze for my taste to bother .

    What i wanted to say is that for me the new pokemon doen;t worth the money tag but at the same time i can't find anything worth or exclusive to buy on the switch.    … Expand
  11. Shayneros
    Nov 27, 2018
    5
    A $20 price increase and nothing to show for it. Dumbed down gameplay (no more abilities, held items, or breeding) for a game that already wasn't hard, no graphical increase (at least nothing at all notable, it's just on a higher resolution screen now), and no end game just to name a few. It's enjoyable enough for the story gameplay but nothing outside that. This is the first Pokemon RPGA $20 price increase and nothing to show for it. Dumbed down gameplay (no more abilities, held items, or breeding) for a game that already wasn't hard, no graphical increase (at least nothing at all notable, it's just on a higher resolution screen now), and no end game just to name a few. It's enjoyable enough for the story gameplay but nothing outside that. This is the first Pokemon RPG we've had on a console since Gale of Darkness and my how disappointing this is after waiting 13 years. This should have stayed at $40 as it is just a dumbed down 3DS Pokemon game.… Expand
  12. megasone
    Dec 4, 2018
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Positives:
    Seeing Pokemon on the over world is cool but outside of the lets go style of games that focus on singular gens, i wouldn't expect to see in future titles.
    The motion controls when i used them worked decently.
    Some of the gyms get a makeover for the better, Blaine's gym in particular comes to mind.
    Access to the PC anywhere is cool i wouldn't say its a game changer though.

    Negatives:
    There is nothing new for long time fans.
    Catching the same Pokemon over and over again to grind for exp is pretty tedious and battles are not much better as the game really gives you no real reason to not use your partner Pikachu. The Go inspired catching mechanics are not great as it feels like there is really not much you can do to increase your odds of catching Pokemon. This feeling is at its worst when facing a legendary Pokemon and/or snorlax as the game forces you to tire them out with a battle which has a 5 minute time limit for some reason. if you win you get to attempt a capture. However the battling phase feels entirely pointless as the Pokemon does not seemed to be affected by the battle. Connection with Pokemon go is another not well thought out part as you have to recapture anything you transfer over, these are not instant or even easy catches in most cases, forcing you to waste resources. Also for whatever reason the Pokemon you transfer over can run away, there not gone forever in fact they're right where you encounter them. Which begs the question why can they run in the first place.

    The Worst:
    My biggest problem with the game comes in the form of Meltan. To get Meltan you have to transfer a pokemon from go to lets go (Which you cannot transfer back into go.) after doing this you get an item in go, using said item will spawn meltan for 30 minutes. after the 30 minutes you have to wait 7 days to reopen it which requires you to transfer more pokemon after the 7 day period. Then you can transfer meltan into lets go however there is no way to evolve Meltan in lets go. This is a problem because Meltan takes 400 candies to evolve in go and walking with Meltan takes 20km to get a single candy. I caught 10 Meltans on my first opening of the box which is 30 candies, so to get the optional dex entry for Melmetal you have to waste probably months catching Meltans and then do the one way transfer into lets go. .    … Expand
  13. Luggie
    Dec 24, 2018
    5
    Satoshi Tajiri's original vision of Pokemon was something never seen before it was done and Pokemon Gen 1 and 2 will always be the magnum opus of the franchise. Now nothing against Junichi Masuda, but he is totally disconnected to what Pokemon was about, I'm not trying to wear rose tinted nostalgia goggles when I say this but Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are his take on Generation 1 and itSatoshi Tajiri's original vision of Pokemon was something never seen before it was done and Pokemon Gen 1 and 2 will always be the magnum opus of the franchise. Now nothing against Junichi Masuda, but he is totally disconnected to what Pokemon was about, I'm not trying to wear rose tinted nostalgia goggles when I say this but Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are his take on Generation 1 and it shows that he doesn't even know anything that made Generation 1 such a great experience. They could of remedied this by implementing a wild battle system with the Pokemon Go catching system in place but it was either one or the other and with that all wild battles were axed. Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee could of also benefited from the designers making it less streamlined than it already was, Pokemon Red and Blue aren't the most complicated games in the world and they are very linear RPG's, making them more streamlined is more insulting rather than making it look like the developers are holding your hand through the game. There was a lot right in Let's Go like the music re compositions and seeing wild Pokemon on the over world like just like how Pokemon Ranger had them, following Pokemon are back from Heart Gold and Soul Silver but with all of these nice compliments I can give it, it fails at being something everyone can enjoy which was Masuda's intention with this title as people who are into Pokemon are going to probably shrug this game off as a babies first Pokemon game, casuals are going to find the games difficulty insultingly easy deeming it boring, and the kids who were once our age when we played Pokemon Red and Blue are going to completely ignore Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee and play there Fortnite and Minecraft. If you can look past these issues I have brought up with Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee than you'll probably enjoy it more than I did or if your a beginner who wants to get into this series may I recommend you play a vastly superior title like Heart Gold and Soul Silver and then work your way to play the other games in this franchise.… Expand
  14. Arnae9
    Nov 14, 2019
    5
    This game is intended for for those new players who have discovered pokemon through the mainstream mobile game pokemon go, or for those who only played the old school gameboy games and are attracted to this game because of nostalgia. Because of this i won't go deeply in the competitive side of pokemon. I'm a competitive player myself, but this game exaggeratedly damages competitiveThis game is intended for for those new players who have discovered pokemon through the mainstream mobile game pokemon go, or for those who only played the old school gameboy games and are attracted to this game because of nostalgia. Because of this i won't go deeply in the competitive side of pokemon. I'm a competitive player myself, but this game exaggeratedly damages competitive battling with just the removal of abilities, items and moves in an unnecessary attempt to simplify the game. The game is a remake of Pokemon Yellow and takes us back again to Kanto. The graphics of the game are appealing and well done, thanks to the Switch system, the games can really shine much more than they could in the 3DS. However the same can't be said about the OST and some animations. The OST isn't really that bad it's just mediocre, the OST is mostly the same tracks the original gameboy games had but played with violins. Animations for 3D NPCs in the overworld have always been lazily performed and barely changed from the Sun&Moon games, in fact most animations are reused assets from the previous titles. Some move animations like thunderbolt have been updated and have new refreshing visuals but the rest of moves (95%) still have disappointing animations like they did in previus 3DS titles.
    The gameplay is fine and the story is barely changed from the original gen 1 games, even though the gen 1 games story sucked, the emphasis the let's go games puts in some moments makes it somewhat acceptable. When it comes to difficulty the game isn't that easy as it was expected to be, if you are not a new player, don't use overleveled pokemon and disable automatic switches in the game options, if you do this the game can be hard enough, even though the pokemon games have never been too hard actually, some pokemon have always been bad when it comes to moves, stats and typings, the candy mechanics can make your pokemon too powerful so the best thing to do is just to use them on pokemon that are weak like non-mega beedrill, or pokemon that you caught with bad IVs. There is one thing that is kind of a double edged sword, this is the following pokemon function. What could possibly be bad about this? Evryone likes to have following pokemon back, and you can finally mount on some of them! The bad thing is the automatic friendship gain with having pokemon outside of the pokeball. The Pokemon amie has been removed (kind of a stupid move, just to centralize eevee and pikachu playing mode), so how do you make pokemon that aren't pikachu/eevee adore you and automatically use insanely broken tactics in combat? With the following function. What that means is that if you don't want your pokemon to be overpowered because of friendship you are forced to not have following pokemon nor mounts(damaging the only source of fast movement). There are no field moves like cut in these game, just like the previous titles, even though these time is your pokemon who cuts/surfs/flies/etc it's done in a kind of stupid way but it's just fine. The game having some alola references, certain dialogues, and updates moves and types are the only references you'll find to other games, overall nothing too special like always. The Post-Game is non-existant besides the fact that they have something called master trainers who are just a bunch of boring battles to show how "good" you are with a certain pokemon. I must say that this is the first game where i have fully completed the pokedex, a popular post-game sugestion for pokemon players is to try to "catch'em all" which was something usually too hard and tedious. With the shortened pokedex and the faster catching system you can actually try to complete the pokedex (easier with someone who has the other version of the game).

    The main thing the game has changed from previous titles are wild pokemon catching, which isn't really bad. It's easy enough and simple enough to throw pokeballs and it is more realistic having pokemon on the overworld than suddenly finding a gigantic pokemon on some tall grass.Catching wild pokemon is overall easier but at the same time it's harder when it comes to ensure a catch. If you don't want to waste your masterball your only other option is to use an ultraball with a berry, an the pokemon can escape if you fail too many times which is kind of uhh... It doesn't really make the game harder, it makes the game luck-dependant which kinda sucks. When you are playing normally the catching system will be better for you, on serious cathes like shinies and legendaries, you may choke because of your depressing bad luck. There is no sleeping/false swipe and you can't even use all of your pokeballs since the pokemon will eventually flee. Also as there are no wild battles, you will have to level up you pokemon with wild pokemon catching. Which may fill your PC too much. In conclusion the pokemon go catching system has it's pros and cons.
    To summarize, the game is a step back and definately not worth 60$    … Expand
  15. MyOpinionOnThis
    Apr 16, 2019
    5
    It's an okay Pokémon game for kids and people new to the series and only played Pokémon Go.
    But the game gets very boring and repetitive after a while since all you do is catching wild Pokémon to level up your team and need to do so to progress. The battles are also super easy.
    The game is very hand-holding and feels like the tutorial never ends like as if everyone playing the game is    It's an okay Pokémon game for kids and people new to the series and only played Pokémon Go.
    But the game gets very boring and repetitive after a while since all you do is catching wild Pokémon to level up your team and need to do so to progress. The battles are also super easy.
    The game is very hand-holding and feels like the tutorial never ends like as if everyone playing the game is dumb or something.
    Like I said, it's okay for kids, but boring for other people I think.    … Expand
  16. Saint_Saito
    Sep 20, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Volvemos de nuevo a kanto pero esta vez en un juego muy recortado(solo los primeros 151 pokemon disponibles, estos sin habilidades ni naturalezas), con mecanicas un poco molestas sacadas del pokemon go(el metodo de captura por ej) y otras que me gustaron y que me gustaria que se siguieran aplicando(como la aparicion de los pokemon salvajes en las zonas de hierba alta). Aun con todo lo dicho es un juego muy disfrutable y entretenido… Expand
  17. JustThatOneGuy1
    Nov 30, 2019
    5
    The game itself is good, but it's carries tons of problems.

    Pros: -Graphics are Clean, the enviornments were very detailed compared to even newer Pokemon games. -The catching was fun (When it worked). -The ability to walk your Pokemon was a welcoming feature returning from Heartgold and Soulsilver. -It was fun catching all 152 mons in the game. -It's one of the more freeroaming    The game itself is good, but it's carries tons of problems.

    Pros:
    -Graphics are Clean, the enviornments were very detailed compared to even newer Pokemon games.
    -The catching was fun (When it worked).
    -The ability to walk your Pokemon was a welcoming feature returning from Heartgold and Soulsilver.
    -It was fun catching all 152 mons in the game.
    -It's one of the more freeroaming Pokemon games, you can catch most of the legendary Pokemon with only 3 badges.
    Cons:
    -Mew is locked behind a $50 paywall. I only got him due to Black Friday marking it down by $30, and even then the first Pokeball Plus I got didn't contain the Mew despite being new.
    -The game is appealing to a casual market in a series that is already casual as is. The game is too easy and holds your hand a lot, even blocking off gyms untils you got Pokemon with a certain advantage.
    -Post game is lacking. You pretty much level up your Pokemon inorder to battle the strongest trainer of that respective Pokemon.
    -The catching is not explained very well. The mons would jump around left to right, and the game doesn't tell you how to throw the ball inorder to reach them. The game's tracking is also poor, making it so your ball will sometime be thrown the EXACT opposite way you intended.

    The game is fun, but the problems it carries brings it down a lot. 6/10 game, knocking down a point for the Pokeball Plus thing.    … Expand
  18. nochianand
    Feb 10, 2020
    5
    This game has almost nothing going for it. Yeah sure the graphics are pretty good looking and admittedly, it's pretty great seeing an old Gameboy game looking this good. Now for the bad part. This game is unbelievably easy. Like all you do is press A because your Pokémon get so overleveled. Next is catching Pokémon. Using motion controls is a good idea on paper but it just doesn't work atThis game has almost nothing going for it. Yeah sure the graphics are pretty good looking and admittedly, it's pretty great seeing an old Gameboy game looking this good. Now for the bad part. This game is unbelievably easy. Like all you do is press A because your Pokémon get so overleveled. Next is catching Pokémon. Using motion controls is a good idea on paper but it just doesn't work at all. Half the time the ball would just fly wherever it wanted to. If you're really eager to play gen one again, play Firered and Leafgreen. They're way better.… Expand
  19. emu0
    Jan 27, 2020
    5
    Obviously the hype was way higher than what this game can offer. As I was playing, I felt more and more disappointed because of the cuts of playable stuff with regards to the original title (Safari, Casino, bike, etc) and overall the lack of difficulty (forced exp. share, no fight against wild pokemon, etc).

    I can understand, and I think it is legitimate, that the company want to    Obviously the hype was way higher than what this game can offer. As I was playing, I felt more and more disappointed because of the cuts of playable stuff with regards to the original title (Safari, Casino, bike, etc) and overall the lack of difficulty (forced exp. share, no fight against wild pokemon, etc).

    I can understand, and I think it is legitimate, that the company want to approach to children and/or inexperienced players with this game... but just say it! Otherwise you are fooling the users by selling something that is not true!    … Expand
  20. Arfon
    Jan 26, 2021
    5
    Looks beautiful! But it sucks. It's a little bit too much casual-directed, that's why this game is not for me. The only thing I really like about this game is that we can see Pokémon in the overworld now. And they can be outside of their pokéball and walk alongside you, but not inside buildings, not even the little ones. That sucks.
  21. JoeQ_
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee are remakes of Pokémon Red & Blue and are pretty underwhelming remakes at that. For the average player, this game is a great experience and is not too challenging as it builds itself as a game for newcomers into the series who have no experience with Pokémon or have dabbled a bit with the mobile game Pokémon Go. However, for the diehard or big Pokémon fans,Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee are remakes of Pokémon Red & Blue and are pretty underwhelming remakes at that. For the average player, this game is a great experience and is not too challenging as it builds itself as a game for newcomers into the series who have no experience with Pokémon or have dabbled a bit with the mobile game Pokémon Go. However, for the diehard or big Pokémon fans, this game feels like a slap in the face and a dumbed-down version of such a great game. It's not too offensive for the fans but is very mediocre and hardly offers any challenge. It's great for Nintendo to try and introduce newcomers to the series, but as the first Pokémon title on the Switch is does everything but make the Pokémon fans suffer. Throw away all strategy and fun that the Pokémon series is known for. The catching mechanic has been implemented directly from Pokémon Go so you don't actually battle the Pokémon when you catch them, just a simple toss from the joycon or a click of A. You catch them based on a ring, Green meaning easy to catch, yellow meaning moderate to catch, or red, hard to catch. But unlike the mobile game, if the ring is not green, don't expect to catch the Pokémon with a regular Pokeball because it's borderline uncatchable. In Pokémon Go you could still catch a red ring Pokémon with a regular Pokeball, in this game it feels like there's no chance. Speaking of the joycons, the control scheme of this game is so poorly made, there's no option to play on the TV with a Pro Controller or Joycon Grip, just a single joy-con or a Pokeball Plus. I bring up again that challenge is nowhere in this game, I'd be lying to you if I told you I lost many battles. Losing in Pokémon teaches you to use strategy in your second fight that you didn't use in your first battle, but as said before, unless you're new to the series, you won't lose a lot. You would also think that a game on the Switch would show some evolution to the series, but the animations in the game are stiff and have almost no flash. It stays true to the original games as every animation is pretty static. I've never finished the game and probably never will as i find almost no reason to. That being said the game introduces wandering Pokémon which is one of the only positives I saw from this game, as being able to see the Pokémon before you walk into it stops you from running into Pidgeys & Zubats over and over again. It appears to me as Nintendo wanted to make a game that would draw in old fans of the series by making the game Red/Blue remakes, but it comes off as a shameless cash grab as this game isn't worthy enough to be comparable to those games. If you don't know much about Pokémon and have always wanted to get into the series, this game is obviously made for you and you might enjoy it too! And for Pokémon Go players this game does appear to have some sort of functionality with the mobile game so maybe it might interest you. But for a big fan of the series, this is one game you probably won't regret skipping.… Expand
  22. ChesterField
    May 1, 2020
    5
    A remake of the blue / red / yellow pokemon saga without further ado, very faithful to the originals. GameFreak needs to evolve in the technical and artistic section. We are in 2019 and it seems that it is not a nintendo game with these GameCube graphics. As it is a remake after all, what less than adding voices to the main characters, which they have not done. I do not recommend it.
  23. nightstroller
    Apr 30, 2020
    5
    It's nothing like games of old, and I feel like it's a case of "don't fix what isn't broken." They should not have deviated so far from the beaten path.
    You collect pokemon but don't battle anymore apart from gym leaders.
    The game looks nice and while I guess it's accessible to kids of all ages, this game was a big letdown. I was hoping for a pokemon game like what we had on gameboys    It's nothing like games of old, and I feel like it's a case of "don't fix what isn't broken." They should not have deviated so far from the beaten path.
    You collect pokemon but don't battle anymore apart from gym leaders.
    The game looks nice and while I guess it's accessible to kids of all ages, this game was a big letdown. I was hoping for a pokemon game like what we had on gameboys except now with better graphics on the switch, but instead we got pokemon go on the switch.

    Pokemon Let's Go
    Gameplay Enjoyability (0 - worst, 10 - best)

    Visuals - 8
    Catching pokemon - 3
    Exploring - 5
    Music - 6
    Gym battles - 6    … Expand
  24. clbull
    Sep 18, 2021
    5
    FireRed/LeafGreen is the gold standard that a Gen 1 remake should aspire to. It remakes all the original content with the graphics, audio, bells and whistles that you'd expect from a GBA game. Plus it adds the Sevii Islands - a new endgame region.

    Let's Go Pikachu by comparison is a barebones remake of Pokémon Yellow. You know... the game where you start with a Pikachu and obtain    FireRed/LeafGreen is the gold standard that a Gen 1 remake should aspire to. It remakes all the original content with the graphics, audio, bells and whistles that you'd expect from a GBA game. Plus it adds the Sevii Islands - a new endgame region.

    Let's Go Pikachu by comparison is a barebones remake of Pokémon Yellow.

    You know... the game where you start with a Pikachu and obtain Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur from various NPCs just because Nintendo wanted to cash in on the success of the Pokémon anime.

    The main difference is... there's also an Eevee version where you start with the Pokémon that was Blue's starter in Yellow instead - because double money for Nintendo!

    Which begs the question for the consumer: Do YOU want an electric type that refuses to evolve or a normal type that refuses to evolve, and that's why I think everybody went with Let's Go Pikachu, because let's face it, Eevee sucks.

    So much of Pokémon Yellow's DNA is in this game that it's shocking. Even Jessie & James appear as occasional boss encounters, and just like with Yellow, have hardly as much character as they do in the anime.

    Whole heaps of content synonymous with Pokémon as a series have been gutted out for the sake of simplicity, sanitisation and parity with Pokémon Go. A few examples:

    1. Random wild Pokémon battles have been removed in favour of a Pokéball throwing minigame that works passably well with the Switch's controls.

    2. Your smack-talking rival from the original game, manga & anime series, has been replaced with a friendlier, more boring, more lame and more sanitised "friendly rival." Trace is frankly an insult to fans of Blue and Gary Oak.

    3. The Celadon City Game Corner has no minigames. It's not even like in HG/SS where the slot machines were replaced with other minigames. They're completely gone.

    4. No bicycles. Cycle Road is now Pokémon Road and you can traverse it by foot. Mounts have been added to the game but they just feel so weird and janky, especially when you automatically dismount just to jump from a ledge and remount after you land.

    5. HMs are now Secret Techniques which your companion Pokémon can learn. This means that you're dependent upon your starter to use moves. Thankfully, the combat version of these moves are repurposed as MMs in their original locations and TMs are reusable...

    6. The Safari Zone has been outright removed and replaced with "Go Park", a place which allows you to bring Pokémon from Go into your game. It's a one-way trip, by the way.

    These are just a few of the glaring problems that Let's Go has as a game. It isn't so much a remake as it is a low-effort rehash. The game is competently made but it's not what you'd expect from a Gen 8 Pokémon title. It feels like some failed experiment to create a game that has parity with Niantic's hit mobile game which backfired tremendously.    … Expand
  25. Femboy
    Aug 29, 2021
    5
    Like all Pokémon games, Let's Go Pikachu has that familiar core gameplay to it. There's just something so intrinsically fun about adventuring through a region, gradually raising the strength of your team and defeating various other trainers as you do. Let's Go Pikachu does a good job at preserving this familiar setup, and I had no trouble getting absorbed in this game the same way I getLike all Pokémon games, Let's Go Pikachu has that familiar core gameplay to it. There's just something so intrinsically fun about adventuring through a region, gradually raising the strength of your team and defeating various other trainers as you do. Let's Go Pikachu does a good job at preserving this familiar setup, and I had no trouble getting absorbed in this game the same way I get absorbed in pretty much every Pokémon game I pick up.

    One of the cool things about Let's Go Pikachu is that it also presents a few welcome changes to the long-held standards of the franchise. For starters, catching has been completely overhauled, modified to appeal to newcomers who enter the franchise via Pokémon Go. I thought this was a pretty cool way to shakeup the formula and set this game apart from its predecessors. Wild Pokémon encounters have also been changed, so that you can see various Pokémon wandering around in the wilderness before you encounter them. Although its more of an aesthetic thing, this change really went a long way for me. Not only is it easier to avoid unwanted encounters (though they still do happen), it also adds a lot to the visuals of the Kanto region, and makes the world feel more real.

    Speaking of visuals, the overall look of this game is also very nice. There are a lot of new cutscenes and added animations that make the game feel much more alive than previous 3D Pokémon games have been. The designs for all the important characters (including the protagonist, the gym leaders/Elite Four, all the bosses, and a bunch of supporting characters) are all really nice looking. The environments also look neat.

    Pokémon walking behind you, a fan-favorite feature from HGSS, is also finally back, and actually improved somewhat. You can control which Pokémon walks behind you (instead of it just being the one in the first party slot), and you can do more than just walk with them. There are ridable Pokémon that replace the bike, flying Pokémon that let you soar through the sky (post-game only though), and various water Pokémon that'll take you through the ocean (after you get the surf secret technique). Unlike the mounts from previous 3DS games, these are all your own Pokémon, and interacting with them like this helps with the art style to make the game one of the most immersive Pokémon games.

    But the game is not without its pitfalls.

    Let's Go Pikachu adds plenty of new features to the game it's based on, but preserves many of its flaws as well. The plot is just as tacked-on and empty as the last time these games were remade. Once again, Team Rocket show up to do lots of generic villain stuff. Giovanni is just as forgettable as ever, having almost no presence outside of the two times you battle him. This should hardly come as a surprise to those who've played the originals (or most Pokémon games) before, but it's still disappointing.

    Similar to this, I am of the opinion that the Kanto region is the most boring region in Pokémon, geographically at least. There are a couple cool areas here and there like Pokémon Mansion and Lavender Tower, but they pale in comparison to landmarks that came in later games. So even though they look nice, they're boring to play through.

    Regarding the gameplay, I have two main complaints: the repetitiveness and the EXP gain.

    I can't recall if it was like this in previous games, but it felt like every route was absolutely flooded with trainers. Getting through areas like the Rocket HQ, Rock Tunnel and most of the later-game routes took me literal hours of fighting trainer after trainer after trainer, over and over again. And nearly all of these trainer battles have absolutely no strategy to them, requiring only mindless button mashing. Because of the limited pool of Pokémon this game has, you also end up fighting the same handful of Pokémon dozens or even hundreds of times.

    In spite of this forced grinding, gaining EXP is extremely slow. Even when consistently facing Mons that were ten levels above my current one, it could take forever to gain even a single level sometimes. I'm the type of person who likes to rotate Mons in and out of my team pretty routinely, and this was especially frustrating for me because it felt like it was encouraging me to just capture six Pokémon early on in the game and only use them.

    Also, quickly as I'm running out of characters: some of the in-game models were missing light-mapping in battles (which looked weird), and Pokémon walking behind you could get glitchy. The postgame also requires lots of grind. Like so much grind I didn't even bother.

    Let's Go is most fun in the beginning, when everything is new, and in the end, when your progress starts to add up. But in the middle, there's a lot of slog to get through. As a long-time Pokémon fan, I could overlook the game's numerous flaws and get a lot of enjoyment from it. But if you can't do the former, you probably won't be able to do the former.    … Expand
  26. Autty49
    Nov 20, 2021
    5
    Not a bad game but I could've been a lot more for a 60 dollar game
    but an enjoyable game overall
  27. flypenguin62
    Nov 16, 2018
    4
    The game removed a lot of key features from the previous games and left this feeling very bare and miserable. There are no wild Pokemon battles at all. Only battles happen with gyms and with other trainers. While this is ok, it's not a preference of mine and I enjoyed battling wild Pokemon. They also removed Pokemon abilities. On top of this, they force you to use a single joy conThe game removed a lot of key features from the previous games and left this feeling very bare and miserable. There are no wild Pokemon battles at all. Only battles happen with gyms and with other trainers. While this is ok, it's not a preference of mine and I enjoyed battling wild Pokemon. They also removed Pokemon abilities. On top of this, they force you to use a single joy con controller unless you are playing in handheld mode. I prefer a two Joycon setup, but that's too bad. You can't even use a pro controller. Did you spend an extra $70 for that pro controller? That's too bad, because you can't use it at all. They wanted to cash grab with the Pokeball plus sales to force you into their gimmick of spending an extra $45 for a stupid Pokeball controller that will only be useful for this game. It's a good business strategy, but does a terrible job at keeping customer loyalty. They completely disrespected the long time fans with this installment and The last company that I trusted with a string title every time has finally lost my trust. I cannot recommend this game to anyone, unless you've never played Pokemon or you only play Pokemon Go. That's 100% the audience they were targeting and they obviously stopped caring about their true fans.

    I just can't help but feel like the company didn't care very much with what they were doing this time around. It's a back to basics Pokemon game that removes around 50% of what makes Pokemon fun. If you're a Pokemon fan, then I would highly recommend waiting and buying their core version coming in late 2019. This won't tide you over, this will make you mad.    … Expand
  28. kalis
    Dec 1, 2018
    4
    Amazing graphic with unexciting/boring gameplay.
    Why is the trend being like this, this day?
  29. ikkan
    Nov 26, 2018
    4
    Pokemon yellow for kids the new generation kids that are not allowed to be frustrated. I used to play pokemon blue on gameboy and it was impossible to beat brock and mist without leveling a lot my pokemons. Now i beat the entire gym with one run, without leveling my pokemons and without using a single potion. My recomendation: Get the Physical version, play and sell.
  30. TheKalahari
    Nov 16, 2018
    4
    This is a very weird entry into the Pokémon series. It feels more like one of the below average spin-off titles that gets released every now and then but since Gamefreak themselves have developed it and are insisting to call it a mainline title, I will do the same. This of course means that will I judge it with the quality of previous mainline titles in mind.
    This is not a good game. It's    This is a very weird entry into the Pokémon series. It feels more like one of the below average spin-off titles that gets released every now and then but since Gamefreak themselves have developed it and are insisting to call it a mainline title, I will do the same. This of course means that will I judge it with the quality of previous mainline titles in mind.
    This is not a good game. It's neither a good Pokémon game nor a good RPG in general. The Pokémon series has always been a very casual and simple part of the JRPG genre, it's made to appeal first and foremost to kids after all. In recent times Gamefreak have adopted the strategy of simplifying the games even more and that's extremely apparent with Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee. These games ignore a plethora of features that have been a staple of the series for many years in favor of cashing in on the Pokémon Go hype by implementing features from that game. This to me seems like a very weird choice to make. Who would have thought that the very first mainline Pokémon title released on a home console would remove features in sake of implementing game mechanics from a mobile title of all things. It feels honestly very bizarre. Apart from that, the game doesn't look what I would expect a home console Pokémon game to look like. It looks like an upscaled 3DS game. This is especially pathetic when you compare it to other bestseller titles on the Switch, such as Mario Odyssey, which looks and runs magnitudes better than Let's Go. This to me really just indicates a lack of effort on Gamefreak's part. They know that whatever they do, the game will sell well. Thus they'll just put in minimal effort and people will defend them for it.
    Not everything is wrond with these games though. I like the concept of Master Trainers for example. I think it could be expanded upon so that it doesn't just fall down to whoever has the faster Pokémon wins but there's definitely potential for some fun post-game content there.
    To be honest, it is very difficult to think of more positive things to say about Let's Go so I'll just wrap up my review with the next few sentences. I don't know who these games are for. I don't think kids are too stupid to play any of the other mainline games and I don't think if you have nostalgia for gen 1 that you would seriously enjoy these games more than the originals or Firered/Leafgreen. Let's Go feels like the biggest stepback in the history of Pokémon. Now we'll just have to hope that Gamefreak keeps Let's Go seperate from the "real" mainline games and that they'll positively surprise us with next year's entry.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
1
#1 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 5, 2019
    85
    A simple, nostalgic return to the Kanto region, offers little if you are a series veteran eager for complexity and challenge. But if that's not your main interest, Pokemon Let's Go has it all! It's a simple, cute and fun game that will keep you hooked for hours. An excellent starting point for newcomers, and a great nostalgia trip for those in a search for one.
    Read full review
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 26, 2019
    85
    If you've got a kid in your life who's never played Pokémon before? Buy this game immediately. [Issue #37 – January/February 2019, p. 67]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Feb 8, 2019
    78
    It’s hard to make sense of the game that’s basically a Switch port of iOS/Android remake of Pokemon Red/Green. Is it a step forward, step backward – or maybe just a shameless cash-in? Turns out, it’s a great remake – the world looks exactly as we imagined it back when we were staring at black and white pixels of original Red/Green. [Issue#235, p.44]
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