DISCLAIMERS:
- the reviewer has not finished the game with 100% completion
- the reviewer played on the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! version of the game
- this is not a review of the Poké Ball™ Plus
- the game was played on the Nintendo Switch using the NTSC cartridge version of the game in English
Junichi Masuda’s final main series Pokémon RPG is possibly the series’ most controversial entry yet. Inspired by massive success of the 2016 iOS and Android game Pokémon GO, this entry attempts to capture the same generally casual audience to the dismay of many dedicated Pokémon fans. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! are also the first main series games to be developed for and released on a home video game console. The games are both remakes of the 1998 Pokémon Yellow, too. This review will judge both games (which are the same besides a few generally insignificant differences) on their own merits (and as one game).
This game features the same classic battle system and overworld exploration as every other main series Pokémon RPG, but now with the added third gameplay style of catching Pokémon. This functions mostly identical to Pokémon GO, but now clicking a confirm button in handheld mode or doing a throwing motion with the Joy-Con are used to throw the Poké Ball. Also, in handheld mode the system’s gyroscope or the left analog stick can be used to move the camera when catching Pokémon. The battle system is greatly simplified in this entry, with both held items and abilities being removed, among many other changes. The overworld is generally the same as any other Pokémon game, but now Secret Techniques replace the HMs of earlier Pokémon games, all Pokémon available in the game can follow your Pokémon trainer or be ridden by your Pokémon trainer, and Pokémon are now visible and individually targetable instead of being encountered randomly. The level design is generally the same as the quality level design from Pokémon Yellow, but the reduced necessity of limiting steps used does not seem to be accounted for. These three gameplay styles give the game a good variety, but none of them are particularly challenging, likely due to the game’s targeting of the audience Pokémon GO players.
The game’s controls are responsive and consistent, with the reviewer never encountering any problems. The controller options are somewhat disappointing, with only singular Joy-Cons and the Poké Ball™ Plus being available as options when playing in the docked mode. This is somewhat justified by the use of a throwing motion in docked mode to catch Pokémon, but the system of using the left analog stick to aim and a confirm button to throw the Poké Ball could have been used. The omission of the D-pad as a movement option in handheld mode is also puzzling, considering that the buttons are otherwise unused.
Unfortunately this game carries the tradition of frame rate drops from the 3DS entries in the main Pokémon RPG series. This is seemingly due to a lack of developing time spent on optimization, considering that the game does not appear to push the Nintendo Switch hardware. The game runs at a mostly stable 30 FPS, which is also not particularly impressive considering that much more graphically impressive games like Mario Odyssey are able to run at a stable 60 FPS. It could be argued that this is a measure to preserve battery life, which the reviewer estimates is around 4 hours on a fully charged Nintendo Switch with maximum brightness and wireless functionality turned on, due to frame rate’s relative unimportance in the JRPG genre. The game runs at the maximum resolution in both the docked and handheld modes, so no compromises were made there. The online and wireless functionality works well with no issues that the reviewer encountered. HD rumble is scarcely utilized, but it is executed well when used. The integration with Pokémon GO is intuitive and functions well. The pick-up-and-play nature of the game also fits the Nintendo Switch well. The assets are of adequate quality and feature many interesting details that demonstrate the developer’s commitment to the Pokémon world. The art style is also pleasing and fits the Pokémon world, and is one of the game’s greatest qualities.
The music in this game is mostly remakes of the music from the original Pokémon Yellow. It is remade faithfully and is all of adequate quality. Pokémon cries and other sound effects are also generally the same as older games in the main Pokémon RPG series. No voice acting is featured, besides arguably Eevee’s and Pikachu’s cries, which are executed well. Overall the sound is one of the game’s greatest qualities.
The plot of the game is also generally the same as the plot from Pokémon Yellow, with a few changes and additions that longtime Pokémon fans will appreciate. The dialogue and other texts feature the same humorous EarthBound-esque style that Pokémon fans will expect. The plot is not particularly complex or deep, likely due to its intended audience, but it adequately motivates the player.
Part of the controversy surrounding the game is due to its price, which is now the standard price of a full priced Nintendo Switch release instead of the standard price of a full priced 3DS release. In terms of length, the reviewer’s initial playthrough of the game (ending at the credits), which involved fighting most of the trainers, mostly followed the main path with a few side objectives, and was played by a player familiar with the Kanto region and the original Pokémon Yellow, resulted in an in-game time of 17 hours and 34 minutes. Post-game content includes an enormous amount of Pokémon trainers to fight, the actually feasible completion of the Pokédex (which requires catching most of the Pokémon available in the game), and interacting with other players in the various online modes. As Pokémon games generally do, this game also encourages multiple playthroughs, as evidenced by the variety of popular challenges Pokémon fans like to attempt when replaying Pokémon games.
Overall, the reviewer recommends the game to the Pokémon fans who own every other main series Pokémon RPG (and likely already own this one), people who want to get into Pokémon (especially young children), casual Pokémon fans who are put off by the complexity of recent entries, Pokémon GO players, and people with nostalgia for the original Pokémon Yellow. However, the reviewer does not recommend the game to people expecting a particularly challenging experience, Pokémon fans who are tired of the Kanto region, Pokémon fans who expect the game to be widely supported by the competitive community and The Pokémon Company, people who found that earlier entries did not justify their price, and people who do not believe that this game is worth the price of a full priced Nintendo Switch release. Given the history of past main series Pokémon RPG game prices, waiting for a price drop will likely not be an effective strategy.
Overall the reviewer would give the game an 8 out of 10.
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