Were Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee Really That Bad?

I’ve got a take hotter than an Oddish getting roasted by a Charizard, but I need you to hear me out first. So, let’s look at whether Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee were really that bad?

Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee Get a Bad Rap

Much maligned for returning the series to Kanto for the seventeenth time in the first non-handheld adventure, I’d go so far as to say they’re the best Pokemon games outside of Legends: Arceus on the Switch. After all, they look great and run well, which is more than what can be said for Scarlet and Violet and, to a lesser extent, Sword and Shield. The former pair chug along like a one-legged Slowpoke exploring a vast but incredibly bland open world, while the latter has an embarrassingly nonsensical story and innovated far less than anticipated.

I’m about halfway through my millionth time through Kanto, and I can safely say I haven’t enjoyed Pokemon this much in years. While many, myself included, lamented the Pokemon GO-style catching mechanics at first, I’m finding the alternate way to catch ‘em all as refreshing as a Soda Pop from the Celadon Department Store. This is coming from someone who put together a Living Pokedex in Sword and Shield: I’ve caught a lot of Pokemon the classic way over nearly three decades, and it has become rather tedious.

Legends: Arceus did well here, too, making catching Pokemon more dynamic: it maintained the old style for more aggressive Pokemon while relying on stealth and surprise for the weaker or skittish, completely nixing the need to trigger battles most of the time. Imagine my disappointment when Scarlet and Violet ditched the little bit of innovation Let’s Go and Legends brought, instead wimping out like Wimpod in favor of the status quo.

Would I want future Pokemon games to fully adopt the simplified Pokemon GO style permanently? No, but I would definitely prefer a more dynamic catching system because as it stands, I’d rather flick my wrist around than open my bag, scroll to a Quick Ball, run away if it fails, retrigger the battle, and throw a Quick Ball again before Nebby stays in the dang ball.

Related: Can You Evolve Dunsparce in Pokemon GO?

As such, I believe Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee were simply released at the wrong time. Sandwiched between Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and Sword and Shield, a more kid-friendly title without any new Pokemon or competitive matchmaking couldn’t satiate the Snorlax-level hunger of Pokemon veterans like myself. But if it released now, or if Game Freak suddenly dropped “Let’s Go Johto,” I believe disgruntled fans would appreciate a nostalgic, casual romp with a few interesting twists on classic mechanics, given how far away we are from playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Sure, the Let’s Go games aren’t all sunshine and shiny Pokemon. They’re incredibly easy to the point where I have to handicap myself to get any real enjoyment out of the adventure, but this is true of every Pokemon game since Black and White and their sequels. This time around, I’m limiting myself to using the same amount of Pokemon as the next gym leader while not exceeding the level of their weakest Pokemon. I also do not use items or stat-boosting candies, and I’m definitely avoiding the hilariously named but egregiously overpowered Pikachu-exclusive moves like Pika Papow and Zippy Zap. All this has led to some pretty intense battles that hearken back to the first time I faced Agatha of the Elite Four at nine years old or got spooked by that surprise Cynthia battle in Pokemon Black.

While I was all for the open-world direction when I first visited the Wild Area in Pokemon Sword, I’m no longer certain the open-world route is the one to take to push Pokemon forward – at least as long as Game Freak struggles with the technical side of things – after playing Let’s Go Pikachu again. This casual adventure has shown me that the best way to innovate upon the Pokemon formula is to evolve the core mechanics into something new and challenging. I don’t have the answer as to what that might be, but I do know Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee deserve more love for what they are, and I unironically now hope we get a sequel in a similar style – though maybe without moves like Splishy Splash and Floaty Fall.

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are available on the Nintendo Switch.