The Problem With ‘Pokemon: Let’s Go’ For The Nintendo Switch

Many Pokémon fans were not impressed when “Pokémon: Let’s Go” was revealed earlier this year. The game — which comes in two versions, “Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu” and “Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee,” — apparently seemed like a “Pokémon Go” clone for the Nintendo Switch, instead of having an identity of its own.

Fast forward to E3 2018, and the wave of disappointment did not wane at all. The letdown doesn’t really stem from the fact that it’s a remake of the Gameboy classic “Pokémon Yellow.” Most fans are actually thrilled at the thought of it being a remake that features familiar battles in HD.

In Tom Regan’s FANDOM article on how “Pokémon: Let’s Go” feels “worryingly shallow,” he claims the main problem with GameFreak’s upcoming game has to do with the changes to the “Poké-formula” that players of the original Pokémon games enjoyed and loved. Instead of using and updating the formula, the developer simply relied on porting the “Pokémon Go” AR experience into the first proper Pokémon game to arrive on the Nintendo Switch platform.

Regan voices the same disappointment that many fans felt after seeing the trailer for the game and those who got to try out “Pokémon: Let’s Go” at E3. When catching Pokémon in the game, Trainers are sent to the “Pokémon Go” experience with the motion-controlled Pokéball being thrown at the Pokémon in sight.

What “Pokémon: Let’s Go” offers is something familiar and, at the same time, something easy. The original games gave a sense of satisfaction because players had to work hard to be the very best. In the upcoming game, Trainers do not need to weaken the Pokémon to catch them. Catching any Pokémon easily rewards all of the creatures in the Trainer’s party with XP, too. The same reward is given to all Pokémon during battles.

Nevertheless, Regan also gave credit to GameFreak for the HD remake and the wonderful animations. He also noted how the Pokéball Plus impresses because it offers a surprisingly easy and intuitive way to play the demo, which should translate to the official release as well. Still, he fears that without the RPG depth to make its gameplay satisfying, the longevity of the game is questionable.

There’s been an ongoing debate about “Pokémon: Let’s Go” in many public discussion sites, including Reddit. Many fans are worried that the game won’t be that exciting since it mostly relies on the “Pokémon Go” experience for its novelty. Many are also glad that the upcoming game isn’t a mainline entry because for them, it wouldn’t be something that’s worth playing long-term. The mainline game is coming in 2019 by the way.

The disappointment of fans was also translated to the plunge in shares of Nintendo after its E3 conference. Many were expecting for the company to disclose new details about “Pokémon: Let’s Go” during its Los Angeles conference, but there was no surprise element at the event.

According to CNN Money, Nintendo shares plunged 16 percent because the company failed to deliver big news during its briefing. Even the announcement that “Fortnite” is now available for the Switch wasn’t able to spare it. Meanwhile, Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard saw their shares surge 12 percent, while Take-Two Interactive was up 9 percent.