Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – New trailer, details, and pictures

12 July 2018 Lite_Agent

Today, The Pokémon Company launched the full official website for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee!, revealing plenty of details about the game, but also some screenshots and even two brand new trailers.

Let’s start with the two new trailers (they do not show the same things, though they do have some elements in common):

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Intro

As in all previous mainline entries, the story in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! is pretty much the same no matter which version you’re playing. They key differences lie in:

your partner Pokémon (Pikachu or Eevee);
the types of rarity of the wild Pokémon you encounter (some Pokémon will be more frequent, if not exclusive, to a specific version)
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! – Oddish, Sandshrew, and Growlith
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! – Bellsprout, Vulpix, and Meowth

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Catching Pokémon

As seen in the reveal trailer, catching Pokémon is radically different in this game. You can Pokémon wandering around in the fields of tall grass, and if you want to catch it, you simply need to approach it. This time around, there’s no weakening it before throwing a Poké Ball: you simply throw them right away!

Of course, it’s not that straightforward: the Pokémon will move around, and even try to intimidate you. You need to wave the Joy-Con controller with the proper timing in order to throw a Poké Ball. When playing in Handheld Mode, you need to move the system around to aim, then throw the Poké Ball by pressing the A button.

There’s two factors to keep in mind when catching Pokémon:

the timing of your throw
where the Poké Ball hit its target.

Throwing it inside the moving ring increases the chances of a successful capture, especially if said ring is small. You can see how hard a capture will be by looking at the colour of the ring (green = easy, red = hard).

One way you can make catching Pokémon easier is by using a different type of Poké Ball, or giving the wild Pokémon a berry. Just like in previous mainline game, you can buy Poké Balls from Poké Marts, though you will also receive them after defeating other Trainers in battle. The more Gym Badges you have, the bigger the line-up of products at Poké Marts (that includes new, more powerful types of Poké Balls).

Here’s what a capture looks like in the game:

Just like in recent games, catching Pokémon nets your party some Exp points. Once a Pokémon has enough of those, it will level up. When it does, its stats will increase, it will sometimes learn new moves, and it will even evolve once it’s reached a certain level. Of course, if you’ve already been playing Pokémon games for a while, this is hardly new to you!

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Trainer Battles

While battles against wild Pokémon have been thrown out of the window, trainer battles are still present in this game, and they work pretty much like in previous mainline entries. As always, if a trainer spots you, it’s battle time!

During battle, you can:

select moves
switch out a Pokémon
use items

By defeating trainers, you earn Exp Points, but also prize money, and sometimes Poké Balls (as mentioned above).

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Kanto region

Since the game is based on Pokémon Yellow, Special Pikachu Edition, it takes place in the Kanto region. It’s certainly evolved a lot visually since its first appearance on GameBoy, over 20 years ago!

Small towns, cities, mountains, rivers, forests, seas… there’s a wide variety of places to explore, and of course, there’s plenty of Pokémon to find in each one. Your journey begins in Pallet Town, which is also where you friendly rival (your next-door neighbour) lives.

Of course, Professor Oak still has his laboratory in that quiet little town, where he studies Pokémon for a living. He’s the one who gives you your Pokédex: a high-tech encyclopedia that automatically records data on any new species of Pokémon that you catch. The only thing you have to give in exchange is a promise that you will complete it for him!

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Cities and Pokémon Gyms

One of the places you will discover on your journey is Pewter City: it sits at the foot of a great stone mountain. There, you will find the Pewter Museum of Science (with many Fossils on display), but also Brock: the Pewter City Gym Leader (often referred to as the rock-solid Pokémon Trainer). He’s an expert in Rock-Type Pokémon, so you need Pokémon with a type advantage against that particular type.

Unlike all previous mainline entries, a Gym can only be accessed once you have met certain conditions (such as having a Pokémon of a certain type and/or level). Inside, you will find a series of challenging opponents, and of course the Gym Leader. Defeat them, and you will earn a Gym Badge!

The next city after Pewter City is Cerulean City: a place bordered with waterways, where a mischievious Squirtle has been spotted. That’s also where you will find Gym Leader Misty (known as the tomboyish mermaid), at the Cerulean City Gym. She’s an expert in Water-type Pokémon.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Interacting with Pokémon

This game has a Pokémon Amie-like feature, that allows you to enjoy some playtime with your partner Pokémon (Pikachu or Eevee), in order to strengthen your bond with them. It sits on your arm, and you can pet, feed, and even tickle it. The closer the two of your become, the more good things will happen!

What’s more, you can have your Pokémon wear various outfits and accessories, and you can even change their hairstyle. And since you can also customise your own look, why not match your outfit with your partner Pokémon’s?

Speaking of interactions with Pokémon, you can have pretty much any Pokémon in your party follow you. But walking around with them isn’t just for show: they will sometime find hidden items, and some Pokémon even allow you to ride them (so that you can travel faster). Unfortunately, you cannot ride all Pokémon…

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! – Multiplayer

For the first time ever, a mainline Pokémon game is playable in co-op thanks to Support Play. In that mode, two players explore the world together, and both can have a Pokémon travel alongside them. By throwing Poké Balls at the same time, you can boost your chances of catching a wild Pokémon. Don’t worry about when to join your friend: you can do so at any time… yes, even in the middle of an encounter!

Of course, you can also battle against other Trainers with your friend: when you do, you each issue commands to your own Pokémon. It seems that battles are 2 vs 1 when playing in co-op.

But it’s not all about co-op: you can also battle other players if you want. You can do so either via local wireless, or via the internet. If you prefer, you can trade Pokémon with them, which is pretty much required if you want to complete your Pokédex. Important note: you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to access online features such as battling and trading.

Here’s some screenshots in English: