Pokémon Let’s GO Pikachu and Eevee announced!
After weeks of strange pictures of Eevee and Pikachu together on many social media outlets, Nintendo has finally come clean about the newest installment in its much-loved Pokémon series.
Fans were suspicious of the Project Eevee Twitter account recently, which showed mostly an Eevee mascot, similar to the Pikachu costume we know and love, going around to various businesses and places in Japan. It seemed strange considering Pikachu was already the mascot. Now we know why.
The new Pokémon Let’s Go series is pulling Eevee up in the ranks of the starter Pokémon, giving it the status of series mascot with this entry. Eevee was a great choice due to its varied evolutions, which showcase the potential Pokémon possess.
Gameplay trailers have either Eevee or Pikachu riding on your shoulder or following you (and possibly any Pokémon, just like in Yellow and Soulsilver days). The battles look incredibly detailed without 3DS graphics to hold them back. It’s like Pokémon Stadium got thrown into a time machine. Sharp and colorful, they also show the trainer in battle like Sun and Moon. Joy-cons can be split and shared for co-op multiplayer, and it seems like you can jointly catch the same Pokémon and have it sent to both your games! Pokémon also appear in the overworld, instead of just random battles.
Nintendo even introduced another accessory to go with it, much like the Pokémon GO Plus, called the Pokéball Plus. And for those who missed Cosplay Pikachu like myself, now you will be able to dress either starter and possibly even more!
New control features from the Joy-Cons will give us many options as players if you look a little deeper into the trailer as well. While it shows one Joy-Con mode and split Co-Op, since the game itself is on the Switch, we have to assume it will also have a normal handheld mode using the Joy-Cons connected to the system. ARMS and Splatoon 2 are good examples of motion control games, but they also had normal schemes behind them for those who didn’t enjoy motion. It looks to be pushed more in this trailer to grab fans from the GO crowd, which was a worldwide phenomenon for a while, so there should be many people fresh to the series this time around.
I could go on, but most of what else I’d say is just speculation and hype. It’s confirmed as a Pokémon Yellow remake, so we’ll be visiting good old Kanto again. With how the past remakes have turned out, I still expect to see some kind of Mega Evolution or Ultra Beasts and a different timeline than the Gameboy ones again. This whole thing is shaping up to the ultimate Pokémon experience. For old fans, it’s everything we dreamed of growing up, getting to take our Pokémon out of the game and into the real world, and now from the real world into the game! For new fans, it’s a great callback to the original that started it all, the best version of it that tied in with the TV show with all the extras, and you get a little history on how the world of Pokémon began. I can’t wait to see more and where Pokémon Let’s Go ends up going.
The games will be released November 16th of 2018 for Nintendo Switch. LET’S GO!
