When Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee have been first introduced, I used to be not sure on its mixture of basic mechanics and people lifted from Pokemon Go. Now, nonetheless, I’m satisfied one main change is the way forward for the sequence.
That change is the choice to strip wild Pokemon battles out of the game. This is an element of a bigger suite of modifications, together with a catching mechanic lifted straight from Go and the elimination of random encounters in favor of you seeing Pokemon out on the overworld, thus permitting gamers to decide on which to interact with by coming into contact with them.
The precise Pokemon Go catching mechanic I can take or go away, however the different two modifications are good for the way forward for the sequence. The bounce to a high-spec, excessive definition machine within the Switch supplies The Pokemon Company and Game Freak a singular alternative to rethink sure features of the sequence, and I feel largely eliminating precise battles with wild Pokemon makes loads of sense in that mission for quite a few causes.
One of the foremost triumphs of Pokemon Let’s Go is that it’s the Pokemon game that feels closest to the experiences the sequence has at all times aimed to discover in different mediums just like the anime, motion pictures, and manga. In these settings, battles towards trainers are an occasion – they’re one thing that issues, and in Pokemon Let’s Go they really feel a bit extra particular to me than they’ve in another game within the sequence. The motive why is fairly easy: I’m not slogging by hours and hours of untamed Pokemon encounters that basically use the identical mechanics. That means I’m extra inclined to deal with battles as particular, and when working by longer dungeon-like areas just like the early game Mt. Moon and the late game Victory Road, I’m much more inclined to hunt out each coach battle I can quite than eagerly looking for the zone exit to get out of random encounter hell.
Many different features of Let’s Go enable you to to really feel extra such as you’re within the Pokemon world as depicted in different mediums not restrained by the necessity to accommodate particular game mechanics, however the shifting of encounters from random battles to extra simply premeditated catch-focused system actually makes a world of distinction. It’s not simply coach battles it makes extra particular, both – there are Pokemon encounters in Let’s Go that do power a battle on you beforehand (bringing the basic wild encounter music again with it), and when that occurs that this can be a totally different and particular encounter, even when it isn’t a legendary Pokemon.
The entire change additionally suits higher thematically with the very pleasant picture for the sequence anyway – with Pokemon as prepared, loving companions to people quite than animals you beat unconscious with a view to grind up the degrees of your individual loyal beasts. Again, that is the way it’s all extra ceaselessly portrayed within the anime and different Pokemon tales anyway – it’s simply this storytelling is lastly making its manner again over to the games – and it is sensible.
I wish to be clear on one different level, too – Pokemon Let’s Go has a critical problem drawback, with encounters all too simply brute-forced with only a tiny little bit of grinding – however this drawback hasn’t been brought on by this systemic change.
So, sure, the change suits Pokemon – but in addition, let’s be truthful for a second: random encounters haven’t aged nicely, and at this level they belong in a really particular form of game. I don’t intrinsically hate random encounters – I gave retro throwback, random encounter-driven RPG Octopath Traveler a glowing review and am an enormous nerd for traditional RPGs – however I do suppose a sequence like Pokemon, centered on youthful gamers as it’s, ought to be forward-thinking and progressive in its design. Because of that, perhaps it’s time for the random encounters to go – and with them, the wild Pokemon battles, changed by one thing else.
As I stated earlier, I’m not solely satisfied that the alternative answer for shedding wild encounters is the precise Pokemon catching system from Pokemon Go. In Let’s Go it is sensible, furthering that game’s standing as a gateway for gamers solely aware of Pokemon Go to get into the sequence. In common, nonetheless, it’s a too-simplistic strategy to catching that would definitely be finessed to require extra ability and provide extra choices as you get into the late game and begin making an attempt to catch extra highly effective, spectacular Pokemon.
Perhaps the reply might be half-and-half, too, the place Pokemon species are designated as both aggressive or passive, and also you solely have battle encounters with aggressive species (and maybe aggressive species may rush you on sight – something to get that wild battle charge proper down, in flip making the battles you do have extra stand-out and particular.
Whatever the ultimate reply, one factor is now sure to me: random encounters and super-common wild Pokemon battles ought to be reconsidered and certain changed within the subsequent entry. This is a change I didn’t know I wished for the sequence till Let’s Go compelled it upon me, and now I can’t think about the subsequent game with these conventional methods as they have been.
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