Pokémon let’s Go, Eevee! and Let’s Go, Pikachu! had a turbulent start among core and longtime fans of the series. Yet they did sell well and general reception and reviews cheered upon the games as they are indeed “easier” versions of the Kanto originals. And that’s how they should be seen, as a separate series with sequels for sure!
With more than 3 million units worldwide in its first opening week LGPE were the fastest selling Switch titles a few weeks ago. I’m talking pre-Smash era of course. In Japan the games even quadrupled the Switch’s sales at that time bringing in money for both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company/GameFreak themselves. Talking about a system seller? Surely sequels will be on their way whether core fans agree to this or not.
Where did all the hate come from? I guess it comes from details like the in-game gym staff forcing you to use a certain type advantage over the gym leader in question. Or forcing you to have achieved a certain level before taking on said gym challenges. Fans of “nuzlocke” and other creative ways to spice up the games bellowed under the rumor that your starter is “unboxable”, which isn’t even true! It will remain on your character but you won’t continue to use it in battle. Another thing that competitive fans disliked were the broken (too high) stats that you can obtain using the candy system. You can make any Pokémon ridiculously powerful this way.
While all of these frustrations make the game easier and more casual to cater towards new and GO!-players, most of them are optional or easy to ignore. If you don’t want to “overstat” your Pokémon then just leave out the candies. Apart from the trainers in Kanto’s open fields there are the optional “coach” trainers that have stronger Pokémon. You don’t have to fight them but why wouldn’t you? This makes the game harder by adding lots of trainers to routes and you could even heighten the challenge by using less potions or limiting your amount of revives. One thing that can’t be avoided however is the exp. share system embedded in the catching mechanics. One thing you could do is limit the catching to a minimum so your Pokémon aren’t 10+ levels above the average trainer. Enough ways to cater the experience and turn down some of the hate.
I’ve been a longtime fan since I picked up my Pokémon Blue cartridge back in the days of ’90s Pokémon mania. While I wasn’t pleased by the hand holding in the latest games since X&Y, I was pleased that LGPE’s “baby” settings were actually avoidable and easy to fix to spice up the game and enjoy Kanto in its full glory. Sure it’s not a core game but it is a nice addition as a separate series. It will be long before we’ll see another re-imagining of Kanto… So this Mega-universe story drawing elements from the anime and manga was a nice way to go back to good ol’ Kanto.
And with more than 3 million sales it’s pretty sure we’ll see Johto getting the let’s Go treatment next!
Why Johto? Because it follows brilliantly in LGPE’s footsteps. First of all it’s right next to it geographically. We could have some story elements or people referencing Kanto as it’s the neighboring region after all. Next the new mechanics can be implemented step by step. Pokémon breeding and eggs! Those weren’t in LGPE not only because RBY didn’t have them, but because LGPE was tailored to be as easy and casual as possible. Now that LGPE built a foundation we can expand upon that with these “new” breeding and egg mechanics. Just like we did back in the day with Gold and Silver. Baby Pokémon can be introduced again along with the daycare breeding and let’s not forget berries and “held items”. I’m sure the breeding and held item mechanics will be introduced in the next Let’s Go games. Making them a tiny bit more like a core game. Step by step.
Another feature I’d like to see again is the Apricot Pokéball crafting which could be expanded upon for sure this time. Actual ball crafting with different effects maybe?
Now what about the starters? My top pick would be Marill. It’s cute, bulky and it has the fairy typing to complement it’s base water type move pool. Again a move tutor could teach Marill a bunch of elemental moves to widen its move pool just as Pikachu and Eevee received in LGPE. And because it would a “special” Marill it will have a slightly different color and might even have a gold or silver ball on its tail’s end instead of the classic blue one. Would be a nice throwback towards Johto’s original games. Also some of you might remember that Marill was called “Pikablu(e)” before its official reveal. A true potential mascot for sure!
What about its counterpart? Well some say Pichu will take Pikachu’s spot. Although this seems logical at first I personally believe that a “baby” Pokémon warranting such strength would be a bit too crazy. Another cute contender would be Togepi. Togepi embodies the egg mechanic but how are we going to dress it up? The thought of spamming the “metronome” move through every gym seems just a bit too random as well.
This brought me to Snubbull. It’s kind of cute…I guess? The thought of its clothing options and hair customization is just hilarious and would work.
Now what do I hope story wise? I guess we could explore the bond between Silver and his father, Giovanni. Since Team Rocket is also a large part of Johto’s story. Crystal could play a role in the legendary dogs arc with Suicune having a larger role in the story this time. Since LGPE took place in the so called Mega-universe we could see the sequels expand upon this with Mega Evolutions of the original Johto starters. Surely this would raise more attention to the let’s Go series with such a premiere and it would bring some originality to the new story. I could go further and hope of getting Mega Evolutions for the legendary Lugia and Ho-oh? Imagine them in a post game story, where you battle Lugia under a starry night sky or with Ho-oh reflecting the rainbow above your head. This would also imply a return of the day and night cycle introduced back in the day in… you guessed it; Gold and Silver! The bug catching contest would be brilliant with the “tiny” and “huge” Pokémon mechanic introduced in let’s Go. And of course Celebi could get more screen time and story implementation this time around. But we’re left with one major question… What about post game Kanto. Surely Game Freak can’t add a fully fleshed out Kanto to this sequel… Should they just get rid of it? Add a new fresh post game story? A bunch of Islands like the Sevii Islands back in Leaf Green and Fire Red? What do you want see in the post game?
Anyhow, Johto has always had this magical and almost mystical atmosphere for me in my youth and I am ready to embrace it once again as a sequel to LGPE with a more casual approach, but optional “baby” settings. The overall success of LGPE certainly warrants the next step within its own “casual” league of games. One thing is sure, we can’t go back to random Pokémon encounters! Now that we’ve witnessed the life filled plains of Kanto in LGPE I even want this feature to be included in the main series game announced for 2019. After this release I’m sure we’ll see the first glimpse at what’s next for the Let’s Go series in 2020!
