3.5/5 ★ – MTMike87's review of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!.

Reviewed Platform: Nintendo Switch OLED While Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! is technically a remake of Pokémon Yellow Version, it takes some liberties with the source material and modernizes many of the core elements of the series, for better or for worse. It almost plays more like a pseudo-sequel than a remake. First off, the visuals in Let's Go, Pikachu! are nice to look at. It definitely demonstrated what a traditional HD Pokémon experience would be like. It doesn't push the series forward, but it does still look vibrant and charming. Gameplay is where the game is make or break for a lot of people. Trainer battles are identical to every other entry in the series, but encountering wild Pokémon is another matter. If you start a wild encounter, you automatically go to a Pokémon GO kind of screen and you simply just throw the Poké Ball to catch the Pokémon. There's a small amount of depth to this but the issue is that you have to physically flick your wrist to throw the ball, if you are playing on the TV. There is a work around though, and you can play with traditional controls (mostly) but only in handheld mode. I bet you can guess how I decided to play the entire game now. You can still use gyro in handheld and press A to throw the ball. I found this infinitely more accurate and fun than the TV controls. Not sure why there is no option to use traditional controls when docked. The only other thing to really add to the gameplay segment is that the game is very easy. Every wild encounter gives your entire team EXP and candies to increase their stats. Its very easy to overpower a full team of 6 Pokémon and steamroll through the game. There is a post-game but its very bare bones and it really wants you to grind for hundreds of hours to earn everything you can. I could see it getting old pretty quick. Also, Mega Evolution was nonchalantly added to the game at the very end, and makes the final push of the story even easier if you have any of the three original starters in your party Quickly, I'll just say the soundtrack is nice and nostalgic. It's nice to finally hear the music I grew up with with excellent arrangements and all. Pokémon cries and everything sound classic but cleaned up a bit. Pikachu and Eevee are the only Pokémon that have unique cries for this version of the game. It's nice but nothing blows you away. Overall, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! is a nice trip down memory lane. It's not a bad way to experience the Kanto region again, but I'd have preferred it to have stayed closer to the original and took less inspiration from Pokémon GO. I definitely get what they were going for with this one. To make an easy entry point for both kids and adults to get into the series, and it does succeed in the regard. For me personally though, it falls flat in some areas and gets dull quickly after beating the final challenge of the game that I won't spoil. If you enjoy Pokémon though, it still may be worth a look. If you are looking for something challenging or with a bit of depth, this is definitely not the game you want to play.