Month: May 2018

After recent leaks and rumors, The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee for Nintendo Switch. Inspired by Pokemon Yellow, the new Pokemon RPGs are set in the Kanto region and also connect to Pokemon Go. Here’s everything we know about the new Pokemon games so far, including what rumors were correct and how Pokemon Go fits into the picture.

What Are They?

Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are not the core Pokemon RPG announced for Switch during Nintendo’s E3 2017 press conference; that game, often called “Pokemon Switch,” is set to release in late 2019. The Let’s Go games are Pokemon RPGs, however, and are developed by Game Freak. Director and producer Junichi Masuda said that the Let’s Go games are specifically designed for newcomers to the Pokemon series, especially those who are familiar with Pokemon Go, and that they have been in development for around two years.

So Is This Pokemon Go On Switch?

No. Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee do share a lot with Pokemon Go, as was rumored; they utilize Go’s Pokemon capture mechanics, meaning you throw Poke Balls at wild Pokemon to catch them rather than battling them. You can also connect the Let’s Go games to Go via a Bluetooth connection, and you can transfer Pokemon from Go into Let’s Go (though not the other way around). Pokemon appear in the overworld before you can initiate capturing them, and you can send gifts to Pokemon Go from Let’s Go as well.

However, the Let’s Go games are Pokemon RPGs, and you explore the Kanto region just as you would in Red and Blue. While you can’t battle wild Pokemon, you can battle NPCs and other players, and those battles use the turn-based system of the main Pokemon games. Masuda has said that the Let’s Go games take a “simplified approach” to stats compared to the core games, and we don’t know how Pokemon level up, but your player character doesn’t have a level like in Go. Connecting to Pokemon Go also isn’t required to play the game.

Are These Pokemon Yellow Remakes?

This was a prominent rumor, but it’s not exactly accurate. The Let’s Go games are heavily inspired by Yellow, though, and Pikachu or Eevee (depending on your version) stays by your side the whole game rather than going in a Poke Ball while you explore. These games are set in Kanto, but we don’t know yet if you remain in Kanto or what the story will be like.

How Does Transferring Pokemon From Go Work?

The Let’s Go games connect to Pokemon Go via Bluetooth. Once you transfer a Pokemon, it is sent to a specific area where you then have to catch it. We don’t yet know how stats will transfer (or if they’ll be randomly generated, as they are in Pokemon Bank when you’re storing Pokemon from the first or second generation games on Virtual Console), but Masuda did confirm that Pokemon that are shiny in Go will remain shiny in Let’s Go. That’s a big deal, since certain Pokemon Go events make shiny Pokemon far more common than they ever would be in the main Pokemon games.

Is There Trading, And Do They Connect To Pokemon Bank?

Masuda confirmed that you will be able to trade Pokemon between the Let’s Go games. Transferring Pokemon from Go only works in the one direction. When asked about Pokemon Bank, he said he could not comment; he also did not comment on whether the Let’s Go games would be compatible with present or future Pokemon games.

What Pokemon Are In Let’s Go?

Masuda confirmed that the first 151 Pokemon as well as their Alolan forms from Sun and Moon would appear in Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. We don’t know yet if you’ll unlock an expanded Pokedex when beating the game, like in the remakes of previous generations.

Eevee’s prominence in these games doesn’t come as a surprise; Eevee has been heavily featured with Pikachu in several recent Pokemon Center merchandise series, the most recent of which, Salko Soda, is currently only available in Japan. Eevee was also your rival’s starter Pokemon in Pokemon Yellow, which makes it the natural “opposite” of Pikachu for the two Let’s Go versions.

Can You Breed Pokemon? What About Competitive Battles?

There is no Pokemon breeding (and therefore no eggs) in Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. Though battles against NPCs and other players follow the same turn-based format as the core Pokemon games, it’s not yet clear how stats work. That means that competitive Pokemon players, who rely on breeding Pokemon for good IVs (individual values, or starting stats) and training for the correct EVs (effort values, or stats earned through battles), may not have as much to work with in the Let’s Go games.

The official competitive Pokemon series, the VGC, is currently played using Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. When asked what game players will be competing in next year, representatives of The Pokemon Company did not comment.

What Else?

Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee feature two-player co-op. While playing using one Joy-Con, another player can shake the second Joy-Con and join as a support character when in open areas or battle. This player can help you catch Pokemon and can battle alongside you (though it doesn’t appear to initiate a double battle).

Release Date

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee release on Nintendo Switch on November 16. Releasing alongside them (but sold separately) is the Poke Ball Plus controller, which is a Joy-Con-like peripheral you can use when catching Pokemon.

The Pokemon Company has revealed a new controller for Nintendo Switch. The Poke Ball Plus works much like a Joy-Con, with an analog stick in the center of the Poke Ball. The controller will launch alongside (but be sold separately from) Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee on November 16.

The Poke Ball Plus uses motion controls, meaning you can “throw” it to toss Poke Balls at wild Pokemon in the Let’s Go games. It lights up, vibrates, and plays sounds, though it’s not clear if it has all the functions of a Joy-Con. It’s also compatible with Pokemon Go and can take the place of the Pokemon Go Plus. Finally, you can “store” a Pokemon from the Let’s Go games inside the Poke Ball Plus and get rewards for taking it with you, similar to the Pokewalker from HeartGold and SoulSilver.

In addition to the Poke Ball Plus, The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Quest, a spin-off game that is out now on Nintendo Switch. The company also confirmed that the Switch Pokemon game teased during Nintendo’s E3 2017 press conference is set to release in the latter half of 2019.

The Pokemon Company has confirmed that the core Pokemon RPG for Nintendo Switch, which was announced during Nintendo’s E3 2017 presentation, is set to release in the latter half of 2019. This comes alongside the announcement of Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee as well as Pokemon Quest.

The timing was confirmed in a Tweet from the Pokemon company that read, “With #PokemonQuest and #PokemonLetsGo, there are so many new ways to explore the world of Pokémon! Trainers can look forward to even more with an all-new core series Pokémon RPG title in development for the second half of 2019!”

The Switch Pokemon game was teased by Pokemon Company president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, who said at the time that the game may not release for over a year. He also said that series developer Game Freak would be making the game. No other details were given then or in the year following.

Recently, rumors about the upcoming Pokemon Switch game have been circulating. However, many of them–including that the game would be integrated with Pokemon Go, as well as the leaked title art–turned out to be for Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, which are separate games.

Developing…

The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Quest for Nintendo Switch, and it’s out now. The spin-off game, which is free to start, features a blocky art style and top-down, real-time action-RPG gameplay in which “face off against wild Pokemon and embark on many exciting expeditions,” according to messages from the official Pokemon Twitter account.

In the series of tweets, the company shared you’ll be able to use “up to three Pokemon” in order to “explore the secrets of Tumblecube Island. Battle wild Pokémon, gather treasure, and even befriend new Pokemon–if you have the right ingredients, that is!”

“In #PokemonQuest, you get to decide which characteristics your Pokémon will have! You can use special items called Power Stones to strengthen your team. The kind of Pokémon they become is completely up to you!

This announcement comes alongside other Pokemon news, including the reveal of new RPGs for Switch: Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. Those games, which are based on Pokemon Yellow and are compatible with Pokemon Go, are launching in November. The Pokemon Company also confirmed that the core Pokemon RPG announced during Nintendo’s E3 2017 presentation is separate from the Let’s Go games and set for a late 2019 release.

After a series of leaks and rumors, The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee for Nintendo Switch. The new Pokemon RPGs, which are not the “core” Pokemon RPG announced last year, can connect to Pokemon Go via Bluetooth and utilize Go’s capture mechanics. While you won’t be able to battle wild Pokemon, the games feature traditional Pokemon battle mechanics against NPC trainers and other people.

Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are designed to be a player’s first Pokemon game, according to Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda. The long-time Pokemon composer-turned-producer is directing the games, which are inspired by Pokemon Yellow and set in the Kanto region. As such, Pikachu or Eevee–depending on your version–stay by your side for the whole game, instead of hidden away in a Poke Ball to be brought out for battles. In keeping with the Kanto theme, the games include the original 151 Pokemon as well as their Alolan forms from Sun and Moon.

The Let’s Go games are Pokemon RPGs, but they draw from Pokemon Go in a number of ways. Mainly, they use Pokemon Go’s capture mechanics, which means you don’t battle wild Pokemon to catch them; you instead throw Poke Balls. Like in Go, you can see Pokemon in the overworld before attempting to catch them. You also have the option to transfer Pokemon from Go to Let’s Go via a Bluetooth connection; Pokemon you transfer from Pokemon Go will be catchable in a specific area within the Let’s Go games. While you can’t transfer Pokemon in the reverse direction, you’ll be able to send unspecified gifts to Go from Let’s Go.

The new games retain the turn-based battle system of traditional Pokemon games, but it’s not clear how Pokemon will level up. When asked, Masuda did say that the games feature a “simplified approach” to Pokemon stats and that your character won’t have a level like in Pokemon Go. You’ll also be able to trade Pokemon with other players, though Masuda did not comment on whether the Let’s Go games would be compatible with other Pokemon games (past or future) or Pokemon Bank.

The Let’s Go games also allow for two-player co-op, a new feature for the Pokemon RPGs. While playing using one Joy-Con, another player can join as a support character when in open areas or a battle by shaking the second Joy-Con. This player can help you catch Pokemon and can battle alongside you (though it doesn’t appear to initiate a double battle).

A new controller, the Poke Ball Plus, is launching at the same time as Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee but will be sold separately. It works like a Joy-Con, with an analog stick in the center of the Poke Ball, and can be “thrown” to catch Pokemon in the games.

Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are releasing on Switch worldwide on November 16. They are not taking the place of the core Pokemon RPG announced at E3 2017; that game is set to launch in the latter half of 2019.