Pokemon: Let’s Go! Evoli in test

One of the first games that made me absolutely addicted as a child was Pokémon – Blue Edition. For hours I walked through high grass to levels and catch as many different pocket monsters as possible – and by the way become the best trainer ever! Since then, I’ve enjoyed playing almost every edition I’ve released, but I’ve never been able to get really warm with the mobile offshoot Pokémon Go. So my feelings were rather mixed when I heard about the release of Pokémon: Let’s Go! Evoli & Pikachu – the reinterpretation of the yellow edition from 2000, based on the game mechanics of the mobile app. But then I started the game for the first time, listened to the well-known start melody of the Gameboy original and it had already happened to me.

old with new twist

The big day has come in the small village of Alabastia, which now comes along in polished 3D optics – Professor Eich will present you with your first Pokémon. But it’s a little different – the researcher isn’t in his lab and you have to look for him first. Fortunately, he’s not far away and you’ll meet him right on the edge of the village. And there you’ll be jumped at the moment by your future companion. But your first captured Pokémon doesn’t want to stay in his ball, so your journey through Kanto starts with a Pikachu on your shoulder – or an Evoli on your head. In addition, a second Pokemon of your choice follows you step by step through the different known cities and areas of the game world. Each Pokemon can have a nickname and can now be changed at any time in the game menu. The emotional bond to your starting Pokemon can be constantly improved by regular strokes and berry feeding in very rudimentary mini activities. As a result, your pet will often heal itself from status problems such as poisoning or paralysis without adding any tools. You will also unlock Clothing and Accessories for you and your Evoli or Pikachu as you progress through the game. Now nothing stands in the way of the triumphal march on the road to victory in the partner look!

One of your encounters with the legendary duo Jesse and James.

Nostalgic collective mania

Of course you should fill your Pokédex with data for Prof. Eich again this time, which thanks to some changes in the game mechanics now works far more efficiently than ever before, because Pokémon don’t appear not permanently random on your way through high grass or dark caves anymore. You can now see small ratfratz flying through the green from far away, orTaubsis flying through the air. So you have the free choice if you want to catch it or if you want to continue your way. The actual catching system is simple and works like in the smartphone branch Pokémon Go: You aim and throw a Pokéball into an ever smaller circle – the smaller the circle, the higher the probability for a successful catch. The color of the circle tells you how difficult it is to catch the Pokémon: if it’s orange or red, if you use a stronger ball or berry as bait, it’ll turn green, and if it’s easy to play. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of motion control elements, but catching a Pokémon by making a throw movement with the Joy Con is surprisingly fun .

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I want to be the very best

On your journey through Kanto, you’ll have to prove your skills again in eight arenas and then battle the top 4 of the Pokémon League. Typically, you’ll fight round-based against your challengers, and you’ll need to consider their weaknesses and strengths. The combat animations look much nicer than in the predecessors, even if the one or the other attack unfortunately still looks a bit loveless. You’ll also meet the legendary Team Rocket Duo, Jesse and James again and again during the course of your game – mostly accompanied by their well-known catch phrases like “That was another shot in the oven”.

New this time is that you can request a Koop-Trainer at any time in the game and play in pairs. You just have to shake the second Joy Con and another figure will appear, which will be at your side from now on. This way you can get a big advantage, because you’ll always have two Pokémon in the fight – no matter if in a simple trainer fight on the street or in the Pokémon league. Even when catching the pocket monsters, our co-op trainer has the opportunity to support us with Poké balls.

In the fight against Arenaleiterin Misty there is one of the orders to win.

candy madness

The experience points gained after a fight or successful catch are distributed equally to your team. New at this point is the ability to permanently increase your Pokémon’s status values with various sweets. These can be obtained from other trainers after a battle has been won or by sending double copies from your Poké Box to Prof. Eich. This means that you should catch any Pokémon you encounter along the way. And if you think you’ll have to go back to the PC at the PokéCenter hundreds of times to send them, you’ll be relieved to know that you’re carrying a storage box in your bag! Later in the game, you’ll also receive the rare Mega Stones – which can cause certain Pokémon to develop particularly strongly for the duration of a battle. Catching a particular Pokémon repeatedly over an extended period of time will start a series of catches that will give you the opportunity to get strong specimens or Shiny variants.

Secret techniques

The VM is a thing of the past – it’s no longer attacks, but “secret techniques”, all of which can be learned from your starter Pokémon. They’ve also been reworked visually, for example when crossing the sea you’re really surfing on a board or riding Lapra’s back if you’ve chosen it as your companion. Rediscovering the familiar landscapes in a beautifully enhanced 3D graphic to the orchestrally rearranged music – especially on Glurak’s back – feels almost as exciting as it did almost 20 years ago. Small minus points, which have to be mentioned here, are the unusually long waiting times when entering and leaving buildings, on the one hand, and on the other hand, in the larger cities there are unfortunately always picture jitters when playing on the TV screen.

Evoli and Pikachu together in battle.

Down to the Go-Park

The biggest innovation is the “Go-Park”, where you can send Pokémon from the app Pokémon Go to your Nintendo Switch. You can connect your mobile device to the console via Bluetooth and transfer a selection of your captured monsters (Kanto series & Alola forms). But beware – Pokémon that have been transferred once can no longer be sent back to the app! You can send up to 50 Pokémon per session, maximum space is 1000 pieces. The sent Pocket Monsters are now in the Go-Park and can be captured by you there. Ideal for getting monsters that are hard to catch or not included in the edition, to complete your Pokédex. And even after your victory in the Poké League, you’ll be able to get a little busy, after your victory over the top 4 there are all kinds of new trainers waiting in Kanto who specialize in a particular Pokémon.

FAZIT

Nintendo didn’t disappoint with this new edition of the popular classic, but breathed fresh air into a classic with dignity. For veterans of the series a wonderful nostalgia trip and for newcomers an ideal start into the Pokémon universe. Personally, I can’t wait to release my first own Pokémon RPG for the Nintendo Switch to Pokémon: Let’s Go! Evoli and I’m curious whether they’ll make the leap to the full 3D RPG.

What is Pokémon: Let’s Go! Evoli? Remake with modern twist of the Game Boy classic Pokémon – Yellow Edition
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Tested: Nintendo Switch
Developer / Publisher: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo
Release: November 16, 2018
Link: Official Website