Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
Mar. 19th, 2019 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI don't think Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! cured my depression; but, if any game could, it would be this one. It's so positive and utopian, and the pokémon interaction mechanics healed my soul.
It took me 37 hours to finish the game, which brought me to a grand total of having caught 107 pokémon. I'm pretty sure I could get all 152 if I spent another 10 hours working at it, but I feel satisfied with what I have now.
What I appreciate about this game is how simple it is. Pokémon Sun and Moon featured a lot of needlessly complex gameplay systems geared toward professional "trainers" seeking to maximize their competitive potential. Even though it wasn't necessary to engage with all of these systems, I found their presence overwhelming in the sense that there is A LOT of information that the player constantly has to keep in mind or actively filter out while playing. I'm therefore grateful that Let's Go Eevee did most of the filtering for me, bringing it down to roughly Animal Crossing levels of manageable.
I also like the new pokémon capture system, which is an adaptation and improvement on that of Pokémon Go. On one hand, the simple motion controls mean that it's difficult to play Let's Go Eevee on public transportation. On the other hand, you no longer have to go through a twelve-step process to catch a damn Pidgey. The new experience-gaining and leveling system works well too.
The main problem with the game is that you can really only gain experience by catching wild pokémon, a process that requires pokéballs, which require in-game currency. Since you can only get a significant amount of currency by battling other trainers, and since each trainer will only battle you once, there's a limited amount of money in the game, meaning that you can only do so much level grinding. Since your resources are limited, you're kind of stuck with the first five pokémon you choose to develop (plus Eevee or Pikachu). This never becomes a serious problem while you're making your way through the story, but it also means that there isn't much room for experimentation or exploration of the game systems.
It's worth saying that the graphics are gorgeous and the music is delightful. I'm more or less using my Switch as a handheld console these days, and it's everything I ever wanted a handheld console to be. I'm looking forward to Pokémon Sword and Shield, and while I wait I am very much enjoying the memes.
It took me 37 hours to finish the game, which brought me to a grand total of having caught 107 pokémon. I'm pretty sure I could get all 152 if I spent another 10 hours working at it, but I feel satisfied with what I have now.
What I appreciate about this game is how simple it is. Pokémon Sun and Moon featured a lot of needlessly complex gameplay systems geared toward professional "trainers" seeking to maximize their competitive potential. Even though it wasn't necessary to engage with all of these systems, I found their presence overwhelming in the sense that there is A LOT of information that the player constantly has to keep in mind or actively filter out while playing. I'm therefore grateful that Let's Go Eevee did most of the filtering for me, bringing it down to roughly Animal Crossing levels of manageable.
I also like the new pokémon capture system, which is an adaptation and improvement on that of Pokémon Go. On one hand, the simple motion controls mean that it's difficult to play Let's Go Eevee on public transportation. On the other hand, you no longer have to go through a twelve-step process to catch a damn Pidgey. The new experience-gaining and leveling system works well too.
The main problem with the game is that you can really only gain experience by catching wild pokémon, a process that requires pokéballs, which require in-game currency. Since you can only get a significant amount of currency by battling other trainers, and since each trainer will only battle you once, there's a limited amount of money in the game, meaning that you can only do so much level grinding. Since your resources are limited, you're kind of stuck with the first five pokémon you choose to develop (plus Eevee or Pikachu). This never becomes a serious problem while you're making your way through the story, but it also means that there isn't much room for experimentation or exploration of the game systems.
It's worth saying that the graphics are gorgeous and the music is delightful. I'm more or less using my Switch as a handheld console these days, and it's everything I ever wanted a handheld console to be. I'm looking forward to Pokémon Sword and Shield, and while I wait I am very much enjoying the memes.
