Pokemon Let Go Go: Well, I guess my adult ass is going to collect them all

Earlier this year, I took the first "real" Pokémon console games in the world for a demo-press game and I almost immediately … bored.

The new (optional) Poké ball-shaped controller was uncomfortable. The waggle loaded capture system was simplistic. The brief slice of the E3 demo game was repetitive. And the area was one where fans played millions of times. Pokemon was coming to Nintendo Switch, okay, but it was not the "Generation 8" that many fans were hoping for.

Yet something about this brief overview of Pokémon let's go put a little worm in my brain. (Probably a weedle.) A few weeks later, I wondered: is there anything here? Has Nintendo been able to break down the jittery fabric of the old JRPGs in a way that seems boring in a crowded exhibition hall that could be perfect for a long, semi-portable adventure?

Especially for someone who – let's face it – never takes into account Pokémon in its game regime?

Critics for the game are coming in droves before today's global launch, and some are aimed at people who know the Kanto region of the show like their pocket. Me, I'm a guy who made his weapons on JRPG random battle to break with the genre once I'm bigger. I wanted to test the argument of Nintendo for adults.

The result is by no means a must-have game for anyone who is disconcerted with video games. If collecting monsters in an imaginary country seems idiotic, it will persist. But Pokémon let's go I am keenly interested in my interest in the JRPG, which has been around for a long time – a goal that many of you share without a doubt – and that is the game that has finally put a strand in hair about this thing that is all about collecting.

Let's… break down

It comes down to new small touches, as opposed to a global overhaul.

We are back in the world of Red Pokémon and Blue (or, as Let's go Director Junichi Masuda said: Pocket Monsters Red and green, who were the real original Game Boy in Japan). The structure of the region, the distribution of monsters, the focus on face-to-face monsters, even the gadget in two versions that requires the exchange of monsters with real friends – they are all there . Unsurprisingly, the same goes for the basic plot of becoming another child who is finally getting into this monster capture business. A man named Professor Oak gives you your first creature, your first Poké Balls and a simple directive: catch them all to help with his research, or simply train your favorite monsters to win "gym battles" through the world. Kanto Region.

The most notable differences come from the word "Go" in the title. You may have heard of a little smartphone game called Pokemon Go, still top of the smartphone download (and revenue) lists since its launch two years ago. In this game, players simply walk to Pokémon in real-world locations, then wear them and catch them in a Poké Ball launch mini-game. You can eventually engage in Pokemon fights, in which monster types (grass, water, fire, electricity, etc.) face each other in a complicated rock-paper-Scyther matrix, but these fights are simplified to from their original material … like other series clips like Gym Battles.

Pokémon let's goon the other hand, has a clever idea of ​​all this. It mixes the marasmus of random battle of the original games with some Pokemon Go smartphone inspirations and leaves most other things intact.

When you walk in the familiar Kanto area in this new game, you can now see classic monsters wandering on the screen, instead of existing as invisible spirits that surprise you. If you want to participate in a "random battle", head to the monster with your character and start a Poké Ball throwing minigame. A standard Joy-Con can be used to reproduce a throwing motion or, if it sounds boring, you can opt for a joystick and buttons to target your throws. Grab the monster to throw it in your bag (much bigger in this game) and score experience points for your list of monsters.

Run away!

These encounters can be canceled (in "running away") at any time, and they effectively replace a sneaky truth of the JRPG corpus: the old standard of pressing the "attack" button again and again to level up . And I certainly do not miss it. In older games, random battles rarely offer an educational or strategic value other than to ensure that players equip a more appropriate Pokémon for a given area (that is, "that is an aqueous area, so Squirtle is useless here "). And in some cases, you only walk in a given field of grass until the emergence of a rare monster.

But what if the press-over-and-over standard is traded for a quick alternative? And if you could instantly see what monsters were in your area, not to waste your time with 40,000 unnecessary Rattatas? Pokémon let's go makes a bet on these two ideas as upgrades, and they certainly feel that way in action.

Let's go ahead already!

The experience is also simplified in this catchy system, since the six monsters in your group (the standard number of the series) enjoy a flood of experience points after each encounter, whether it's a battle aside or a fast Poké Ball. discard.

There are certainly some classic Pokemon battles. In fact, there are more pious coaches than in previous games. Most of the coaches on your trip are affiliated with the famous Rocket team of the series, who enjoy a resolute Saturday morning flavor in their cheers against you. When Pokémon-laden humans discover you, a fight against 1 to 3 Pokémon follows … and it may be because the random battles were removed, but the Let's go The development team definitely set fire to the battle earlier in this game.

Meaning, when you make get off at Poke-fighting in Let's gohe has more immediate issues. This change represents an intelligent reallocation of the "fight" motto of the game, and I quickly started to research and plot about the formation of smart parties.

The rest of the positive elements of the basic experience, namely the production values, will probably delight the faithful of the series more than the newcomers. I appreciate the characters entirely in 3D, the sleek designs of all the coaches, the stunning designs of the world, the effects of light and shadow, as well as the impeccably played orchestral playing on them. existing melodies of the series. (The latter is without a doubt one of the best Pokemon games to date. Dragon Quest XIThe partition's MIDI partition is even darker in comparison.) But the way all this aesthetic content is combined seems rather like a dream version of Red Pokémon and Blue for older fans of these games, that a design designed for new players just out of Pokemon Go.

Otherwise, we are in the traditional territory of Pokémon. You can expect a relatively linear trajectory across the Kanto region, wide access to Poké Balls and the essential monster drugs, to the need to balance the ever-changing range of attacks, from the improvements and evolutions of your monsters, as well as beautiful encounters with friends and rivals. and ever more difficult battles along the way.

In other words: it's all I wanted to Pokemon Go in the first place.

See page two to learn more about the new Poké Ball Plus accessory and how it connects to this game and Pokémon Go …