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Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! are the first Nintendo Switch games in the Pokémon series. It is inspired by Pokémon Go and Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition combining a mainline game in Kanto with the catching mechanics of Go. The game includes the original 151 plus some from Alola.
Gameplay
The game takes place in the Kanto region where the player can choose their starter from either Pikachu or Eevee. Catching works like Pokémon Go where the player can throw a ball by swinging the Joy-Con or the Pokéball Plus like throwing a ball to catch it. Pokémon are now visible in the overworld and can be run into to encounter. Pokémon can follow the player in the overworld. Pikachu and Eevee can ride the player and the player can ride select large Pokémon like Onix.
Another player can join in for local co-op player where the players can throw two balls at the same time for greater success.Trainer battles are also become co-op double battles in this mode.
Pokémon Go interactivity
The player can connect to Pokémon Go for a place called Go Park where the players can interact with the Pokémon from Pokémon Go. It can connect back to Pokémon Go for special gifts in that game.
Development
Plot
Reception
The reception of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! was fairly mixed. Critically, the game was praised by many gaming journalists even earning a 81 on Metacritic, but it was subject to a massive negative review bombing from the user side of Metacritic making its user score fall to 53 around the time of release. This was likely due to the divide that the games created in the Pokémon community due to its different direction from the previous installments. Many feared that the game being targeted towards the more casual audience coming from Pokémon Go would cause Game Freak to focus more on this audience in future games, which could lead to the removal the more complex mechanics typically featured in mainline Pokémon games. This was later deconfirmed with the announce of Pokémon Sword and Shield, two more traditional Pokémon games than Let's Go was.
Sales
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! sold 3 million copies in its first week, thus dethroning Super Mario Odyssey as the fastest selling Nintendo Switch game. The sales were below those of many mainline Pokémon games such as Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokémon Sun and Moon. As of December 2018, the games surpassed 10 million units making it the 5th best selling Nintendo Switch game. The game retained it's 5th place in march 2019 with a total of 10.63 million units sold worldwide. It reached 10.98 copies sold by July 2019. The games sold 11.28 million units worldwide by the end of September 2019. The games reached 11.76 million sold by the end of December 2019 but fell to the spot of 6th best selling Nintendo Switch game due to being outsold by Pokémon Sword and Shield. The game reached 11.97 units sold by the end of March 2020. By the end of June 2020, the game reached 12.20 million units sold but fell to 7th place as it was outsold by Animal Crossing: New Horizons.