Pokémon Let's Go is aiming for accessibility

Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! have both only just been announced, but now we have more details, as experienced Pokémon director and producer Junichi Masuda has shared some details about the approach this time around, which is all about making the series accessible.

"For our first entry on the Nintendo Switch, I really wanted to do something more kind of simplified, something that really anyone could enjoy," Masuda said. "I think the reason for this is to get more Switches into the hands of younger kids and more casual players, not just players who are really interested in hardcore games or are really gamers first and foremost."

Elvin Gee, marketing manager of The Pokemon Company International, also promises that this will be an easy entry point into the franchise, and we'll see the game take us to the Kanto region to see all 151 original Pokémon, plus Alolan forms, but not with newer evolutions. Masuda also added that we won't be visiting Johto either, but the whole thing is very similar to Pokémon Yellow in terms of the region.

As you've seen in other Pokémon games, trainer battles will be the same, but wild encounters will work like Pokémon Go, as they roam the world in real-time before you then initiate an encounter by touching them, allowing you to throw a Pokéball without even battling. You can throw these with the Joy-Cons, although in handheld mode you press a button after aiming with motion controls.

When asked if effort values and individual values would return, Masuda simply said "we wanted to make it more simplified," and that we should wait for more details. There will be changes to the core principles though, including how you level up and train your Pokémon, although experience will still be earned by battling trainers and catching Pokémon.

The Pokémon box has also changed, as you can carry it with you, meaning you can change your party at any time, and trading and battling also return, which Masuda says was always the idea given that they had two versions.

There are no plans to utilise the Online service, however, although we do have details on co-op, as a second player just needs to shake a Joy-Con to drop into the game, even in the middle of a battle. "The bottom line... is that it really is to make the second player a support role. So the idea is that it's the first player's adventure. If you only have one Switch in the house and there are siblings, each sibling can start their own game," Masuda explained. "This may not be a super great answer, but I don't want to go into the exact mechanics of what happens if someone joins in mid-way."

We also know that original Pokémon in Pokémon Go can be transferred into this game, and that a Pokéball accessory is coming too, working as both a Joy-Con and a Pokémon Go Plus, letting you carry your adorable Pokémon on the go.

Are you excited by these details?

Thanks, Nintendo Everything.