New Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee get limited edition Nintendo Switch console

Evan Gower May 30, 2018

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are getting exclusive Nintendo Switch console bundles that see you Nintendo Switch come with cute Pikachu and Eevee’s all over its body. The Nintendo Switch dock is also adorned by a Pikachu and an Eevee and you’ll get a Pikachu yellow and Eevee brown Joy-Con set too.

The console bundle, set to launch alongside Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee on 16 November, also comes with a copy of either game preinstalled and the Poké Ball Plus controller in the box. It’s basically everything a budding pokétrainer needs if they haven’t already got a switch. You can take a look at the new bundle in the video below.

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee aren’t the next big Pokémon game coming to Nintendo Switch, but they are going to keep a lot of people occupied who are waiting for a new Pokémon adventure.

We got our first look at this year’s E3, giving us a deeper dive into how both Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee will play, while GameFreak’s Junichi Masuda offered insights into its design. Ultimately, you can think of both titles as a rehash of Pokémon Yellow but with Pokémon Go‘s catching mechanics.

Masuda explains that Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are partly the result of looking at what a “Pokémon for everyone” would be like. The team also thought about Pokémon’s younger audience who perhaps don’t have a smartphone and can’t play Pokémon Go, creating a game that apes the experience but can be played safely at home or on the move via Nintendo Switch.

I’ll boil down some of the more interesting points from the gameplay video, but you can watch the whole 50-minute hands-on video below.

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee: What you need to know

It’s a 3D remastering of Pokémon Yellow featuring the original 151 Pokémon.
Pokémon fights play out differently, requiring you to no longer battle wild Pokémon to whittle HP down. Now you simply toss a Pokéball a la Pokémon Go to catch one.
You’ll throw the Pokéball by tossing the Joy-Con controller – and the Pokéball Joy-Con controller makes this even more realistic. You can throw your Joy-Con in different ways to initiate different types of throw
You can play the entire game with just one Joy-Con
Gaining XP through capturing new Pokémon also strengthens your current party of Pokémon too, meaning they can level up even though they won’t be battling as frequently
Pikachu or Eevee will sit on your shoulder depending on the version you opt for, but you can also have another Pokémon following you – just like in classic Pokémon Yellow style.
The Pokémon you set to follow behind you can also be ridden depending on what the Pokémon is like
There are traditional Pokémon battles still whyen you enter into trainer battles with others you come across in dungeons or on the road
There are Linked Battles here too, so you can play against other real players in 1-on-1 Pokémon fights just as in classic Pokémon games
There are variations between wild Pokémon of the same type to encourage players to catch multiple versions of the same Pokémon as they play
Pikachu or Eevee will wag their tails when you’re near a hidden item so you can find it easily
A second player can join your game at any point by simply shaking a second Joy-Con. Players play together to catch Pokémon and, if you time your throws perfectly, you’ll get a more powerful catch too
Pokéball Plus controller is an extra, but it has all the functionality of a Joy-Con for Pokémon Let’s Go with an extra button on the top and a thumbstick for movement. It also contains a stronger vibration than a standard Joy-Con
Anyone who buys a Pokéball Plus, you’ll get yourself a Mew to put into your game
Pokéball Plus also works as a way to store and walk your Pokémon, giving you rewards and levelling up the Pokémon contained inside
Pokéball Plus also works with Pokémon Go, acting as a Pokémon Go Plus device so you can use it when out and about playing Niantic’s AR game

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee: What are they about?

The Nintendo Switch is to get three new Pokémon games over the next year, with the newly announced Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! due in November, and a “core” game in late 2019.

The house of Mario officially revealed Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! last night. The games look to be a combination of backwards-looking nostalgia with forward-looking additions for the long-running series, including couch co-op, big-screen play and mobile integration… not to mention the release of a Pokéball controller.

Players will be tasked with finding the original 151 Pokémon in the Kanto region, with either Pikachu or Eevee plonked on your shoulder like a furry parrot. The games take inspiration from the GameBoy title Pokémon Yellow, which similarly centred on Pikachu and had the loveable monster follow the player around the world, outside of his tiny spherical prison.

It also looks like the games have learnt from the success of Pokémon Go, and will similarly let players catch Pokémon using motion controls.

Developer Game Freak is pitching the Let’s Go games as an accessible take on the Pokémon series, with players able to see wild Pokémon on the map and the ability for friends to drop in and out to help catch Pokémon in battle. ”With these games specifically, we’re trying to introduce an all-new playstyle,” Game Freak director Junichi Masuda told reporters. “It’s really a much more simplified experience compared to the traditional series.”

Pokémon Quest

The reveal also encompassed a new, “free to start” Pokémon game called Pokémon Quest. It features blocky visuals, is available to download on Nintendo Switch now, and will come to Android and iOS in June.

READ NEXT: Nintendo Switch review

A “core” Pokémon title will follow in late 2019. What shape this will take is yet to be announced, but given Let’s Go‘s focus on younger and newer players, it will presumably involve more in the way of a challenge for veteran pokémon hunters.

The Let’s Go games will launch on 16 November alongside a Pokéball Plus controller, which will work both with Pokémon Go and with the Nintendo Switch. The pokéball joy-con can be used to catch pokémon, and you’ll even be able to hear Pikachu cry out from his captivity if you shake it…if that’s what you’re into.