6 Ways Pokemon Let’s Go Could Have Been Better

Pokemon Let’s Go is the series’s first and highly-anticipated foray into the Nintendo Switch. The game has managed to capture the essence of the classics while injecting some fresh new ideas to the series. While the game is another impressive entry in the series, here are a few things that would have made it better.

If you liked this list, check out our other similar content, such as 8 Pokemon Let’s Go Changes That’ll Bring New Life to Kanto and 8 Most Iconic Kanto Moments You’ll Revisit in Pokemon Let’s Go. Buy the game here.

Day and Night Cycle

The day and night cycle has always been a staple in Pokemon games since Gen 2, injecting a sense of realism by following real time. Everything seemed much more different depending on which time you were playing, giving players all the more reason to revisit certain locations on their adventure.

On top of that, the day and night cycle is also a pivotal tool for evolving certain Pokemon – particularly Eevee. Of course, this feature hadn’t been introduced in the first game, hence why it wasn’t added in Pokemon Let’s Go, along with things such as breeding, secret bases, and visual competitions.

Since it’s a remake, however, adding in a day and night cycle would have been the perfect opportunity for an added touch of immersion. Since Pokemon Let’s Go emphasizes your personal adventure with your ‘mons, adding every bit of detail would definitely make the adventure feel more “real” and memorable.

Pro Controller Support

Pokemon Let’s Go supports most of the Nintendo Switch’s ways to play, from the palm of your hands to even using that special Poke Ball Plus as a controller. Strangely enough, it lacks one thing that would have made it better – pro controller support.

Using the Joy-Cons are a great way to interacting with the game when playing on the big screen, letting players flick their controller to catch ‘mons. However, there are those who would rather just kick back and relax, playing Pokemon Let’s Go with their pro controller.

It’s even worth noting that this controller does support motions controls, although probably not as advanced as those found within the Joy-Cons or the Poke Ball Plus. Still, players could just stick to using their analog sticks to aim and their buttons to throw the Poke Ball when catching ‘mons in the game. It’s strange as to Pokemon Let’s Go doesn’t incorporate pro controller support, but here’s hoping we see it patched in somewhere down the line.

More Customization Options

Pokemon X and Y really set the bar for player customization in the series, giving players the option to customize their looks and even buy new clothes. The same rings true for Sun and Moon with their tropical theme, with wardrobes consisting of skirts, shorts, tank tops, and hats.

Pokemon Let’s Go steps back from all of this customization and opts for simpler solutions instead. Players still had the option to change their skin color along with their clothes, although most of the latter options were mainly recolors.

Instead of customizing trainers, Pokemon Let’s Go pours more time in changing how your partner looks. There are a handful of different ribbons, hats, glasses, and other cosmetics you can give your Pikachu and Eevee. While this is something we’d certainly like to see moving forward, adding in more character customization options would have definitely been welcome in Pokemon Let’s Go.

Optional Difficulties

The Pokemon series is known for being player-friendly, often leaning towards a more easier difficulty. Game Freak mixed things up a bit in Gen 5 by adding a difficulty option, offering players the chance to choose just how easy or hard they want their game to be.

We haven’t seen this feature added in any other games in the series, although it would have made an excellent addition to Pokemon Let’s Go. Let’s face it, there are times when the game comes off as a bit too easy, especially when you’ve overleveled your party after chaining wild ‘mons and stuffing them with candies.

Couple this with your powerful starter, and you can basically breeze through the game without so much as breaking a sweat. Needless to say, but having a difficulty option would give seasoned players a greater challenge when clearing through the main quest. Heck, this is something we’d even like to see in future Pokemon games, as it cater to both the casual and core audience.

Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter Support

Pokemon Bank was a pretty big hit when it launched back in 2013. This nifty application let players transfer their ‘mons between games and even back them up via cloud storage.

Unfortunately, the service is only available on the Nintendo 3DS, and we’ve yet to hear anything about a Nintendo Switch service. With Pokemon Let’s Go acting as the series’s first entry on the Switch, adding Pokemon Bank would have been the perfect way to import you ‘mons from the 3DS over to the hybrid console and vice versa.

With another mainline gaming coming next year, there’s a pretty big chance that we’ll see these two services roll out on the Nintendo Switch soon. Hopefully, by then, we’ll also see Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter support Let’s Go.

More Online Modes

Gen 6 was a huge step up for the series in terms on Online Play. Not only did we get the chance to battle with random players, but we had also gotten other services such as GTS and Wonder Trade. Even if you didn’t personally know anyone who played Pokemon, there was always a way to connect with those who did.

Pokemon Let’s Go has stripped all of those features and gone back to the basics with simple trading and battles. Online connection is still here, but it’s been watered down significantly. You’ll need to input three ‘mon icons as codes to pair up with someone, as compared to using the PSS to actually search for a specific trainer to fight.

There’s no doubt that X and Y had one of the best online systems in the series, and it’s a shame that Pokemon Let’s Go didn’t build upon what it had already brought. Let’s just hope that Gen 8 improves online communication and how we can interact with other players online.