Some players may have noticed that
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and
Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee! felt a tad shorter than they remembered from playing other entries in the long-running
Pokémon series. It turns out that the game is, indeed, slightly shorter than most
Pokémon games, and there is a good reason for that.
According to
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee! Game Director Junichi Masuda, the length of the game has been shortened in order to consider the lifestyle of people in this day and age, where spending time on games may not be a priority for most people any more.
"
When you consider how people live in this day and age, I think it’s safe to say everyone’s pretty busy. The way we spend our time is different now from how it was 20 years ago. Thanks to smartphones, you’re constantly bombarded with new information, and it’s natural that you end up thinking you want to play some other games, too. So I felt like perhaps the time you spend on your adventures in these games didn’t need to dominate all your free time".
One of the things that the development team changed in
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee!, in order to make the game feel shorter, was speeding up the walking speed of the characters, so it is now less time-consuming than in previous entries.
"
We sped up the walking speed for the player and kept the playtime needed to reach the Hall of Fame on the shorter side. For the people who want to play more, I’d like them to enjoy cuddling their partner Pikachu or Eevee and giving them Berries, having fun with outfits, and building up their bonds with their partner. And after they reach the Hall of Fame, I hope they might also enjoy battling the Master Trainers, who can give you special titles to boast about".
While some of these changes actually improve the experience, it is worth reminding that
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and
Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee! are based on the original
Red,
Blue, and
Yellow versions of
Pokémon, so most of the changes made to the game were more than necessary in order to actually update the games, that are already quite outdated in terms of gameplay.
Return to the Kanto region and experience a classic Pokémon journey in a whole new way with Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! on Nintendo Switch!
Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee! are currently available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.