This morning, a new trailer dropped for Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee that showcased some expected things and some unexpected things. Showing off Vermillion City, Lt. Surge, Team Rocket, and finally revealing Mega Evolution, the trailer has a lot to dissect.
SS Anne and Vermillion City
The very first shot has the female trainer looking up at the SS Anne in Vermillion City. Immediately, I notice that shadows are real shadows and not just a rounded off blob when you can see Pikachu's ears. It's a small touch that rarely makes it in a Pokemon game.
Another detail that is easy to miss is that the trainers in most videos have the male with the Pikachu and the female with Eevee. In this trailer, they're swapped. Eevee now rides on the top of the boy trainer's head and Pikachu is on the girl's shoulder.
Vermillion City begins being shown when the words "Explore Kanto" appears. But, there's a shot of the anime version of Officer Jenny in front of a building. Keeping true to the original Pokemon Yellow that this game is based on, she has a squirtle with her here that will become yours. In the original game, after beating Lt. Surge in this city, Jenny will give you the Squirtle. No telling on what's required in this game to get this water type, but it's likely to be similar. In the same scene at the end, the Pokemon Fan Club has a bow on their sign.
On board the SS Anne, the layout looks just like its original design in Yellow. The kitchen is open and has chefs walking around. On the nose of the ship, your Eevee or Pikachu can stand and enjoy the view. It appears to affect the Pokemon's happiness towards you.
Next is Lt. Surge's gym. Keeping with the Let's Go aesthetic, Surge has been given a slight redesign. Fans of the original anime may notice he's much smaller than he used to be (considering his was around seven feet tall there). His outfit resembles the outfit seen within the original Red, Blue, and Yellow games, but with some changes. More accurately, his attire comes closer to the Firered and Leafgreen games due to the patch change to a lightning bolt on his sleeve, albeit a different bolt. But, the color has gone from camo to olive green. Additionally, the markings on the lapel are different but still there. He now wears his Pokeballs on his belt. Raichu is on his team in the trailer, but he's likely to have an Electrode as well due to there being two Pokeballs.
In the background, the gym feels like a warehouse with gym flyers and SS Anne posters on the back brick walls. Barrels are up against the wall. The very familiar electric coils of Vermillion's gym are present, meaning there's likely still a maze to make it through to get to Surge. Players of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon got a quick reminder of these in the "Kanto Gym" in Malie City that mimicked this look, which was likely a hint at the next game in the series.
Team Rocket is blasting off yet again
Jessie and James debuted in a previous trailer, but this is the first real look at them in action. In Yellow, they appeared in place of the generic Rocket Grunts of Red and Blue, so it's likely they fill the same role in this game.
While James is spot on for his anime look, Jessie sports a new, tamer hairdo than previous incarnations. Keeping with the ham they bring in the anime, James keeps his rose from early episodes, which he puts in his mouth when he throws a Pokeball.
They bring out a double battle of Koffing and Ekans here. In Yellow, double battles didn't exist yet, so they came out one at a time. But, here, it's likely it'll be at the same time. Also, in Yellow, Meowth came out as their third Pokemon, which is not seen here.
Mega Evolution makes a Mega comeback
At the end, four mega evolutions are showcased from the original Kanto starters. Introduced in Pokemon X and Y, mega evolution is a mid-battle upgrade that instreases stats and sometimes changes the Pokemon's type temporarily.
Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard X and Y, and Mega Blastoise have joined the fight. This likely means that the other Kanto Pokemon with mega evolutions will join as well, such as Alakazam, Gengar, Kangaskhan, Pinsir, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, and both of Mewtwo's forms. It's likely this game is queueing up to add even more megas in this game as well.
This is both a suprise and oh so obvious. In 2013's Pokemon Origins anime miniseries, original Red and Blue protagonist, Red, has his Charizard mega evolve while facing off against Mewtwo in the final battle of the show, potentially hinting at the possibility of mega evolution in a Kanto based game.
So far, the games are shaping up to whet the appetites of anyone waiting for the 2019 core game and bring in new players that discovered they liked Pokemon from Pokemon Go. Speaking of, could we see PVP in Pokemon Go in the near future?
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee will be out November 16, 2018.
