When Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee released in 2018, it proved a divisive game. Some fans loathed the return to Kanto and inclusion of only the original 151 creatures, while others praised the game's aesthetic and catching mechanics. In the following years, the game's reputation has improved overall, and rumors of a Let's Go sequel set in the Johto region have gathered a lot of traction.
However, with recent announcements of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus, it seems Game Freak is moving away from the Let's Go concept -- which would be a huge waste of potential. Let's Go has a lot to offer the franchise, and making a Johto sequel would be a great start.
When making the case for Let's Go Johto, it's important to note what made the originals so interesting. Removing traditional battle mechanics for wild encounters in favor of a Pokémon GO-style experience ultimately made these encounters quicker and less tedious. The addition of overworld Pokémon spawns and increased experience from successful captures incentivized catching 'em all in a way the series never really has done before. Catching powers up your favorite creatures, fills your Pokédex and builds chains to increase the likelihood of rare spawns and shiny Pokémon.
Let's Go also features the best following Pokémon mechanics of the entire series, even allowing players to ride certain creatures or fly on their backs. The stripped-down nature of the game allowed Game Freak to focus on graphics, and these games are visually better than Sword and Shield or anything seen so far for the latest announced releases. Let's Go's biggest issues are the removal of held items and a lack of post-game activities -- two things that could easily be changed in a sequel.
Let's Go Johto could solve issues that gamers have with recent Pokémon games. Many have complained about the landscapes and 3D models of Sword and Shield, but revisiting the simply-designed Johto region and its 251 Pokémon could result in a better-looking game overall. This smaller pool of Pokémon could also allow Game Freak to create new models and animations for these creatures, 78 of which are not available in Sword and Shield.
Let's Go Johto could even feature a return to Kanto just like the originals did, allowing Game Freak to re-use the assets from Pikachu and Eevee with some improvements and tweaks and solving the issue of recent games having minimal post-game content. While a return to the Battle Frontier seems unlikely, just including the original Battle Tower with the classic co-operative mode would go a long way in keeping players interested after the credits roll. Additionally, Let's Go featured some of the simplest shiny hunting mechanics of the series, based on chains and Lures. Seeing shinies spawn in the overworld was a perfect quality of life feature that should have been kept for Sword and Shield.
Seeing Johto again on the Nintendo Switch in the beautiful Let's Go art style is an incredibly exciting prospect. Pokémon GO is still astoundingly popular, and further mainline integration into the mobile game would surely be a smart move Freak. Abandoning this experimental sub-series after just one release would be a shame, especially when these games have more life and charm recent mainline entries.
As unlikely as Let's Go Johto sequels currently seem, many fans still hope this will someday come to fruition. Unfortunately, Game Freak is notorious for introducing new mechanics and ideas for the Pokémon franchise only to abandon them. Still, this idea has so much potential, and it would be a shame for that to go to waste.