Pokemon: Let's Go Adds Additional Requirements to Battle in Gyms

Pokemon: Let's Go players will need to meet certain requirements in order to enter gyms and participate in gym battles.

During E3 last month, Pokemon fans noticed a little quirk during an extended on-screen playthrough of the game. When players entered the Pewter City gym, the Gym Guide stops the player and asks them to produce a Water or Grass-Type Pokemon before they can enter the gym.

Fans thought that the interaction served as an extended training guide of sorts, a way to teach new players about the complex strengths and weaknesses system that's at the core of the Pokemon franchise. However, it appears that this will be a standard requirement at every Pokemon gym.

The Japanese Pokemon: Let's Go page was recently updated with new information about the game, including new information about the gyms. The page (as translated by Siliconera) confirmed that players would need to meet certain requirements before entering gyms, which include bringing certain Pokemon types or having Pokemon at a certain level.

Players have mixed opinion about this new twist to gym battles. On one hand, the new requirements can be seen as side quests of sorts, something that some gyms have required for forever. For instance, some gym leaders will ask you to complete a certain task or will be closed until a certain threat is cleared elsewhere in the game.

However, some see the gym requirements as a way to make gyms even easier, something that more dedicated Pokemon fans won't be thrilled about. After all, if a player is required to bring a certain Pokemon into battle, they may have to sacrifice a spot that they want another Pokemon to have instead. This could mess up a player's training methods or take away from their enjoyment of the game.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee will be the first "main series" Pokemon games for a household console, but make several radical changes to the Pokemon formula. Wild Pokemon will appear in the overworld map for the first time and the traditional wild encounter mechanics have been replaced by a new version similar to how players catch Pokemon in Pokemon Go. The games are definitely more geared towards casual and new players, but Game Freak is also planning a more traditional Pokemon game for release in 2019.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee will be released on November 16th.