A Pokemon Let’s Go review bomb is currently tanking the game’s score on sites like Metacritic and Amazon Japan. While Let’s Go Eevee and Let’s Go Pikachu have recently posted very respectable sales in the UK region, it seems that not all fans are satisfied with the state of the product at launch.
The game’s Metacritic page shows a sea of criticism coming from fans the world over. As Nintendo Life reports, a good portion of these reviews are likely legitimate. Many of them include very specific complaints about game mechanics that are detailed and well-reasoned.
The Amazon Japan page for the game also shows the effects of the Pokemon Let’s Go review bomb. It’s gotten bad enough that the store has effectively removed the overall star rating for the product. You can still nonetheless see the individual reviews with their star ratings, many of which are in English – something that’s a bit strange for a Japanese site.
However, not all complaints are made equal. A number of shorter reviews that give a low score simply call the game “dumbed-down” or a “cash grab” without much in the way of elaboration. There is also the issue of some half-truths spread throughout the reviews.
Some are complaining about there being no items or no wild creatures in the game. While encountering wild versions of the adorable critters has been brought more in line with Pokemon GO, players will nonetheless be able to see them in the overworld. You don’t typically engage in a battle with them (save for some of the more Legendary encounters), but the random encounters are there in a fashion.
As for the complaint of there being “no items”, this too is a half-truth. There are indeed a number of items in the game including potions, evolution stones, and berries, although there isn’t necessarily 1:1 availability with the possible items in Pokemon Yellow (the game that this remake is largely based on). In essence, it appears that player complaints seem to be centered around the price or the changes made to the title which bring it closer to the gameplay experience of Pokemon GO.
The Pokemon Let’s Go review bomb is another example in a long practice of irate fans showing their discontent through the review score system. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was one recent title that had to deal with a review bomb of its own following a reduction in price. Unfortunately, the wave of negativity makes it unnecessarily difficult for players to get a genuine feel for whether or not a game is good or bad.
