Surfing Pikachu isn’t anything new in thePokémonseries. The iconic yellow mouse put battles on the back-burner way back when inPokémon Yellow. Players could unlock a mini-game where they’d get to play as Pikachu riding on a surfboard in 1998. This could only be unlocked through a special Pikachu that players could acquire inPokémon Stadiumor through special giveaway events.
Throughout the years bothPokémongames and the anime have referenced this gnarly callback toYellow. It appears that now, Pikachu will be revisiting surfboarding inPokémon Let’s Go! PikachuandLet’s Go! Eeeveeto some extent. During this week’s episode of Pokénchi, in Japan, we can see Pikachu using a move called Splash Surf against a Geodude in-game. You can see the screenshot from the broadcast below.
According to Game Freak director Junichi Masuda, special moves like Surf and Cut won’t take up conventional move-slots like in previous titles from the series. Skills used to cut down trees and travel across bodies of water have new names in bothLet’s Go, Pikachu!andLet’s Go, Eevee!Also, it’s important to note that the new move Pikachu can be seen using is not Surf. So to be clear, there’ll be separate lists for the conventional skills that you’d expect in aPokémontitle, as well as a separate list for skills that affect things outside of battles.
Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu!andPokémon Let’s Go, Eevee!will be launching exclusively on the Nintendo Switch later this year. You can pre-order either title right now onAmazon. Furthermore, Game Freak plans on revealing aPokémontitle for hardcore fansof the series in 2019 so look forward to that.
