Hey You, Pikachu! Is a cute little game best suited for kids ages 5 and under, since the game doesn't ask much of the player in the first place. You follow Pikachu around and do silly little tasks, such as going fishing, finding treasure, babysitting, and making stew for Pikachu's friends. Pikachu also waters your crops. It makes popcorn. It electrocutes you sometimes, and it can play the harmonica. It's the little things in life, right?
There's no battles in this game like the mainline Pokémon games, other than trying to have Pikachu understand what you're saying with the VRU peripheral a majority of the time. This makes events like the piñata party or trading with Abra more of a pain in the ass to get through, since Pikachu often misunderstands what you tell it to do and will do the exact opposite action. Although I do think it's neat that Ambrella wanted to experiment with voice commands back in 1998, it's more of a major setback to this game instead of an amazing advantage.
Aside from the VRU issues and how painfully bland this game can be, I'll admit that I have major nostalgia for this game's soundtrack and visuals. Cobalt Island, Springleaf Fields, and Viridian Forest are among the most memorable areas for me, and I sometimes put their songs on as background noise when I'm busy. The title screen itself is also a warm reminder of how excited I used to be when I got to play this game after kindergarten, and being so happy to tell Pikachu about my day-- even if it had no idea what I was babbling on about back then.
In short, this game doesn't take itself too seriously as a pet/buddy simulator, let alone as a Pokémon game. It's fun to revisit as an adult for a little bit before it starts to get stale, but I think younger kids/toddlers would get a kick out of going on small adventures with it. Plus, it's kinda sweet that Pikachu will always be happy to see the player and spend time with them.
There's no battles in this game like the mainline Pokémon games, other than trying to have Pikachu understand what you're saying with the VRU peripheral a majority of the time. This makes events like the piñata party or trading with Abra more of a pain in the ass to get through, since Pikachu often misunderstands what you tell it to do and will do the exact opposite action. Although I do think it's neat that Ambrella wanted to experiment with voice commands back in 1998, it's more of a major setback to this game instead of an amazing advantage.
Aside from the VRU issues and how painfully bland this game can be, I'll admit that I have major nostalgia for this game's soundtrack and visuals. Cobalt Island, Springleaf Fields, and Viridian Forest are among the most memorable areas for me, and I sometimes put their songs on as background noise when I'm busy. The title screen itself is also a warm reminder of how excited I used to be when I got to play this game after kindergarten, and being so happy to tell Pikachu about my day-- even if it had no idea what I was babbling on about back then.
In short, this game doesn't take itself too seriously as a pet/buddy simulator, let alone as a Pokémon game. It's fun to revisit as an adult for a little bit before it starts to get stale, but I think younger kids/toddlers would get a kick out of going on small adventures with it. Plus, it's kinda sweet that Pikachu will always be happy to see the player and spend time with them.