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Every time a new Pokemon game launches and I finish it, I am always left wanting more. Yes, these days, DLC is often announced before launch, but it usually drops months after launch. Since I finished up Pokemon ZA, I have had that familiar itch to dive deeper.
It starts with me thinking I should watch the anime. As a kid, I loved it, but never watched past the Orange Islands arc. So I stuck it on, and sure, the first episode was a blast of nostalgia, but I am no fan of anime. My kids had more of an interest in the adventures of Ash and Pikachu than I did, so I searched for something else.
Emulators were the only reason I kept an Android device around but now that iOS has allowed them I fired up Delta and played some classic Pokemon. It's amazing how far emulation has come; even the original DS is practically flawless these days, but again, it wasn't what I was looking for. And then I remembered something, an app that took over the world in 2016, an app that brought people together in their masses, rekindled friendships, and made mainstream news.
Yes, I am talking about Pokemon GO.
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Pokemon GO was huge. It was the first Pokemon game outside of Japan to appeal to audiences both young and old in the West. Combining physical activity and catching Pocket Monsters, Pokemon GO was a global and cultural phenomenon.
Having not played the game regularly in years, I decided to log back in and see what was happening, and the short answer is - a lot.
They have themed events going on, battle passes, raids, and more Pokemon to collect than ever. To be honest, I had to tune a lot of it out as it was quite overwhelming compared to the game I remember. I have kept tabs on Pokemon GO, so I knew there was still a community behind it; I just never realized how many new things are now on the map as you walk around.
What once was a PokeStop or two for spinning, or the infrequent gym to challenge, is now a bustling hub of activities to partake in. Of course, as games with a live service grow, they need to evolve (pun intended) and add to their existing mechanics or risk losing their audience. I do not think that the same volume of players who jumped on the game in 2016 are still playing today, but the gyms are still active, and new route systems where people lay out their walking path for you to follow are in full flow.
There's a whole event around transformations on right now that gives you quests and rewards galore. Gigantamax Pokemon are also in the game, and there are set raids around the map to take these enormous creatures on. Honestly, the game feels more complete now than ever before.
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My daily walk during lunch was filled with catching new creatures and spinning new gyms and PokeStops that didn't exist the last time I went for a walk and played. It felt like a full experience rather than the empty testing grounds that made many leave the game behind. If you are not a fan of exercise and want to trick your brain, this activity also passes the time very quickly and helps alleviate the boredom of straight-up walking.
What the game got so right is the mechanic to catch the Pokemon. Using your finger to swipe and throw a ball (after spinning it, naturally), combined with the haptics on newer phones, releases unknown amounts of dopamine into the body. I genuinely think it outclasses all other games in how it makes you feel landing a new Mon.
There are some downsides, though. A fluctuating 4/5G connection in your area can make your experience vary, and often, you are nudged towards the in-game shop. Yes, there are many more in-app purchases now for kids to drain their parents' wallets with, but if you, like me, are a responsible adult gamer who likes to get some kind of exercise during the day, you could be missing out on what may be the best time to pick Pokemon GO.
Tomorrow, leave your fitness band or smart watch alone when you go for that hike and fire up the game that once brought strangers together in parks to catch a Machamp, you may just find yourself getting lost all over again in the world of Pokemon GO.