We’re nearing the official Chicago Pokéfest event and already celebrating the first anniversary of Pokémon Go so I thought I would review the game as it is as of 16/07/17.
Pokémon Go is a free to play, augmented reality app that started being released to the world on July 6th 2016. It uses your gps to track your location and allows you to walk the world receiving items and Pokémon. Pokémon’s strength are determined by the CP (Combat Power), the higher the CP, the better it will perform in battle. Catching Pokémon gives you candy of the basic stage of that Pokémon, this candy will allow you to evolve (if possible) or power up, giving you a CP boost.
As well as catching Pokémon, you can also hatch Pokémon from eggs. You can hatch eggs by walking different amounts, either 2km, 5km or 10km. You get 1 infinite incubator by default but can buy additional ones to hatch more than one egg at a time from the in game shop.
Buddy Pokémon are Pokémon that you’ve selected to walk with you, allowing you to receive additional occasional candy that helps with evolving and/or powering up.
Pokémon also have IVs that are hidden stats but can be uncovered by using the appraisal system, it helps determine which Pokémon will perform better in battle.
There is also an official device called a Pokémon Go Plus, allowing you to play the game more passively, allowing you to intake more of your surroundings and possibly uncovering more history about the place you live. Using this device does change the gameplay and pace of the game massively.
Pokéstops are points of interest and usually have some historical value, these points allow you to get items such as potions that restore health of Pokémon, Pokéballs that allow capture of further Pokémon or berries that have multiple uses. You can also put lures on Pokéstops that attracts additional occasional Pokémon to that specific Pokéstop. There is also streaks that gives you daily extra XP and additional items on your first one of each day, spinning one on the final day of a streak (Day 7) gives a lot more items than usual.
Gyms are also points of interest, a gym is an area that you can control for your team that allows you to receive the premium Currency, Pokécoins. With Pokécoins, you can buy additional items to help with gameplay such as Pokéballs, lures, and many other items. Holding gyms also allows you to gain Pokécoins which is the premium currency, spendable in the in game shops on additional items that affect gameplay. Gyms also give badges now to commemorate your visit to each unique gym, ranking up these badges through bronze, silver and gold reward the player with 1 additional item per level.
Raids are a fairly recent addition to the game, raids allow you to team up with any other Pokémon Go players (despite the team difference) to beat down boss Pokémon up to 33,000 CP. Super effective Pokémon are very useful in this mode, the better you do in battle, the more Pokéballs you get in the bonus challenge to try and catch the raid boss after. Defeating a raid boss gives may give you Golden Raspberry’s that greatly increase catch chances, TMs that are able to change moves of any Pokémon and other items.
Legendary Pokémon are set to be released soon at Chicago Pokéfest and are thought to be the level 5 raids that we haven’t seen yet. These bosses will requires many people than are required for level 4 raids, possibly requiring 15 or more trainers.
Pokémon Go has also broken multiple world records held by mobile games. The records broken were;
Most revenue grossed by a mobile game in its first month reaching $206.5 million.
Most downloaded mobile game in its first month reaching 130 million.
Most international charts topped simultaneously for a mobile game in its first month, it manged to top 70 different countries charts.
Most international charts topped simultaneously for a mobile game in its first month in 55 different countries.
Fastest time to gross $100 million by a mobile game, it only took 20 days to reach this record.
What do I think of Pokémon Go and its updates since launch?
I think that Pokémon Go is one of the best real-world AR games and has shown how interested people are in such subjects and new technology. Before the raid system, there wasn’t always a level of random stranger interaction but since raids being added, I’ve met a lot of new trainers around my area that I regularly meet up with now to defeat raid bosses. It has created many local community members to discuss and strategize, building many friendships that otherwise may of never happened. It has come a long way since launch and can see it staying around for many more years as long as they keep up with the content demand.
