Pokémon Go: The Next Generation of Game

Pokémon in the real world. The dream since 1998. This app is so close to being that. And yet also so very far away.

Pokémon Go is an app for IOS and Android phones. Developed in Co-operation with Niantic, the game uses their experience with Geo-Caching (placing marks on a real map to interact with gameplay) in order to simulate the experience of travelling and catching Pokémon. The game is not a replication of the mechanics of the handheld games, instead choosing thematic and simplified versions of the systems to work for this much larger, multi-player and publicly accessible game.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qryf2F_QfXg&w=560&h=315]

The game relies on the player moving around their real life environment, using their phone to display a map of the local area, overlaid with in game elements. Landmarks in the game are either Pokestops or Gyms, with rustling grass particle effects suggesting areas where Pokémon can be caught. Pokestops are free sources of in game items, like pokeballs, incense to attract pokemon and eggs which hatch after a certain distance travelled in real life.
The actual process of exploring, finding pokestops and hunting Pokémon is delightful. Not only are you encouraged to actually explore and move outside, but there’s a certain sense of Glee in following the proximity alert on the Pokémon you want, only to finally catch it.
And speaking of catching ’em all, the whole process is simple. In an almost Safari Zone inspired style, you either catch Pokémon, attempt to make them more friendly using berries, or run away if you can’t. When you find a Pokémon the world map, just tap it, then it will open the catch screen. There, just observe the ring on the pokemon, wait for it to be as small as possible, then flick a poke ball at it. When you catch it, you will get the Pokémon, then get a run down of its stats as well as receiving stardust (a general upgrade resource) and a specific upgrade resource called Pokémon candy. Eg, rattata candy, charmander candy. You get two to three of these per caught Pokémon of that type, and the option to get one more if you transfer the Pokémon away to the professor.
The upgrade resources are used go evolve Pokemon, as well as increase their power, the extent of which is dependent on the player’s experience level.

Now, once you have your Pokémon, what do you do? Well, no trading (yet) and no direct real-time battling. Instead, Gyms are the order of the day. When you catch enough pokemon or visit enough stops to get to level 5, you’re given the option to join one of three teams, based on one of the legendary bird trio.
Zapdos: Team Instinct. (The best team)
Moltres:Team Valor
Articuno: Team Mystic
Then, you can start going back to this gyms you haven’t been able to interact with. If a gym is coloured with opposite team colour, you can challenge it, fighting a series of Pokémon. When you remove all of the opposing pokemon, the gym turns grey and you get to claim it for your team, before stocking it with your own pokemon. Successfully defend your gym and you’ll get in-game currency.

As for the battling process itself, again it’s simple. But here, not quite as effective as the catching. Instead of turn based combat, the game relies on tapping the opposing Pokémon, swiping your own pokemon to dodge attacks, switching your pokemon to best take advantage of type bonuses. Which sounds dine. In theory. In practice, unless your pokemon are evenly matched with your opponent (rare), and the servers are working to register dodges (rare) the game devolves into rapid clicking to do damage before you’re knocked out.
So battling is not so great.

The main flaw I was expecting, going in, was the test of whether the game would do enough to support Every player. I suspected, and was proven right, in my thinking that major cities would be fine for fixed content. There’s plenty of PokeStops and gyms in Belfast. Most are local landmarks, blue heritage plaques or art installations. Also churches. Lots of churches have Pokémon connections. It’s in keeping with Niantic’s argument that this is meant to get players to move around and explore their own home towns. And in this setting, that means the microtransaction system is actually a lot less relevant. I picked up thirty or so poke balls and three eggs while travelling down one major bus route. So just factoring those into a daily route means a lot less need for cash payments in keeping the game going.

But what about those who actually do live in little towns? Well, it’s not a total failure, but there’s clearly a lot less going on. As the pokestops are based on “important” locations, there is a lot less going on in terms of geocaches. So a lot less they can attain in item terms. Thematically, it kinda works, in encouraging people to strike out and explore. There’s the trope of heading for the big city for an adventure which fits neatly in this kind of narrative, but for those who can’t manage that, it does make the game more stringent in relying on patience or payment to progress. While early on, there’s enough to keep people interested, with the grind to catch Pokémon to evolve, there’s the potential to make the game very limited unless you’re willing to travel for your potential pokestops.

Finally, I have to give a serious warning. The game is ridiculously power intensive. GPS and internet are both essential, and beyond that, the game’s battery saving mode seems like a placebo. It just turns the screen off while you have the phone upside down. Even with most of the other background processes on my phone turned off, I was still losing a percentage point off my battery life every couple of minutes. It’s a drain. And it’s especially notable, as the game features items, found or paid of course, that buff stats or Pokémon discovery for certain periods of time. So to get thirty minutes of bonuses, which I could be paying for, I was losing eighteen or so percent of my battery. Really not acceptable. Apparently this is on the fix list, but for many, this could be a deal breaker.

So the combat doesn’t really work, the servers and battery problems do the game a massive disservice, and yet, I can’t help but like it. It’s a blatant gamification of walking around your locale, but I don’t care. Because while I was walking around, exploring and catching Pokémon, the music of Junichi Masuda as an ever familiar reminder that the world in front of my eyes was being merged with the world inside my pocket. It feels like the first time playing Pokemon again. That sense of adventure, of excitement. It may have flaws. It may even run into a wall of grinding for perfect pokemon. But for a little while there, I was exploring my own region, encountering other trainers, and finally having a pokemon experience that I’d dreamed of since I was a youngster. That’s worth every flaw.