Pokémon fans, as well as the gaming community from all around the world has been patiently waiting to try their hands at the new mobile game, Pokémon GO. The game is rumored to release in June this year.
However, the title has been going through extensive beta-testing from March 2016, which started locally in Japan, and has had subsequent tests in New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.
This game has been the initiative of The Pokémon Company and a Google start-up, Niantic, the former developer of Ingress, an augmented-reality mobile game, much like what Pokémon Go is going to be.
Nintendo is apparently involved with the manufacturing of Pokémon Go Plus, a companion device. Pokémon Go Plus is supposed to be an aiding device which is meant to enhance the “reality” experience of the gamer. However, it’s release date and price is still to be confirmed.
The game will be available in the form of a mobile app, which you can download on your smartphones or iPhone. Fans were in a frenzy when in march this year, the first ever screenshots of the game were revealed to the public by Niantic, giving the public a chance to see how the game actually looks on a smartphone.
Niantic’s CEO John Hanke had held his second test at SXSW in Australia after which the screen shots were subsequently revealed.
Some of the new pieces of information that have been recently confirmed by the participants of the beta testing held in New Zealand and Australia are that users are able to choose the personal clothing and accessories of their Trainers.
The game is built on a model of Progressive Difficulty. It monitors your trainer’s progress and allows you to capture rarer and stronger Pokémon with reach passing level.
Although the participants of these tests have signed a non-disclosure contract, they have still been able to share with us the details of the platform. There are 150 varieties of Pokémon from the original series. We get to use a Pokedex.
One can attempt to catch the Pokémon by throwing the pokeball from several different angles, which can contract and enlarge, just like in the cartoon, further enhancing the relatability for the user.
People have been heard reporting that some of the favorite Pokémon like Pikachu, Evee, and Squirtle are harder to capture. Another interesting quirk they seem to have added to the game is that while trying to capture the Pokémon, they can deflect the pokeballs.
You can attempt to capture any Pokémon that comes your way and with each new Pokemon, you gain an evolution crystal shard, which comes in handy for evolving your Pokémon.
On some of the downsides that have been reported so far, players can customize the Trainer’s appearance just once. Hence, make sure you get it right the first time.
Plus, there seems to be a built-in speed monitor inside the game that disallows any points for progress towards an egg if we move towards it too fast. Moreover, the Pokémon in the wild is at a loss in terms of strength compared to the ones who are born from the eggs.
These few glitches aside, there are plenty of new and exciting experiences to be had with the new title. CEO John Hanke was heard giving out some inside information to the enthusiasts about certain features of the game on The Pokémon company’s blog, with nuggets of information like the trainer’s phone will start vibrating as soon as a player approaches a new Pokémon, alerting them of their presence.
You can go out on Pokémon hunts like Brock, Misty, and Ash in different parts of the world, only this time, the world resembles Paris, Italy or Shinjuku station with Pokémon inhabiting them.