Introducing Magikarp Jump

The best -- but also arguably worst -- thing about Pokémon is that the series refuses to die. When they ran out of colors, they went to gems; when they didn't wanna do gems, they went to precious metals; when that was done, they did more colors; then there were letters; now they're using celestial objects, and those are just the portable device games. The Pokémon Company has expanded beyond Nintendo systems into smartphones with apps such as Pokémon Duel and, more notably, Pokémon Go.

The newest addition to the family is an app called Magikarp Jump:

The world of Magikarp Jump is a complete departure from the way the rest of the Pokémon world works in that Magikarp are the only important Pokémon. In fact, legendary Pokémon do show up from time to time, but they only serve as accessories to help out Magikarp. With this game, there are people dedicated to training solely Magikarp in the art of jumping. Jumping battles draw crowds and fans who may even come up to you after the battle to commend your Magikarp for its performance. It's a beautiful experience to raise a Magikarp.

In terms of gameplay, you catch a certain Magikarp after picking one of three seemingly identical fishing rods. What's really cool is that the game puts a variety of different patterns into the game that may appear on any given Magikarp. Instead of the normal red color or shiny gold color, there are now patterns and more colors that can appear. Each Magikarp also may have their own, unique trait that can help in how fast it develops.

You help the Magikarp grow when you make it eat by tapping on berries that appear in its pond, training it with a randomly-chosen activity, and getting the lucky variety or result of random events. When your Magikarp starts to get stronger, you can "battle" other Magikarp by testing their jumping ability and seeing who can go the highest. Defeating other Magikarp -- and even defeating entire leagues -- gets you trainer experience that can allow you to level up and catch higher-level Magikarp.

The whole thing is a game of circular motion, reminiscent of Tamagotchi, where the player grinds to take care of their Magikarp so that they can get a better rank to get a better Magikarp. Although it may be repetitive, there are elements like ally Pokémon, pond customization and various types of random events shake up normal gameplay. Some events even give you a choice to risk a reward for your Magikarp literally dying after being taken by a Pidgeotto or blown up by a Voltorb. If they don't die, though, you can lose access to your Magikarp in a mores positive manner by getting it to its max level with no battles able to win (it earns its retirement and swims in the background of your pond forever) or evolving it into a Gyarados (which is framed as a negative event, still, because you have to get a new Magikarp). Either way, the process starts again.

Overall, Magikarp Jump is an interesting addition to the Pokémon series that has successfully inhabited every other thought I've had since downloading it. I'm glad that I've gotten the chance to watch the most pitiful Pokémon become the star of its own show.