Pokémon GO, an augmented reality game app, released this week, and it has been taking the world by storm. People everywhere have been obsessing over it, and it's been bringing people together in ways that many did not expect. Regardless of whether you have started playing or not, here is (almost) everything you need to know about Pokémon GO:
1. Be alert.
As the game's loading screen states, "remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings." Many people have taken to the internet reporting injuries they received due to not looking up from their phones while playing. That's super dangerous. Aside from walking into things like trees and potholes, people have fallen off skateboards, and almost gotten hit by oncoming traffic. And for the love of God, don't throw Poké balls and drive.
2. It's so easy that a child can do it.
The controls and interface are simple to control yet challenging enough that you don't feel like your game is going to just let you be the very best like no one ever was without trying. Professor Willow explains how it works similarly to how other Professors do in other versions of the Pokémon games. In this game, you swipe upward to throw the Poké ball at the target Pokémon. They claim that you should aim for when the colored circle most closely matches the white circle, but honestly, I've caught some of the best Pokémon I currently have while the circles weren't matched at all. Which leads me to my next point:
3. Your dreams of picking and catching your starter Pokémon come to life!
You get to pick and catch your starter Pokémon in the real world! Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are right there beside you! I got to catch Bulbasaur (my favorite Pokémon of all time) in my own bedroom! With the augmented reality camera on, this is especially awesome. Since this is the first opportunity you have to test the controls and don't have to worry about losing the opportunity, you get the hang of it pretty quickly. Also, there's a secret that's been growing traction on the internet: you can choose Pikachu if you want! All you have to do is walk in the opposite direction of where the other starters are placed. It should show up pretty quickly.
4. Pokémon GO promotes being active even more than Michelle Obama does.
With a name like Pokémon GO, it's implied that the game really wants you to go out into the world to explore, getting you on your feet, and it really does work You have to actually go places to get anything done. You can't play just sitting on your couch. Since I'm not a person who seeks out exercise by any means, my mom has definitely been shocked by how much this game has gotten me out of the house and walking around. You're down to get at least a little more fit from walking around.
5. Poké Stops are the new Poké Marts.
One of the types of places you're going to want to travel to is the Poké Stop. These are places that give you free items by visiting and swiping the icon to make it spin and turn purple instead of the blue it shows up as originally. They reset about every ten minutes too, so you can continually use one and do laps in places with multiple in the same area. They're mostly historical buildings, landmarks, monuments, and public art displays. You can view a full map of them by accessing a map for Ingress, the other game from Niantics since the hot spots on the map are the same in both games.. Here are the items you can get from Poké Stops:
Potion: "A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It restores the HP of one Pokémon by 20 points."
Super Potion: "A spray-type medicine for treating wounds. It restores the HP of one Pokémon by 50 points."
Revive: "A medicine that can revive fainted Pokémon. It also restores half of a fainted Pokémon's maximum HP."
Incense: "Incense with a mysterious fragrance that lures wild Pokémon to your location for 30 minutes."
Lucky Egg: "A Lucky Egg that's filled with happiness! Earns double XP for 30 minutes."
Poké Ball: "A device for catching wild Pokémon. It's thrown like a ball at a Pokémon, comfortably encapsulating its target."
Great Ball: "A good, high-performance Poké Ball that provides a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball." These become available after the trainer reaches level 12.
(Ultra Balls are similar to Great Balls but with an even higher catch rate. They become available after level 20. Master Balls are known to catch Pokémon without fail, yet it is still unknown as to what level these become available.)
Lure Module: "A module that attracts Pokémon to a Poké Stop for 30 minutes. Other people around the Poké Stop can also benefit from the effect."
Razz Berry: "Feed this to a Pokémon, and it will be easier to catch on your next throw."
Camera: "When you encounter a Pokémon in the wild, you can use your camera to photograph them."
Egg Incubator: "A device that incubates an Egg as you walk until it is ready to hatch." (Unlimited use!) or (Breaks after 3 uses.)
6. The original generation is here to party!
The game's Pokédex lists all of the Pokémon from the original games in the Kanto region as available for capture. This is neat because it's bringing the game back to its roots with the original 151 instead of the 729 that are available throughout the entire series. But this means that Mew and Mewtwo are out there somewhere. Some people are seriously wondering where they might be hiding. I'm looking at you, Area 51.
7. Evolution helps you fill your Pokédex.
It's almost impossible to catch some fully evolved Pokémon in the wild. Luckily, trainers can evolve weaker Pokémon by obtaining the necessary amount of Pokémon candies specific to the Pokémon the trainer is trying to evolve. Each Pokémon of that type caught gives the trainer three candies, and transferring weaker Pokémon to the Professor that trainers don't intend to use (They cannot be given back.) gets trainers an additional candy. This is an important tactic to remember because it's nearly impossible to catch some of the fully evolved forms in the wild.
8. You don't level up your Pokémon.
Trainers do not level up their Pokémon in the same style as older Pokémon games. Instead of basic levels, each Pokémon has a Combat Power (or CP) which identifies how strong they are. The base CPs can vary tremendously from Pokémon to Pokémon, but no matter what, each Pokémon's CP increases when it evolves. The CP can also be increased by powering up the Pokémon by selecting power up on the Pokémon's information screen. To do this, the trainer must have enough Stardust (a magical substance obtained with each Pokémon caught) as well as the necessary Pokémon candies for that specific Pokémon.
9. Gym battles are, well, interesting.
In Pokémon GO, battles are kept to Gyms, which you encounter in the real world in the same types of locations as Poké Stops. Unlike the regular Pokémon games that use a turn-based combat system, Pokémon GO has a new style that's faster and more mobile-friendly. Typically in Pokémon games, a monster learns four moves at a time and during the battle you have time to think over strategy. Here, you get two moves, randomly assigned to the Pokémon when it's caught or evolved. One is a fast weak attack, which you perform by tapping on the enemy on the screen during the battle.Tap faster to do more damage, and slowly build up a power meter. When this meter is full, you can press and hold on the enemy to perform a more powerful attack. You can also swipe left and right to try and dodge an oncoming attack. There also isn't a set Gym Leader or Pokémon type for each gym. Instead, each trainer can attempt Gyms when their trainer level has reached level five. When a trainer is ready to attempt a Gym, they will be asked to pick a team, either Team Mystic (blue,) Team Valor (red,) or Team Instinct (yellow.) Each Team battles to control the selected Gym, and the more powerful team will control it until a different team can over take it. (Team Mystic is the best team, but that's just because Team Rocket wasn't an option.)
10. It quickly and severely drains your battery.
The app easily is the most battery draining app that I've ever had on my phone. If the brightness is up all of the way, it can drain the entire battery life of an iPhone 6s in about four hours. There is a battery saver mode that can be turned on in the settings, and this does help a little bit. The screen will go black if the phone is turned upside down. This helps if you're playing over a long period of time, but it only does so much when you need the screen to be active more often than not.
11. There aren't always Pokémon in the area, and locations for Pokémon don't always make sense.
Since the game desires trainers to move around the real world, Pokémon aren't always abundant in one, stagnant area. Trainers usually have to move around in order to find them. There is a radar in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen that alerts trainers as to how far a Pokémon is from their current location. One footprint signifies a one meter distance, two signify a two meter distance, and three signify a three meter distance. Also, while it is more likely to catch Pokémon in their "natural" habitats (Water types are found more near water and Ghost types are found more at night.) some Pokémon do not make sense where they appear. I have caught a Krabby and a Goldeen in the middle of my suburban street, and I do not live close to any bodies of water.
12. The game servers crash a lot, and the game becomes unavailable.
This is easily the most irritating part of the game. The app freezes and crashes at least once a day (many days it's much more than that) causing users to lose progress of what they were doing at the moment the servers go down. Although it's completely frustrating, it's understandable considering how many people are using the app worldwide as well as that the app was pushed to be released by a certain date. Although this is my biggest issue with the game, I'm confident that it will only improve over time.
So, fellow Pokémon fanatics? Did I miss anything? And are you having as much fun becoming the very best like no one ever was as much as I am? I hope so. Happy Pokémon hunting, everyone!
