Game news Pokémon GO: With the return of good weather, it’s time to get back to it!
After the excitement of its launch in the summer of 2016, you may have stopped playing Pokémon Go. However, six years later, the title has continued to grow and with the return of sunny days, maybe it’s a good time to get back to it. We explain why if you haven’t touched the game for six years!
Summary
- Pokémon Go, a discreet but still popular game
- Big changes in six years
While France is going through a heat wave with record temperatures, many players are abandoning their controllers, keyboards and mice to take advantage of the good weather. And what better title to combine outdoor adventure and video games than Pokémon GO and its simple but effective principle which always invites you to walk in order to catch them all.
Pokémon Go, a discreet but still popular game
If the general media spoke much less about the title after its launch in the summer of 2016, in reality, the game never really declined in popularity. Proof, in 2020 and 2021, Pokémon GO generated more revenue (respectively $917.83 and $904.62 million) than the year of its release ($588.01 million), making the title one of the free- world’s most profitable mobile to-play. And yes, these figures may surprise more than one given the discretion of the game against other behemoths of the genre. However, we must not forget all the same that it is an application for iOS and Android taken from the most profitable franchise of all time, so this success is not so surprising.
In six years, Niantic, the studio behind the project which has since replicated the experience with other licenses (Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal, Pikmin Bloom…), has continued to add content. If you stopped playing in 2016, know that the first six generations of Pokémon are now available, with some specimens of the 7th and 8th generation, which is around 800 creatures to capture. Since then, to regularly arouse the interest of players, we can say that on average, two events are offered per week, with the key to higher appearance rates for certain creatures. An important content therefore in order to make the title an always complete experience. Besides, if you haven’t restarted the game since 2016, expect to be surprised by many other new features.
Big changes in six years
First of all, if you’re worried about feeling overwhelmed when you relaunch the app, a non-exhaustive list of Trainer tips has been added, along with a Special Research scenario to introduce new players to the world of Pokemon GO. Generally, the game has become much denser while offering many tips to simplify the lives of trainers and trainers. Increase in the maximum capacity of the bag to accommodate objects and Pokémon storage space, use of the phone’s pedometer function to make steps compatible even when the application is not active… Everything is done to spare the battery of devices which are still very much in demand for this type of use.
In almost six years of existence, you can imagine that new features have also been added to renew the experience. For example, we can decide to choose a Pokémon to make a Buddy to follow you, help you capture Pokémon or even bring you objects, etc. Moreover, once the “Best buddy” stage has been reached, your companion can benefit from a CP boost (Combat Point) which determines his strength during confrontations. Finally, we can also note the addition of Field Studies, the equivalent of quests, which allows you to regularly fulfill objectives in order to obtain objects.
To complete this overview, know that the combat part of the title has also been greatly improved. While initially we only had access to raids, Niantic finally added a PVP aspect, that is to say the confrontation between players, to bring an additional dimension to the experience. If you remember correctly, at the beginning of the raids, it was enough to place your Pokémon with the highest number of CP and tap the touch screen of your smartphone relentlessly to achieve victory. Now things have moved on nicely, though not to the level of strategy of the main series games. Today, the PvP mode is made up of three Combat Leagues divided into several categories: the Super, the Hyper and the Master. Matches pit two teams of three Pokémon against each other., with each creature having three attacks, one quick and two charged. Beyond these abilities, each player has two shields that they can activate at any time to limit the damage. And in case of a hard blow, you can always switch Pokémon on the fly. All the subtlety of this game mode lies above all in the constitution of a versatile team that can face all types.
As you will have understood, with all these additions over the years, Pokémon GO is now more complete than ever, both in terms of available creatures and additional features. At the end of May 2022, it is therefore the ideal time to get back to it since the new season will start on June 1st at 10 a.m. In any case, if this article has motivated you to try the title again, we invite you to take a look at our newly published detailed guide which will allow you to get back in the saddle or simply to discover this mobile experience in good conditions.
