2016: the year augmented reality exploded
The famous franchise launched the first mobile game for the saga and it has been crazy, as you might know. Millions are playing it, it’s all over the internet, news… Hard to believe at first.
Me, like many others, installed it to see what was all the fuzz about. I had played the original games when I was a kid so I had a little nostalgia. Interesting enough I did not like the new and shiny mobile game.
Battles
Battles have a new real-time concept. For me the great part about Pokemon battles is that they’re turn based. Not only you must use strategy but it’s more calm. Tapping the screen like a maniac has no appeal to me.
Trying to fight in a gym is almost impossible
So I started playing, right? I had caught a few animals, I had some of them at level 150 or so. When your player reaches level 5 they let you fight in gymnasiums. Fine. I went there and all the players had Pokemon with levels above 500 or 1000. There’s just no way you can beat them. By the time you get your animals to that level they will have even higher level.
Am I missing something or is it really hard to find fair battles?
Leveling up
The only way, at the moment of the writing, to increase the level of a Pokemon is by feeding it special candies. Candies that you will only get by capturing Pokemon of the same species. So… if you get a rare animal you have to find it again to power it up. Is it strange that I prefer the old-fashion way of leveling?
I turned off augmented reality
The thing is, catching Pokemon is easier with the AR (augmented reality) off. The background is less distracting and you don’t have to point the camera to the exact animal location. Plus, you’ll save battery. Yes, the game is a battery drainer. You must have the app open at all times to detect Pokemon or to make it count against egg hatching.
The walking part is good
I gotta say, forcing people to walk in order to play the game is brilliant. Yes, there will be people falling off cliffs or walking into highways. Dumb people will be naturally selected but those who remain will be a little bit healthier than the ones that play exclusively from their rooms.
What’s your take? Have you played the game? Have you ever played any Pokemon game?
Ricard