It's hard to overstate how big Pokémon GO was at launch. Like many, I first played it at that time; also like most, I lost interest soon after. I only came back in 2023 because of Pokémon Let's Go Eevee and its dependency on this game to obtain Meltan and Melmetal. Because of that, I can't exactly claim to be surprised with what I found, but I still have to say that Pokémon GO is an egregious way to experience the Pokémon series.
Just imagine the most barebones Pokémon experience, starting with an uninteractive, straight-up skinner box of a capture system where you just toss Pokéballs and hope for the best. Whatever battles there are simplistic and akin to mashing the A button while hoping not to die. All that in place, make sure to monetize the crap out of everything: if the player needs items to heal their inevitably wounded Pokémon, or if their Pokéballs run out after tossing a few dozen at something that refuses to be caught, offer them a purchase of some with real money. Also monetize lures, exp boosts, eggs, the deliberately limited bag and box space... and don't forget to have battle passes and loot boxes and cosmetic items for sale too, all games do that!
That's not all there is in the shop, but those are the things I know the use of. As is the case with many mobile games, which focus on the short-term strategy of increasing revenue by further squeezing money out of their captive audience instead of trying to build a long-term, well-rounded product, Pokémon GO added lots of new and monetizable systems over the years, without having much regard for going back and creating a coherent new player experience.
The onboarding sections of the game are abysmal, showing popup after popup about random pieces of the game, presenting mechanics you cannot interact with yet, all accompanied by just-barely-trying levels of writing. All of this puts Go at a further disadvantage on the already uphill battle that is it trying to win over its player, as it is an incredibly uncharismatic game. Character models and designs look especially hideous, the AR functionality feels more tacked on than on Dream Radar of all things, and the whole of the game gives off bootleg vibes. Actually, it's not fair to say that: bootleg Pokémon games are often made with lots of love for the franchise, while this seems to not have much regard whatsoever.
As an example, the one thing I was looking forward to see was the implementation of Shadow Pokémon, a mechanic I miss from the GameCube games. In Colosseum, Shadow Pokémon were Pokémon whose hearts were artificially sealed, turning them aggressive to the point of self-destructiveness. They were used extensively by the evil teams in Orre, but were also valued for their raw power by lesser trainers in search of an easy way to win battles.
The protagonists of the Gamecube games would rescue Pokémon from those trainers and rehabilitate them in a process called purification, in which your growing bond with this abused creature slowly mended its broken heart and let it feel emotions again. Some people (especially those who didn't play the GC games) find the mechanic out of place for the series, which couldn't be more wrong: at its core, you'll find one of the major themes of the series: love over power, favorites over strong pokémon.
That mechanic had not been seen since 2005 -- that was, until Pokémon GO picked it back up. In Pokémon GO, Shadow Pokémon can be rescued from the PvE battles against Team GORocket, and the meta surrounding them is checks notes "you do NOT purify Shadow Pokémon under any circumstance, as it consumes the same resources you could use to power them up, and a 0 IV Shadow far outdamages a perfect, purified version of itself. It's better to train them and bring them during raids, as their DPS is highly valued".
...excuse me, what?
Truly, a gift that keeps on giving. I suppose there are far more nefarious mobile games, and that even with all its drawbacks, the social aspect of GO might be a draw for those who have friends living in the same neighborhood as them -- that's the one upside I can think of, but do note that they have to be in your neighborhood or else you'll have to pay for each raid. God, am I looking forward to transferring over my Melmetal and uninstalling this (t)rubbish.
Just imagine the most barebones Pokémon experience, starting with an uninteractive, straight-up skinner box of a capture system where you just toss Pokéballs and hope for the best. Whatever battles there are simplistic and akin to mashing the A button while hoping not to die. All that in place, make sure to monetize the crap out of everything: if the player needs items to heal their inevitably wounded Pokémon, or if their Pokéballs run out after tossing a few dozen at something that refuses to be caught, offer them a purchase of some with real money. Also monetize lures, exp boosts, eggs, the deliberately limited bag and box space... and don't forget to have battle passes and loot boxes and cosmetic items for sale too, all games do that!
That's not all there is in the shop, but those are the things I know the use of. As is the case with many mobile games, which focus on the short-term strategy of increasing revenue by further squeezing money out of their captive audience instead of trying to build a long-term, well-rounded product, Pokémon GO added lots of new and monetizable systems over the years, without having much regard for going back and creating a coherent new player experience.
The onboarding sections of the game are abysmal, showing popup after popup about random pieces of the game, presenting mechanics you cannot interact with yet, all accompanied by just-barely-trying levels of writing. All of this puts Go at a further disadvantage on the already uphill battle that is it trying to win over its player, as it is an incredibly uncharismatic game. Character models and designs look especially hideous, the AR functionality feels more tacked on than on Dream Radar of all things, and the whole of the game gives off bootleg vibes. Actually, it's not fair to say that: bootleg Pokémon games are often made with lots of love for the franchise, while this seems to not have much regard whatsoever.
As an example, the one thing I was looking forward to see was the implementation of Shadow Pokémon, a mechanic I miss from the GameCube games. In Colosseum, Shadow Pokémon were Pokémon whose hearts were artificially sealed, turning them aggressive to the point of self-destructiveness. They were used extensively by the evil teams in Orre, but were also valued for their raw power by lesser trainers in search of an easy way to win battles.
The protagonists of the Gamecube games would rescue Pokémon from those trainers and rehabilitate them in a process called purification, in which your growing bond with this abused creature slowly mended its broken heart and let it feel emotions again. Some people (especially those who didn't play the GC games) find the mechanic out of place for the series, which couldn't be more wrong: at its core, you'll find one of the major themes of the series: love over power, favorites over strong pokémon.
That mechanic had not been seen since 2005 -- that was, until Pokémon GO picked it back up. In Pokémon GO, Shadow Pokémon can be rescued from the PvE battles against Team GORocket, and the meta surrounding them is checks notes "you do NOT purify Shadow Pokémon under any circumstance, as it consumes the same resources you could use to power them up, and a 0 IV Shadow far outdamages a perfect, purified version of itself. It's better to train them and bring them during raids, as their DPS is highly valued".
...excuse me, what?
Truly, a gift that keeps on giving. I suppose there are far more nefarious mobile games, and that even with all its drawbacks, the social aspect of GO might be a draw for those who have friends living in the same neighborhood as them -- that's the one upside I can think of, but do note that they have to be in your neighborhood or else you'll have to pay for each raid. God, am I looking forward to transferring over my Melmetal and uninstalling this (t)rubbish.