This cover was made using Canva and Bitmoji, the pictures in this post were taken directly from the game by me.
Thanks to the recent release of Pokémon TCGP, I've recently been rekindled with the Game Freak franchise, so I think it's the perfect time to return to one of the most viral games of recent years, the first foray of Japan's biggest franchise into the mobile market: Pokémon Go.
Released in 2016, Pokémon Go was one of the first points of contact mainstream audiences had with augmented reality, a concept that worked perfectly with the series of games created by Satoshi Tajiri, allowing us to catch these creatures throughout the world, battling in gyms and collecting rewards.
The idea was wonderful, and although over time the hype diminished and the number of players was never the same again, I'm glad to see that after so many years this game continues to receive regular updates, but at the same time I feel that its considerable evolution is one of the first reasons why it feels so inaccessible to new users, a problem that they should honestly correct...
And it's that although Pokémon Go was conceived as a fairly simple game (We collect Pokémon from the first generation, we dominate gyms and complete certain missions that force us to go out on the street to exercise), little by little the experience became more dense, including creatures from almost all impossible regions, Pokémon exchanges with our friends, battles, giant creatures, and much more...
Evidently, all this results in a much more robust and enjoyable game, with multiple incentives to keep playing in the medium and long term, but the progression curve is particularly intimidating for newbies or those who simply do not have the amount of time we need to advance quickly.
Beyond that, the core experience is still intact, graphically it hasn't changed and everything works relatively well, although it often feels more demanding than it should considering it's been almost 7 years since its original release. Where I live there are several PokeStops, and even a gym, something I couldn't say back in 2016 when I created my account.
It's still a solid way to kill boredom, but I prefer the simplicity of Pokémon TCGP, as well as the lack of the need to go out for a walk in the real world. I still appreciate how innovative its concept originally was.
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