Pokemon Go Review

Pokémon Go is not quite a game as it's really more of an experience. I've been playing it since before it was available in my country of Canada and I've really just been trying to get a good grasp of the app before reviewing it.

The main goal of Pokémon Go for those that somehow haven't played it is to go out and catch Pokémon. You walk around the neighborhood or even travel around attempting to catch these unique Pokémon anywhere in the world. Using GPS the map is just the world around you and Pokémon are spawned into it.

Aside from just catching the Pokémon using your limited stock of Pokeballs you can also stop by at Pokestops for extra items which are typically historical sites or businesses and Pokegyms. Pokegyms are used for training and unlocked at level five though you'll usually need to take it over by beating the other play that's already claimed it.

You also collect items in Pokestops such as incense to draw the Pokémon in or eggs which can be grown by you walking around to hatch new ones. It's a rather simple app at this point and that's all there is to it. You go out and about to collect Pokémon or use special gadgets to collect them faster.

These can be collected through microtransactions if needed though you can just play it for free fine without them and they're never pushy. Additionally when playing and you come across a Pokémon your phone will vibrate to signal one is near. You click on the Pokémon and then it turns in an augmented reality catch mode as pictured below. The various creatures actually appears in the world around you and will be available for catching.

You toss Pokeballs at it with some finesse and eventually capture it for your collection. They could flee though, and there’s a bit of skill involved with the circular catching method. They each have a CP statistic which is their combative value and this can be changed through evolution or just powering them up. You can use either treats or stardust to do so and these are both collected by purely capturing more Pokemon.

Pokemon Go is an interesting concept and huge at the moment with millions playing it worldwide. I feel that this will mostly be a fad type of experience that's just hot right now as there really isn't anything too compelling.

The game needs more content such as battles or even friend integration as it feels quite barebones at the moment. It's also quite outdated featuring Pokestops of old buildings or statues that aren't there anymore while lacking Pokegyms at locations where they should be.

The concept is great, it's addicting and getting people outside though it'll lose my attention shortly. This being caused by a combination of not having anything else to do in the game and being out of Pokeballs at the current moment which halts all progress.

Pokemon Go Review on IOS

Rating Overall: 5.0