I’m not a big fan of mobile games. Most of them are little more than microtransaction-filled skinner-boxes, distracting players with bright colors and sound effects to disguise the fact that they exist only to nickel-and-dime players out of their money. But I will save my rant on CandyCrush for later. The majority of mobile games don’t have challenging mechanics, decent stories, or exceptional visual design. Then Pokémon GO comes along with (almost) all of that and… it’s fun as hell.

Welcome to what could be the new direction for game developers and publishers.

Pokémon GO is a Free-To-Play mobile game where you create a trainer and catch Pokémon. Unlike the other games in the Pokémon series, you physically walk around in the real world to find Pokémon. Instead of battling Pokémon and throwing a Poké-Ball, you swipe your finger up and toss the ball at the Pokémon. Instead of leveling up Pokémon through battles, you use “Stardust” and “Candies” from capturing a Pokémon to evolve a Pokémon.

You align yourself with one of three teams: Instinct (Zapdos), Valor (Moltres), and Mystic (Articuno). You only battle at Gyms. Instead of the usual turn based rigmarole, you tap on the screen to attack and swipe to dodge attacks. Each gym has a few trainers that must be defeated until you take control of the gym. If the gym is on your team, you add to its prestige. If the gym is not on your team, you could theoretically take the gym over when you’ve beaten all the trainers.

Being a sane person, I went with Zapdos. I can't speak for the mindset of those who picked something other than the thundereagle. Who wants a frigidpigeon or a burnybird? Idiots that's who.

I’m a huge Pokémon fan; I’ve invested hundreds (if not thousands) of hours into the series, so I can’t deny that nostalgia is playing a part in my enjoyment of this game. That notwithstanding, lots of people like to collect things and Pokémon scratches that itch better than any other series of games. For the first time, you get to throw the Poké-Ball and the tension as it rolls around is so much more real than it was playing Pokémon on a Gameboy.

I'm gonna catch you, you stupid fish. I'll catch exactly 101 of you so I can evolve you into a damn Gyrados!

Pokémon GO is tailor-made to exploit nostalgia. For the first time, you see you Pokémon, not some avatars collection, but the Pokémon that you had to catch and raise. It makes you feel almost like you’re really a trainer, and that you’ve finally managed to step into your fantasy. Pokémon GO turns your environment into something magical; yeah, there’s your favorite restaurant, but oh my god is that a Raichu in there?! Your old haunts become new again because there’s something potentially hidden in every corner.

Living in a big city is definitely a big help in terms of finding Pokémon or Poké-Stops. — Living in a big city is definitely a big help in terms of finding Pokémon or Poké-Stops.

Pokémon GO is easy to play, especially when you’re supposed to be working, or when you’re watching a show on TV, or just when you’re walking to the dentist. Any way you slice it, there’s a lot of fun to be had pretending to be Pokémon trainer.

But it’s still chock-full of the same design choices that plague non-Pokémon-related mobile game. To get anything like intubation machines and incense without finding them at Poké-Stop or leveling up, you have to spend Poké-Coins, which cost real money. You don’t really need the items, but it takes a long, long time to do anything, and those Poké-Coins can become really attractive. You only power up and evolve Pokémon by catching more Pokémon, and the Pokémon you catch at the start of your journey require a huge amount of powering up to face any gyms, mostly populated by level 15 trainers with 1000+ combat power Pokémon. To hatch eggs, you need to walk around with the eggs in incubation machines, most of which have a limited number of uses. If you’re in a non-populated area it’s hard to catch Pokémon, so you might rely more on the Incense item (attracts Pokémon to you).

Ah yes, this is familiar. Welcome to every mobile game ever.

When you get into the actual mechanics of the game; it’s empty under a pretty shell. Battling is rapid-fire tapping and swiping, requiring very little strategy. Each Pokémon only has two attacks. Training has no substance and is just spending resources that the game doles out of at you. You can’t breed Pokémon with the perfect IVs, or with special moves. Trading is now unnecessary because all Pokémon can be evolved just by spending candies. It’s possible that the game will evolve, but given how popular it is in its current state, that seems unlikely.

At the going rate of around one buck an item, things seem reasonable. Then you get your bill and you wonder how the hell you bought 20 lucky eggs this month?! — At the going rate of around one buck an item, things seem reasonable. Then you get your bill and you wonder **how the hell you bought 20 lucky eggs this month?!**

But underneath the nostalgia, the cute Pokémon animations, and sparkly graphics, Pokémon Go is a giant cash eating machine that Nintendo will ride all the way to the bank. Since its release, Nintendo’s stock has soared 25% (almost 9 billion dollars in value). Making engaging, complex, and innovative non-mobile games is hard and expensive. With the success of Pokémon Go, game companies might choose to create product with less overhead and more possible revenue. That, my friends, is a scary thought.

Share this article with you friends, your fellow trainers, maybe even your rival!

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