2020 was overall quite strange and difficult. But at least Pokémon GO got some things right this year – at least according to MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.
A global pandemic and a game that is based on going outside – preferably in groups. These two things actually go together as well as Hydro Pump and Charizard: One is likely to eliminate the other. That’s what I would have thought before this year.
Instead, Pokémon GO surprised me – in a positive way. Because at the end of the year I had to realize that I had a lot more fun with Pokémon GO in 2020 than I would have expected. And that during a time that actually doesn’t fit this game at all. The reason: It adapted quite cleverly – at least for casual players like me.
Corona bonuses make the game easier and more accessible
To express this view, I should first explain that compared to other players (like MeinMMO Pokémon master Noah Struthoff), I am quite a Pokémon GO noob. I enjoy playing the game while on the go and am happy to catch a few familiar Pokémon during a walk and participate in the occasional Community Day. But I don’t have fixed raid groups, game dates, or anything similar. I do have a few friends who play Pokémon GO, but they all live too far away to play together regularly.
The thing is: If you only play Pokémon GO casually, without walking around much and having a precise plan for the strengths of the monsters, you won’t get very far. Eggs remain unhatched, the item bag is empty, and legendary raids aren’t really a topic. After all, you can’t take down monsters like Mewtwo alone. I could join groups during Community Days, but that was more of an exception for me. However, a lot changed this year.
This is how Pokémon GO became better for me: Even though my way of playing hasn’t really changed, I now have much more incentive to play the game. One reason for that were the ‘Corona bonuses‘ that honestly made the game significantly easier. With less effort, you somehow got more of everything. Perfect for a casual like me.
Additionally, there are things like the PvP League, which, although not flawless, provided me with a lot of fun at the beginning. Finally, my caught Pokémon had a proper place to be used instead of just rotting in my collection. The league can be wonderfully played from the sofa, and at times there were really good rewards like legendary Pokémon for it.
The decisive moment for me, however, was the global GO Fest. It was the first of its kind and didn’t take place in a specific city, but rather worldwide. I never would have bothered to take a trip for two days of Pokémon-playing. But this unusual event – I definitely wanted to experience it to see what it was like. And now I see it a bit differently.
Because the GO Fest, which I could now casually play from my hometown, was incredibly fun. For two days I was fully immersed and caught the different monsters. I developed starters to the max, got strong attackers like Flampion or Lichtel, and of course completed the quest for Victini and Crypto-Mewtwo.
Now I wanted to know what I could do with that. And suddenly I was interested in things like the top attackers and move lists. All of that provided a lot of motivation – and the year was only halfway through.
Speaking of legendary monsters like Mewtwo: My collection in this regard has now become fuller. The reason: remote raids! A feature without which I can’t imagine the game anymore. Because, as mentioned: I have no groups to raid with.
But through remote raids, I can quickly get legendary monsters (especially when colleague Noah catches monster after monster during raid hour and kindly invites me through the remote feature!). Here, too, a feature was found that allows casual players to suddenly participate in the game much better.
Last but not least, there was the Beyond update, which honestly hasn’t had a major impact on me yet. Sure, you can now exceed level 40. But I probably won’t reach that level until at least 2023… or so. Who knows, maybe everything will go a bit faster once the pandemic is over and you can play the game on a larger scale again. I’m definitely motivated. And I would definitely like to experience a proper GO Fest – when it’s possible again someday.
Was everything super in Pokémon GO? Of course, there were also some criticisms that can be directed at the game this year. First of all, I think of the mega-evolutions – at least at the beginning. The monsters themselves are cool, but especially at the beginning, they were simply (especially for casuals like me) absolutely unattainable. This has improved somewhat, though. Another point that could use improvement is the PvP league, which still struggles with bugs.
Criticism also arose regarding the fact that the ‘Corona bonuses’ were partially removed, despite the fact that the situation hadn’t really improved. This is a point that will probably be discussed more often – because Pokémon GO in its full depth, with group raids and everything, doesn’t suit the global situation.
Another point that is often criticized is the money that the game wants in some cases. Especially during the Pantimos research, the discussion arose about whether new shinies or Pokémon forms should be purchased with money. This is a point that causes frustration, and I can understand it to some extent. Personally, I just wait until things are eventually available for free in the game and I skip the research. But sure: I would also be happier if such research simply came into the game without payment.
Overall, I personally draw a positive conclusion about the Pokémon year and am curious about how 2021 will go. What do you think of the year in Pokémon GO? Tell us in the comments!
