With a special Pokémon, Pokémon GO author Max Handwerk reminded us in just a few minutes what makes it so special.
“Oh wow!” – how often have I thought those two words in the past when I started playing Pokémon GO? Definitely every time an unexpected, previously unseen Pokémon appeared on my radar at the bottom right corner of the screen.
That moment is happening less and less today, which is admittedly no wonder when you’ve been collecting the little monsters with your smartphone for several years. Eventually, you have them all. But sometimes, it still happens. My current example occurred yesterday.
I had just opened the game to look something up for work when I noticed a shadow on the radar in the bottom right corner: A Frospino was nearby. For me, it was the first appearance of the rare monster at all, since it was introduced in early September.
For me, it was clear: I had to go. Immediately. Because who knows when the monster will disappear again? And above all: When will it appear again?
Off to the bike, through the cold, and back again
I jumped up, down the stairs, and onto the bike. The monster was about a good 700 meters away – I had to hurry. And when I realized that I was definitely too lightly dressed for the 7 degrees outside in my haste, it only made me move even faster.
A few streets later, at a PokéStop I had never visited before, the Frospino appeared. My hand, frozen from the cold, quickly swiped across the screen, threw the ice dinosaur a golden berry, and tossed a hyperball afterward: No. Risk.
And it worked: After the first throw, the catch was successful, and the monster was entered into my Pokédex forever. Of course, it only had one star in the rating, but that’s fine because the moment easily gets 3 stars from me.
Happily, I cycled back, the little highlight of my week in tow. For that one, brief moment, Pokémon GO was once again the best game in the world. It’s a shame that such moments occur so rarely.
Pokémon GO is best when it surprises you
It’s paradoxical because monsters like Frospino can also be quite frustrating. For instance, when you know you can get them from the 10 km eggs, but only Wuffels or Emolga hatch from them. Or when they never show up in the wild.
But they are pretty much the best thing in the game when they suddenly appear out of nowhere. They bring a surprise effect, which can lure you out into the cold.
It obviously depends on how you play the game, but for me, the best part of Pokémon GO is wandering around and seeing if you can find something rare and new. When that works out, no raid, route, or PvP match can compare.
However, when new monsters only come in mini-releases but in large quantities at events that are done after a few catches, it just doesn’t happen that often.
But: Every now and then, those moments still happen. Let’s see – maybe I’ll catch one of the rare Galar birds next time.
Have you ever experienced such moments? Tell us in the comments!
