Pokémon Go Halloween 2017 Event

It's almost Halloween, and many things have gotten into the spirit. And as is often the case, they have already been in that spirit for a good bit of time. Pokémon Go is no exception, and in fact, it has already gotten into the spirit for a week and a half with its event for Halloween 2017. I say it's a good one, especially as it hints at really good things to come for the game.

First up is the usual suspects. Out and about during this event are a selection of Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon with increased appearance rates, as well as a special "Spooky" Pikachu. Halloween has always been traditionally associated with ghosts, goblins, and other scary stuff, so to use these for an event of this time of year is only appropriate. As for Pikachu, it is like the color black; no matter the Pokémon event, it is always welcomed and appropriate. In this case, it only becomes more appropriate with an alternate appearance.

What's even more special about the current event is that not just first- and second-generation Pokémon are featured; third-generation Pokémon have now made their way in. For this event, that would be the inclusion of the Duskull and Shuppet families. This is in effect a teaser for later updates ("the Hoenn updates") which will bring the rest of the third-generation Pokémon into the game. I love this because this means the game is still getting some attention, and hopefully this means greater attention by players as well.

After having been consumed by other business in the past few days, I was able to give the event a go today, and I had a pretty nice time. I was already able to catch a Duskull, while I've only spotted Shuppet and Houndour through the Nearby feature, and I haven't met the elusive Spooky Pikachu. If I spent half of a day dedicated to playing Go, I think I can stand to get a lot more out of this special event; it's something that I might just do.

This Halloween, there's definitely some merriment on the Pokémon Go front with things that usually give a scare. It's a merriment that is enhanced with hints of the third-generation Pokémon, and one that I'm happy to be able to take part in, even just a little bit. It's a great time-filler for the Halloween season and kick-start to the onset of the third generation in the game.