Pokémon Go 4th Anniversary

As I've hinted while highlighting the music of a certain creator and the associated channel on YouTube, this year marks the fourth anniversary of Pokémon Go, the breakthrough Pokémon game for the mobile platform. And as always, for the purpose of this blog, I've chosen to discuss the anniversary on this specific date. The breakthrough nature of the game has always been evident, especially considering what had transpired over the past year, including with the situation of the world today, and like previous years, it's worth it to detail about them to an extent.

There were lots of great things added to the game over the past year. Pokémon species of the fifth generation have made their presence, and there are still a few of these to come within some time ahead. The game is also forward-thinking with the main series heritage and lineage, and as result, there is the presence of Galarian forms, even including new species introduced way ahead of time. The Buddy System has also been revamped in a great way, becoming not only ever helpful but also more interactive. For those who seek greater ways to prove their competitive prowess, there was the addition of the Go Battle League with intense battles and enticing rewards. Timed Research also added pressure to certain sets of Special Research to make them more urgent and challenging. A certain group of do-no-gooders also set up their "branch office" of sorts and created their own brand of chaos. All told, the additions truly improved and expanded all that there is to like.

Of course, with the world the way it is today, some changes had to have been made in order for the game to adapt to the conditions while still remaining viably playable. And they have; many of them I've detailed in two posts that specifically dealt with those changes. There are further plans for further changes - and some have actually been set into motion, in addition to changes to those changes - but I will detail them when the time is right. One change that I would say has had the most profound impact would be the Remote Raid feature, which under the right circumstances has opened up raid possibilities that were previously off-limits. This is important, but so are many of the others in order to keep the game going today in circumstances where everything seems to be up in the air.

Speaking of "up in the air", something else is also literally up in the air: Pikachu, and it has a few balloons tied up to it. This special "flying" form of Pikachu is available in the wild, in raids, and through photo bombs up to five times a day, also potentially being Shiny. This along with other Flying type surprises (in the wild, raids, and 5 km Eggs, as well as Shiny Pidove, Ducklett debut, and a Ho-Oh raid weekend) plus the party hat first-generation starters are available as part of the anniversary event, which has been in play for a few days now and will end soon. The Jump-Start Special Research is also available for those who didn't grab it during last year's anniversary event. There's a lot of fun and festivity there.

Now, around this time in past years, even starting the month before, there would be even more fun and festivities in the form of the Pokémon Go Fest, which was held in three regions last year over the period of the Summer Tour. But because the conditions of the world are as such today, the tour is not going to happen. However, Go Fest is, and it's going to happen in a new way. There is much detail already known for it, but they all deserve a single post solely dedicated to this topic. The excitement surely can't be contained, but for the purpose of this blog, they have to be contained in one.

After four years, it is surely hard to believe what Pokémon Go has gone through. But looking at many of those things, including its amazing start, the game seems set to continue its breakthrough nature in many ways. This is especially true given the state of today's world that provides a new set of challenges. Just as people have to work through them now, the game also has to work through them. Even if and when they become resolved, that may not and should not mean the breakthroughs have to end; it will likely mean the possibility of new ones. Before that happens, it's time for the game and those who are involved to gather the strength for current breakthroughs of their own.

Happy 4^th anniversary to Pokémon Go.

One year ago: Pokémon Go 3^rd Anniversary

Two years ago: Pokémon Go 2^nd Anniversary

Three years ago: Pokémon Go One-Year Anniversary