Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/28/2023

July is a month that tends to leave its mark in Pokémon Go events. In some past years, this may be with the addition of Pokémon Go Fest occurring within it, but in other years, it would be simply because of the milestone that the game itself makes in the month, which would be its anniversary. That's definitely important to cover, but then so are all the other events beyond that which is pertinent to this specific occasion. And this month happens to be in no short supply of those events.

First up is of course the Anniversary Event, which ran from July 6 to July 12. Since this year is the seventh anniversary, the theme was "lucky 7" as the main feature became Squirtle and its species family, with Ponyta (Dex number #77) and Togedemaru (Dex number #777) as secondary features and other fan favorites as tertiary features in the wild and raids. For Squirtle, its party hat costume variant can now evolve to the higher stages and retain the costume. Meanwhile, over the seven days of the event, exclusive starter Pokémon appearances and exclusive bonuses were present, along with general increased Lucky (Friend and Pokémon) and Gimmighoul Coin chances. Those same starters and Mega Energy for associated species families were also present in Field Research tasks, and paid Timed Research provided greater bonuses. Other special features involved the return of the Shiny Mew Masterwork Research (for those who don't have it) and its associated bonuses, as well as new fashion items and special stickers plus a web store deal that made the celebration more festive.

A short two-day event occurred on July 15 and 16, called "Catching Some Z's". For those who think it might have something to do with Pokémon Sleep, it does... but that's a matter for a separate post. What is important is that the event marks the debut of Komala as well as a Snorlax wearing a nightcap, for which the former can be found in the wild along with other "sleepy" Pokémon; raids too have some of the "sleepy" Pokémon. The latter has to do with the Pokémon Go Plus + peripheral - which was released alongside the event - as linking it to Pokémon Go from this point onward rewards a Special Research containing the Snorlax. New fashion items and stickers (for those who link the peripheral) also complemented the event of dozing proportions.

The next event from July 21 to 24 could be considered to be both groundbreaking and controversial. Called "Blaze New Trails", the event is to celebrate the launch of a new feature called Routes, which I'll likewise cover separately from this rollup - and it's the part of the event that lends its "controversy". A few "trailblazing" Pokémon became the feature of this event in the wild and in 7 km Eggs, with Yungoos in particular as one of those Pokémon having a greater Shiny chance and being able to be encountered as a Field Research task reward. But the most important Pokémon of the event has to be Zygarde, which debuts with this event by a Special Research set titled "From A to Zygarde". Still, the remaining "A-to-Z" details of this event is dependent on that Routes feature, especially for the debuting Pokémon and its implementation in Pokémon Go.

Meanwhile, on July 22, a new event "hatched" into being, appropriately being called "Hatch Day". It's an event with a featured Pokémon much like Community Day or Raid Day, but this event obviously focuses on hatching Eggs. On this day, Riolu was the star, as it hatched more frequently from 2 km Eggs obtained from PokéStops, and it had a greater chance of being Shiny. Complementing the event were a double Stardust bonus for hatching as well as Field Research tasks and a Timed Research task giving out a Super Incubator, plus a web store exclusive deal. Like the other featured Pokémon events, this one seems rudimentary now but will likely expand with time.

Currently, there is the return of Adventure Week, which started yesterday (July 27) and will finish on August 2. As with past editions of the event, Fossil Pokémon are abound - specifically this time, Tyrunt and Amaura, which can now be found in their Shiny forms. They join Tirtouga and Archen in 7 km Eggs, and the rest of the fossil brethren join them in the wild. A selection also appears as Field Research task rewards, while a free Timed Research set allows Trainers to choose one of two approaches to encounter a selection of Rock-type Pokémon, and an additional paid one allows for more Tyrunt and Amaura encounters with bonus incubators. Also during this time, Mega Tyranitar debuts; though not a fossil, it does have the likeness of one and complements the others. Other complements are aurora skies on the overworld, halved hatch distance and increased XP from spinning PokéStops, and four Collection Challenges that deal with the Fossil Pokémon in all their glory, as does the event in general.

Looking at the above, the events this month really do (or did) make their mark on this month as a special month for Pokémon Go in general. Not only were the events in no short supply, their features weren't few either. But for a celebratory "anniversary month" like this one, that has to be in order for the game to continue to leave its mark - hopefully in the best of ways as the occasion would suggest.

One year ago: New Strides with the Daily Adventure Incense

Two years ago: Further Remixes of GBL Leagues?

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/27/2020

Four years ago: A Time for Everything

Five years ago: Online Pokémon Newsletters

Six years ago: Sprites, Models, and Evolutions