A lively feature has been added to Pokémon Go recently. It's a feature that allows Trainers to get into small groups and tackle initiatives together (in fact, in some languages, it may be literally translated as "group play" or some variant thereof), and it's called Party Play. As such, it's yet another part of the recent initiative of bringing people together that Pokémon Go has. And it does bring people together, especially with what it offers. With that in mind, it seems important to delve into it in order to be able to get the most out of it.
To be able to take part in a Party, Trainers must be at least Level 15. They can then start their own Party, positioned as its host or "leader", or join another as a regular member; in the latter case, they will scan a QR code or enter a numerical code, while they furnish either in the former case. Two to four Trainers may join into a Party, and it's obvious that the latter is preferred. Once everyone has joined, the Party is formed, and the Trainers are identified on screen with indicators at the top and all of their avatars on the overworld - a nice touch and further affirmation of the togetherness aspect.
Joining a Party then lets the Trainers deal with those initiatives. The first is Party Challenge, which is a task that the host chooses (from three options) and the members complete together. Completing the task gives a certain reward and the host then chooses another, progressively harder task. The second is Party Power, which gives a boost to a Charged attack while the members are in a raid. The members charge up a gauge, and when it is full, they can then activate Party Power for the next Charged attack. These are (relatively) simple initiatives with neat bonuses, and thus they are to be taken advantage of.
For dealing with the technical matters (creating and joining a Party) and fun matters (keeping track of Party member activities), a new tab is added to the Trainer profile area, next to the Friends tab. This contains the progress on the current Party Challenge and statistics on certain aspects for each member. When the Party ends - more on this in a little bit - members can view some of the activities that they accomplished together, which can be saved in image form and shared for posterity. This effectively serves as its social function, in addition to managerial and commemorative ones.
Of course, as with many feature introductions, this one has its caveats and/or what may be considered its "quibbles". Even with all members staying together, they cannot take on Routes while in a Party. And stay together they must, for if they drift too far apart, the Party will disband; regardless, they can only stay together for a limited time, which at present is one hour no matter what happens. Some Trainers - a few of which are my fellows - have also complained that Party Challenges have a difficulty curve that is too drastic. As with Routes previously, time will tell if some of these deserve to be resolved.
Even before the implementation of Party Play, Pokémon Go has always had a knack for bringing Trainers together, and now with Party Play, it becomes all the more evident, at least for small and close-knit groups due to the size it demands. The bonuses from the initiatives may just be the push to get them to group up, at least for a bit of time, and grow even closer together. It's a lively thing, even at its infancy just like other Pokémon Go features, but that will likely grow just as relationships also grow among Trainers.
Two years ago: Pokémon Music on Vinyl?
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Four years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Sinister Cup
Five years ago: Two-Sided Stories
Six years ago: Pronouncing Pokémon
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