The Function of Shiny Pokémon in the Puzzle Games

Shiny Pokémon have pervaded many Pokémon gaming areas beyond their main series origins and subsequently have gotten more popular and recognizable among players of the various games. They also have pervaded the puzzle spinoff games, and in those games, they actually do serve some interesting functions. I thought it would be neat to discuss how those functions manifest, in particular using two games they have appeared in - Café Remix and Shuffle.

One of those functions is simply becoming another Pokémon to be raised, separate from the regular color counterpart - although this makes sense by the main series games since the colors don't transition. While this does mean more effort by the player to raise them to useful and acceptable levels, it means that they can use up their surplus of items for doing just that... as has become evident recently in Café Remix with a lot of powerup items that are perfect to be used for raising any hired staff member, including the Shiny ones as they come.

Then, if the Shiny Pokémon are separate from the regular color ones, they can then harbor skills and/or abilities that are different from the Pokémon of regular color. This is (was) in fact the case for Shiny Pokémon in Shuffle, whose skills and abilities are in fact different from those of regular color. The advantage of this approach, certainly, is having two separate Pokémon of the same species that behave differently in the puzzle stages and can be used in different ways to adapt to the challenges of those stages; the usefulness of this becomes evident.

As the Shiny Pokémon are different in color, given the same skills and/or abilities, they can be swapped for the regular ones and not clash with Pokémon of similar colors when used in a puzzle stage. This has occurred in Café Remix, where a puzzle stage can demand two Pokémon of similar (regular) colors, which can lead to confusion when they appear together. However, if one of them can be Shiny, the Shiny one can be swapped in for the regular one, and they can thus be differentiated. This can be rather advantageous, especially under time pressure.

Functions of Shiny Pokémon in the puzzle spinoff games might not be too different from the regular ones at a glance, but looking at them in depth through gameplay usage and factors as above, they can be quite essential and of interest for players as they keep playing the games and looking for an edge to improve their gameplay. Here, then, Shiny Pokémon being popular and recognizable is not just another look or instance but also an extra gameplay leverage.

One year ago: Album: Pocket Monsters Sound Anime Collection

Two years ago: Forgotten Music from Pokémon Go

Three years ago: I'm Spellbound, Wanting Tomorrow

Four years ago: The Old New Addiction: Pokémon Café Remix

Five years ago: Quickies: More Alton-Pokémon Quirks

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/8/2020

Seven years ago: The Other Side of "Childhood"

Eight years ago: Making Decisions in Magikarp Jump

Nine years ago: Pokémon Wrapping Paper

Café Remix 6th Anniversary: The Gap Year

Meanwhile, years have passed by for one of the games I addressed the other day, and this year marks the sixth year of that passage. Now that I've addressed it a couple of times, it seems fitting to continue to do that, moreover on its exact day - today, as I did last year (see below). Still, this passing of the years marks a particularly uneventful time for the game's history - one that can be termed as a "gap year", and that becomes a key point of the current discussion.

The "gap year" is of course due to a pending major update for the game, which is currently in development and has necessitated in-game events to be "reruns" in some sense. Obviously, that major update didn't make it in time for this anniversary - or to put it differently, it just needs more time than is possible for that timeframe (since it only started development two months ago). Either way, the content of the update as outlined in the previous post does need to be worked out properly, and that may be better off to be developed within the long run.

Yet it should be noted that the game's current anniversary is for when the game was first released as Café Mix; its "remix anniversary" that represents the Café Remix aspect comes later in the year. As such, there could be the possibility that the pending major update will make it in time for that instead, which would make it appropriately timed. Of course, there is always the possibility of the major update coming earlier (not as likely) or later (more likely than not) given the scope of the update and whatever is planned to satisfy the points of that update.

Whatever the case, it can be seen that a "gap" is established between the game's "original" and "remix" anniversaries regardless, whether there is new content being added as in past years or there is a pause going on for that, as in the current case of preparing for the next major update. It's a gap that can and has been filled with a lot of niceties then and now, and now more than ever, it seems to be up for another "gap-filling exercise" much like back then.

Having reached a full six years, Café Remix has served the food fantasies of puzzle-inclined Pokémon fans quite well with all the content in that time. Now as the game takes a break from new content for its major next step, it's taking an opportunity to fill the gap that is left along with other existing gaps when the major update is released to close up the taken "gap year".

One year ago: Café Remix 5th Anniversary: Evolving the Vision

Two years ago: Let's Talk About Not Becoming Ourselves

Three years ago: Cosplay: Indonesia Comic Con - Pop Asia 2023, Day 1

Four years ago: 2000 Posts!!!

Five years ago: Cosplay: YASUMI 2 - Sunday Holiday

Six years ago: Lifestyle Gaming

Seven years ago: Cosplay: ENNICHISAI 2019 + CLAS:H/ICGP Nationals

Eight years ago: Gym Rework, One Year Later

Nine years ago: Pokémon Go Gym Rework

Plans for Remixing the Remix

Dedicated players know that Pokémon Café Remix is a rehash of the game's earlier incarnation as Pokémon Café Mix, and it's a "remix" in a very true sense. Yet after the fact, it seems that more rehashing or remixing of the game is in order, and in fact, plans for that to happen have been set into motion. I'm actually somewhat late to becoming aware on this, but after gaining that awareness, I've decided to make a discussion out of it - here on this blog, of course.

According to the in-game news bulletin, which was published on April 9, the "remix-remix plan" is intended to make the game more easily grasped by more people playing the game within a more extensive time. For that, the plan has three points: merging disparate game modes into something more cohesive, making it simpler to hire Pokémon as part of the staff ("befriend", in game terms), and keeping Pokémon that are already as such by players - not to mention raised and refined ones - relevant in puzzle play wherever they're appropriate.

In order to do that, as of April 20, the events in the game are "reruns" or "replays" of older events, which also implies that no new Pokémon are to be added. Players can, of course, use the opportunity to hire or "befriend" Pokémon that they haven't done so, or raise and refine them if they already have. This then gives the development team time to work on the "remix-remix plan" and to release it as a major update... which will be sometime in the latter part of the year. As such, it may be something that players will have to look forward to very soon.

Considering the current state of the game, the "remix-remix plan" is something that is perhaps desperately needed. I had earlier discussed the game's apparent "irrelevance" a few years ago, and I also pointed out that some remaking would have to be carried out in order to resolve what is apparent in that regard. Undertaking this "remix-remix plan" then provides a perfect opportunity to do just that, and the things I mentioned in that post (as well as others that I didn't) can stand to be improved to make things relevant again, which will have to be seen.

Even in cooking, things are not perfect the first time around that something is made, and a rehash or "remix" is in order. The same has been true of this Pokémon puzzle game some years ago with its first transition from "Mix" to "Remix", and that seems to be a testament to the "cooking" theme that the game so prominently features. The next plan for a rehash or "remix" of the game will have to show that the game still has what it takes to mix things up.

One year ago: Presents in Café Remix

Two years ago: Labors of Love

Three years ago: Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Majestic Tiger Elite (SA Factions)

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Mega Evolution Rework

Five years ago: Like a Slowking Without the Shell

Six years ago: Seek and Ye Shall...

Seven years ago: Transcending to a Beautiful Harmony

Eight years ago: Old Memories, New Memories

Nine years ago: Indie Pokémon Stickers

Presents (and Items) Piling Up in Café Remix

Close to a year ago, I had discussed the Presents feature in Café Remix, what the feature serves to do, and possibly some helpful aspects and tips that pertain to it. Since then, I've personally made use of the feature... and perhaps a little too extensively at that, because now I have many such Presents piling up in the feature, which is also an effect of items in general also piling up, given that they have collection limits in the game. It's a situation that merits a discussion for its present applicability to me and generally to other (longtime) players.

As expected, most of the Presents that pile up for me are composed of Tarts XL for each type as they are earned from Daily Training, becoming as such due to having maxed out the counts for them. Yet I also have Stamina Crystals from Monthly Goals that I chose not to use (yet) due to already having a ready supply and being not ready to use them. Skip Tickets are now also becoming an occasional problem due to them easily "regenerating" by way of the daily login and missions, even when I use them to the fullest each and every day.

Though I'm nowhere near the limit of 200 Presents (currently, I have about 30 or so at any one time), continued play will surely see some of the items above continuing to accumulate as Presents, meaning that I'd eventually have to use them somehow... if I can. The problem is that most of my Pokémon are already maxed out to either Level 20 or Level 25, and my "working section" (the ones between those levels) has already become small. And then there's the problem as mentioned above for the Stamina Crystals. 

Other longtime players, if they log in and play as frequently as I do - which would be every day - will likely experience the same situation and problems, which suggests that there could be a "universal" quality to them. Equally "universal" solutions could be conceived (by the game itself), but the application could be the dicey part when fairness for players is considered in all kinds of ways. It seems that all players will have to wrestle for some time with what might be an overload of Presents (and items) in their collection. 

Now, after several years of the game's presence (and a few of me playing it), the problem of having too many items in one's possession - and a lack of opportunities for using them - seem to be apparent, at least for me personally. Still, I'm likely not to be alone in this regard if the ways of playing the game are "universal" for others, or at the least similar. With such a pileup of Presents and items, there may be a pileup of things to do as well to attack the "pile" and use them as best as possible.

One year ago: Surrounded by Bots in Pokémon Games?

Two years ago: Needing a Time Distortion

Three years ago: Keeping It Simple with Pokémon

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 4/23/2022

Five years ago: The (Post-"General") Longest Journey

Six years ago: Touching and Caring for Pokémon

Seven years ago: Pokémon for a Puzzle Professor

Eight years ago: (A Late) Local Ex-Raid, 4/23/2018

Nine years ago: Luffy and Infernape

The Joy of Clearing Mission Bingo Cards All at Once

I've covered the quite rewarding feature of Mission Bingo in Café Remix a somewhat longish time ago, and this time I want to come back to it to discuss a more pleasant aspect concerning the feature. Now, the objective is certainly to clear the bingo cards line by line, but something that might bring joy to some players (like me) is being able to clear an entire card and all of its lines all at once. It's a fascinating feat that is certainly doable with this feature, and thus this post serves to "enlighten" regarding that feat.

Recall that the bingo cards are composed of spaces containing objectives, which when cleared mark off the lines. Thus, to accomplish the above feat, all of the objectives (or at least, the ones remaining) need to be cleared at the same time. I say "remaining" because a player will most likely need to look at a bingo card at least once to find out the objectives on it, and in doing so is likely to have several of them already completed and marking off spaces. As such, only the ones left incomplete are crucial for accomplishing it.

For that, most of the current bingo cards will have objectives tied to a current event (if not obvious, at least they're implied), so it's possible to mark off those spaces and lines by playing through the event. It's the remaining objectives that aren't tied to an event (or its gameplay) that a player will have to look at, keep in mind, and complete right away - which means the above situation. After that, it's mostly an easy matter of playing through the event for the remaining objectives, which will allow that feat to be achieved.

As a historical note, it used to be that the bingo cards had objectives that demanded certain numbers of lines to be cleared (5 or 10 lines), which meant that the feat was not possible since those objectives could only be cleared by viewing the card to verify their completion. Recent bingo cards have dispensed with these objectives, and that made the feat possible with just the objectives currently present, with all remaining objectives marked off in a cascade, the lines cleared by indication, and the rewards shown and obtained all at once.

The satisfaction in accomplishing the feat, of course, is the completion of the cards in the best way possible, being in an immediate fashion. There too is a sense of excitement with the way the card is marked off - and perhaps to some extent, obtaining the rewards outlined for it - which would definitely make any player of the game happy, including me. Now that I have outlined and discussed the feat and its joy, it's up to other players to try to accomplish it and feel the same happiness that I feel and have felt with that very accomplishment.

One year ago: Graphic Improvements, Lagging in Gameplay?

Two years ago: Changes to Slow Cooking in Café Remix

Three years ago: Few Abilities, Much Wisdom

Four years ago: One More Day, Time, and Chance

Five years ago: Quickies: Going to the Safari

Six years ago: PvP Charged Attack Technique

Seven years ago: Friend Cascade

Eight years ago: Icons, Images, and Such

Nine years ago: These Foolish Things Remind Me of Pokémon

The Café Remix "Pokémon 30" Anniversary Celebration

Since the onset of this year's major Pokémon anniversary, Café Remix has held a celebration event for that occasion, certainly using its usual event frameworks. Since the content of the particular event is fascinating and a little more involved than the usual content furnished through the frameworks, I thought I'd cover it as a whole, especially with regard to what has been made available up to this point.

As demonstrated by its initial promotional image, the event features the return of various first partner Pokémon from all generations, this time with a special "Commemorative brooch" outfit for each of them. This also becomes an opportunity for some players to hire the Pokémon if they hadn't already through other means, for getting the outfit also means hiring the Pokémon and making it available for play. The outfits are available through daily stamps and Mission Bingo, so that means logging in frequently and making the most of plays.

The celebration also began with the fully evolved first generation first partners, as Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise. They were respectively obtainable through an event, a special pass, and deliveries. Of course, a player had to make the effort through the event, purchase that special pass, and hope for some luck with deliveries, unless the player bought an instant hire ticket for the last one. They're still the usual mannerisms for the game, so players had to deal with them as best as they could.

Meanwhile, the event is transitioning to the feature of other special Pokémon, like an Eevee with a new five-star outfit to be gotten through deliveries, as well as a Garchomp with a different outfit through a currently ongoing event. The café is also presented with a special main screen music that incorporates some chiptune elements that hark back to the time when Pokémon first appeared on the Game Boy. For as long as the celebration is still going on, these elements will certainly be present to make things lively.

While Café Remix is present many years after most Pokémon elements have already appeared, the current anniversary celebration makes for a good callback to many of those elements, including some of the first that apply to Pokémon in general. It becomes a fascinating and lively celebration for players of this puzzle spinoff game, and old and new players alike can appreciate all the offerings of the merriment.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 3/22/2025

Two years ago: Ghost Pokémon... and Being Ghosted Myself

Three years ago: Changing Go Battle League Ranks and Titles?

Four years ago: Respect for Sarah Natochenny

Five years ago: Pokémon SM KFC CKM Toy: Rockruff & Premier Ball

Six years ago: Celebi @ Everywhere

Seven years ago: At the Same Time

Eight years ago: Shiny Lugia Obsessions

Nine years ago: A Passion for Red

What Would I Spend for in Café Remix?

It is known (or at the least could be understood) that Café Remix can and does demand some monetary payment for great(er) success, especially with some recent facets. With that in mind, spending for some of the paid aspects may be desired or in order, and perhaps that could also apply to me personally. I've decided to take up that discussion topic as such and to put forth the possibilities of what I'd spend for in this game with money.

One likely possibility is the monthly Premium Pass, which as I've mentioned does have an exclusive Pokémon in many of its editions. Since I enjoy having additional Pokémon to play with, this becomes a sensible spend; moreover, the additional score bonus that it affords for the events in the period is also lucrative, particularly with regular play. Therefore, for me and others with the same situation, the Premium Pass may just be a go-to spend.  

Besides the Monthly Pass, some paid pass tracks have additional Pokémon and/or associated outfits, so these could also be potential spending targets - again, to satisfy my inclinations for additional Pokémon as above. They also often come along with additional bonuses, but the primary bonus will remain the additional Pokémon and/or outfits. The spending may be justified regardless, if that is the primary thing to be obtained.

Recent game events have included paid elements in the form of the Mighty Menu and/or High Score Skip, and they are of lower priority for me to spend on, but their usefulness may be warranted in some cases. For example, the cheapest Mighty Menu to unlock its benefits and an occasional paid High Score Skip might just help to earn other bonuses associated with an event. As such, they also become potential yet occasional spending targets.

While spending on paid aspects in Café Remix might still be something that's not yet in my future, I can still identify some of the paid aspects that I will likely spend on if the opportunity might present itself. Those paid aspects, which comprise the above, are the ones that are the most relevant to my needs with my continued playing of Café Remix, and therefore paying for them might just be justified, especially if it becomes possible.

One year ago: Rotations in Pokémon Games

Two years ago: Quickies: One Day on a Pokémon Ranch

Three years ago: Factions Battlefields, Season 2 Cycle 4

Four years ago: Working for Pokémon?

Five years ago: Outsourcing Pokémon Development

Six years ago: Cosplay: Robotto no Sekai + SUCOFEST 2020

Seven years ago: The Marketing of Expectations

Eight years ago: How Many to a Raid?

Nine years ago: To Be Continued... maimai ORANGE (PLUS)

One by Air, Two by Sea: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2026

Where February's Go Tour follows, Pokémon Presents does too - although that's more of a consequence of Pokémon Day rather than the mentioned game event. My discussion on the matter, as in many of the past years, has been tied to a certain theme that may or may not directly pertain to the contents of the feature, but it's still useful anyway as a guide to some of those contents at the very least. This time, the theme may be construed as means that some things may be delivered, but it's also relevant to a very important part of the feature.

That important part can be saved for later, so as usual, the discussion starts with updates to some current games. Pokémon Go had the festivities for Go Tour as well as on the road ahead, which promises to be exciting. Pokémon Unite had the three Legendary birds of Kanto as well as the first partners of Johto coming as Unite Licenses, which will surely fill up the field further. Physical TCG has something special on tap given this Pokémon anniversary, but that is a matter that will take more time to deliver and determine. 

For lesser games, Café Remix is on a celebration of first partners, TCGP has a new Themed Booster Pack (like clockwork, and for a few days now - something that I may need to get on soon), Masters EX is going back in time to deliver Trainer characters from bygone eras, and Pokémon Sleep is bringing in a famed Mythical Pokémon of origin and two Legendary Pokémon of sibling attachment - something that should be very clear. They're all delivering in drops and rounds, almost as if by the above means.

Next up was some news on the rather expected "battle client" game of Pokémon Champions. The game is shaping up, and in fact its release on Nintendo Switch has been set for April this year, with the mobile version to come later. Furthermore, once it's released, it's also set for use in the World Championships... which will also be the case this year (the World Championship preview itself, as usual, will come when it comes close at the end of August). This has many, many implications that can't all be covered here.

Meanwhile, this coverage continues with some upcoming content, both partial to an existing game and for a new game itself. Mega Garchomp Z is coming to the Legends: Z-A game by way of the DLC and Mystery Gift, another exciting addition to the main series "alternate". Then, Pokémon Pokopia is set for release on March 5, and more of its content continues to be divulged, including DJ Rotom and a Greedent chef named "Dente". Its "timesink" quality seems to be shaping up even shortly before its release.

Lastly, it's time to make the "delivery means" clear and to fill in the blanks I left in Pokémon Day. "Blowing air" refers to the winds and "riding sea" refers to the waves... and they'll be the subtitles of the next main series games, Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, which are due out next year. The "first look" or teaser shows an island region (name coming later) with vibrant islands and seas, and the first partners of the region and games have also been revealed alongside to start the hype for them.

Delivering new content updates is definitely the role of an edition of Pokémon Presents, and this particular edition for the 30th anniversary of Pokémon delivers (ahem) on that with what is set to be a fun-filled time with current and future Pokémon games and experiences. With that, the delivery means may not be all that important so much as it is the (essence of the) content that is important; whether they come by air or by sea, the best Pokémon happenings are those that will stoke and delight fans, and those from this edition may be some of the best yet.

One year ago: Ever Onward: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2025

Two years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru 8.5

Three years ago: It's All Relative: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2023

Four years ago: Newfound Glory: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2022

Five years ago: More PokéStops in Specific Areas?

Six years ago: Re-Experiencing Main Series Battles

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Daisuki! Japan Fest x ICGP Regionals 2019

Eight years ago: Investing for PokéCoins

Nine years ago: To Pre-Order or Not to Pre-Order?

New "Rare" Items in Café Remix

In a recent update, Café Remix revamped the look of its Delivery feature while also adding something else on top of that. That "something else" would be a couple of items that may be classified as "rare" items, which like their main series archetype (as the Rare Candy) provides a supplement for enhancing Pokémon. I thought I'd discuss those "rare" items since they seem rather fascinating for the items themselves and what they supplement.

The first is the Almighty Macaron, which of course supplements the Macarons of various Pokémon types here and can be used in place of them if one is short. Even so, a player will still need to obtain other Macarons each day from the Daily Tasks since these are more readily available, in effect saving these only for emergencies. At least, the newly introduced item is quite supplementary in its regard.

Next, there is the Classic Kitchen Note, which supplements the various kitchen notes for different Pokémon, making this item the first of this kind of item to be introduced after a long absence. Yet it doesn't exactly supplement, as practical usage of kitchen notes would require quite a bit more than one, and one of these may not cut it, with or without possession of the non-"rare" kitchen notes in the first place.

Both of these new items are in fact obtained by Delivery: by paying Golden Acorns for making deliveries or making the daily one, these items are obtained in alternating fashion after every 50 deliveries. Since delivery by tickets don't count, one has to spend the currency or else be patient to get these new items. It's a bit of an implicated pay-to-win situation given the means, and it's not necessarily easy for players to be on top of it. 

As functional as they are, the "rare" items remain "rare" by the way they are obtained and how they function. At least in some ways, their necessity of functioning to supplement existing items for supplementing Pokémon in Café Remix is welcomed and can already be useful right away, even if "right away" means making extensive use of the Delivery feature. The items may just suit the circumstance of the feature renewal and players' states.

One year ago: Staring at Faces in Pictures

Two years ago: Your Journey - A Poem

Three years ago: Concept Maps for Pokémon Unite

Four years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: The Final Month

Five years ago: BT's Coins, My Coins, Our Coins

Six years ago: Spinning Like a Spinda

Seven years ago: The Cards, Revisited

Eight years ago: Changes

Nine years ago: A Loss Is... A Loss?

Tips and Tricks for New Café Remix Events

Lately, two new event types have gained prominence in Café Remix, which would be Café Pop-Up and Full-Belly Adventure, using the Slow Cooking and One-Minute Cooking frameworks respectively. So prominent they are that they have almost completely displaced the original events where the frameworks first appeared (Outdoor Tea Party and Pokémon visits). Given their prominence, it seems important to try to provide helpful tips and tricks for playing through these events, in a way similarly to each other.

As explained, both of these events use the "food storage box" item, of which five are earned each day. The ones earned for each day of an event instance don't have to be used on that day, meaning that they can accumulate, but like certain efforts, it's best not to delay using them until the end, for it would mean a lot of effort when that comes. The ones earned (also exchanged) for an event instance are also lost when the event ends, so it means having the commitment for their usage as an event progresses.

For Café Pop-Up, the strategy is pretty much the same as an Outdoor Tea Party: fill the points of the other guest Pokémon until the feature guest appears, then fill the points of the feature guest to earn as many rewards as possible for it. After that, the other guest Pokémon can have the rest of their points filled up as well and their rewards obtained. Since Pelipper becomes an additional guest for those who purchase a Mighty Menu, those who do so should also try to prioritize filling its points up as well along with the guest.

Then, for Full-Belly Adventure, earning points continuously is an effort in the same vein as a regular Pokémon visit, as is purchasing a Mighty Menu and/or High Score Skips (the latter also applying to the above). It often takes a while to earn enough coins to exchange for the feature visit and its associated resources, including cookies, but ideally, it's the first thing one should exchange for. After that, it's all about exchanging for all other necessary and useful items, which definitely depends on one's status for those items.

Even if the new Café Remix events are not all that different from their previous (particularly, non-paid) iterations, a lot of their underpinnings remain the same, so some tips and tricks apply equally well. For their other aspects - especially the limited play and payment aspects - there are other applicable tips and tricks to make the best of time and any payment that has been made. Following that, it's still a matter of continuing to do one's best with the staff Pokémon and to maintain their prominence alongside the events.

One year ago: For Pokémon and Nightmares

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 1/20/2024

Three years ago: Getting Refreshed with Pokémon Drinks

Four years ago: Pokémon and the Multiverse

Five years ago: Living Amidst Creatures... or Pokémon

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/19/2020

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Toys Week Season 2

Eight years ago: Cosplay: AsiA Cosplay Competition 2018, Day 1

Nine years ago: All in the Cards

The Challenge of Using Excess Stamina in Café Remix

As I had discussed a long time ago when I started getting my efforts in Café Remix going, the way that most puzzles are played in the game is through the use of Stamina. Fast forward to today, and that still remains true... except now it seems there's so much of that to go around, and yet it might be hard - thus, a challenge - to use up all of that. This situation might also apply to other players, so I thought I'd bring it up and make a little discussion out of it.

The easiest and simplest way to use up a lot of excess Stamina is by using them in and for Staff Training, where they can be used three at a time to make the staff earn lots of EXP at once. Of course, this now faces stiff competition against Tarts, which are now plentiful (and excessive) due to the game events and Daily Training. The challenge then becomes how to use enough Stamina for the staff Pokémon as needed and then filling up the rest with Tarts to use those.

Meanwhile, those who have been neglecting to play the Extra orders will likely need to not neglect them now, for the Stamina can also be used quickly there as well. In particular, some of these may demand to be replayed (thereby using up more Stamina) if one doesn't have the right staff member and/or they're not capable enough. But once that gets cleared out, more of them can certainly be cleared, and that makes it a useful way to dump excess Stamina.

It is certain that players will have to use at least some of the Stamina in the main orders if they haven't done so, although for some players (like me), this might still get a little divisive due to certain progresses. Yet it may be that what awaits them after completion of the last main order (#2400) could also be attractive, and that may just be reason enough to keep dumping Stamina into the main orders and get them cleared out and done for other possibilities.

Given the way that things work now in Café Remix, quite a bit of effort in the management of game items, including Stamina as the focus of this post, is needed to make sure they don't pile up too much and/or become unused. With the three sub-focuses as above with regard to Stamina, the challenge of its usage presents itself to me and other current players of this game, and we'll just have to tackle that challenge head-on as we get more things going here.

One year ago: My Pursuit of Unite Licenses Thus Far

Two years ago: Laughing with Pokémon (Species)

Three years ago: More Insights (and Strides) for the Daily Adventure Incense

Four years ago: Pokémon Asia Pikachu Mug + 2 Promo Cards

Five years ago: "Post-Shuffle" Activity

Six years ago: Fusion without Confusion

Seven years ago: Pokémon Theme Park Ideas

Eight years ago: Playing the Meta Game

Nine years ago: Cosplay: AsiA Cosplay Competition, Day 1

Old Gimmicks, New Flavors

By now, Pokémon Café Remix has many gimmicks that are used in regular rotation in its puzzle stages - some certainly more than others. Each of those gimmicks in turn need to be dealt in certain ways in order to clear them, whether by linking Pokémon icons or using special icons (megaphones and skills). With so many gimmicks and only so many ways to clear them, it is potentially possible to have some that are very similar if not outright the same, and the latter case could be construed as giving "new flavors" to old gimmicks.

As an example, more recently there has been the addition of "bottle-type" gimmicks that if not cleared with a Pokémon that can handle them directly, they would generate other gimmicks. In one case, the soda pop creates soda bubbles if cleared by hitting it normally, and the mayo jar results in mayo when cleared in the same manner. Their mannerisms and usage of older gimmicks lend them their "new flavors".

Even more recently, chocolate cookies have been added, which require three hits for a normal clear. This is pretty much the same as the whipped cream, which is cleared in the same manner if not using a Pokémon with the specialty for it, or special icons. In fact, the appearance of the cookies is rather similar to whipped cream, only being chocolate-colored, which further suggests the "new flavor" aspect to the gimmick.

While new and old Pokémon alike can adapt to new gimmicks, the latter in particular through kitchen notes that are waited for them, it may be that it's hard to adapt new gimmicks in other ways that are different from the current gimmicks in their existing ways. Even so, whether that may or may not be necessary could depend on the puzzle stages and events to come, and in turn the implementations of the gimmicks.

Café Remix already has plenty of puzzle gimmicks to challenge old and new players alike, and they're still rather challenging in the puzzle stages where they are concerned. The next concern and challenge may then be having gimmicks that are nicely adapted to them, and it may be that in the process, some old gimmicks may just have some "new flavors". 

One year ago: On Free and Paid Mission Tracks in Pokémon Unite

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Weekend, 12/16/2023 and 12/17/2023

Three years ago: Cosplay: IR X'Mas + Cosplay Party

Four years ago: Pokémon Lectures?

Five years ago: Quibbles with Candy XL

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Weekend, 12/14/2019 and 12/15/2019

Seven years ago: Raid Dramas

Eight years ago: Hoenn Pokémon Are Go!

Item Collection Limits in Café Remix

Something I mentioned earlier this year when I discussed the Presents feature in Café Remix is the "collection limit" of items in the game. More recent or less active players won't have to worry about this aspect too much, but frequent and longer-term players will find that the aspect becomes relevant - particularly as I have, in more recent times. With that, the aspect makes for a good discussion, especially to close the gap that I presented by having mentioned the aspect in the previous discussion. 

For that, most items other than Pokémon cookies have a collection limit of 999 items, which sounds like a lot. However, frequent play will make it evident that the limit can be reached rather quickly; a case in point is the Daily Training, which when fully completed and/or skipped awards 18 Tart XL of a specific type, and over many days, this can add up quickly if not used. Even the Skip Tickets for this accumulate in the same way and can't be used very quickly, over time allowing the limit to be hit.

Pokémon cookies meanwhile have a limit of 23 for each species, reflecting the number needed to uncap its level to Level 20 (3 at 5, 10 at 10, and 10 at 15). If a Pokémon has a Shiny variant, more can potentially be earned, but usage of existing cookies is also needed. For other items of relevance as Macarons and Kitchen Notes, it's likely that one will use them before reaching an imposed limit, so the "practical" limit may be how many one can stand to earn as they play regularly or not so regularly.

Then, there are items from Cook and Collect that have their own limits. For the Gholdengo event that has continued to persist, its limit is 4995 Gimmighoul Coins - which is quite more than the typical limit - and if one has earned all of that, then Gholdengo also has its max outfit grade. Meanwhile, a new event has started featuring Zygarde, and at the present time, one is limited to having 10 Zygarde Cores while they continue to earn Zygarde Cells up until February next year, something to look forward to.

"Maxing out" the items that are mentioned above is by no means a primary goal, at least for the usable items; for those, it is certainly preferred for players to use them before they hit the limit and cannot possibly earn any more of them. The general limit of 999 items is just that - general - and player activity will certainly determine how quickly or slowly they'll get there. At that point, the usage of the earned items on the staff Pokémon may break their own limits, ones that aren't imposed on them like these are.

One year ago: Preparing for Pokémon Go Wild Area

Two years ago: The Incredible and Vivid Art of Pokémon Trainer K (Kelvin)

Three years ago: How Long for a Cosplay Walk (or "Character Parade")?

Four years ago: Non-Trademark Substitutions for Pokémon Names?

Five years ago: Sword and Shield: After One Year

Six years ago: Everyone's Contributions

Seven years ago: So Little and So Much

Eight years ago: A Pokémon Menu

Favorite New Staff Colors... of Limited Pokémon

Closing off this week of "gimme five" discussions related to Café Remix, I want to discuss another set of subjective favorite things. I had actually intended to bring up "favorite outfits" again, but quite a few things from that are still applicable, so I couldn't bring it up in the same vein. Luckily, I can (could) restructure it a bit and still talk about favorite outfits... just of different colors and different applicability to certain Pokémon.

Those Pokémon have the basic staff outfit, but they have colors not from the usual leveling. In fact, they were created by Leah (the café owner) as part of certain events; according to her, she is trying out new colors for the staff outfit, and certain Pokémon - associated with the events, surely - get to try them out first. They may or may not be extended to other staff members, but in the meantime, they're still fanciful for the staff Pokémon that do get them.

One of these new colors is called "stylish night sky", which is a dark navy blue color that is reminiscent of a good sky at that time of day. Rayquaza and Inkay are the representative Pokémon of this outfit color, and it quite befits them, with the former having its domain where the color is, and the latter being contemplative within that space. It may be that the color has its own intrigue in addition to interest.

Leah also made the "stylish spring" color, and its recipients are (or were) Flabébé of the Red Flower sort and Fidough of the Shiny sort. It is perhaps a coincidence that the two Pokémon are those of different sorts, but then again they may be quite symbolic of variety. The color itself is also a rather "punchy" or "highlighting" yellow-green and may be considered befitting of being symbolic of variety as with the two Pokémon.

As a last color I'm featuring, there is the "stylish plum" color. It is a dark purple that is quite reminiscent of the namesake fruit, and Maushold and Dolliv were chosen to wear it. These two are from the ninth generation, and the newness and novelty of the color stands out along with the two species as part of the latest cohort. At the very least, they also bear the "stylish" aspect pretty well alongside the other colors above.

If the "stylish" moniker is of any indication, it is that these outfits can become select favorites of players without them being different in appearance from the regular outfits, aside from the color. Such is definite for the three colors I've featured above, and it may well be true for the other colors that I haven't featured - and likely possibly to come as well. And after some time, Leah might also gain newfound appreciation for them to expand them even further.

One year ago: Profs and Comrades: Professor Elm

Two years ago: Doing What's Necessary: Transferring (Releasing) Shiny Pokémon

Three years ago: Tunnels of My Heart

Four years ago: The Shops of Unite

Five years ago: Graduation of Regionals?

Six years ago: The Music of Shuffle

Seven years ago: GTS and Wonder Trade in Pokémon Go?

Eight years ago: 1000 Episodes!!!

My Main Order and Extra Order Progress in Café Remix

As part of the "gimme five" featuring Café Remix, I also want to take the time to update on my progression with regard to the main orders and extra orders that are in the game. It's arguably somewhat more subjective compared to the other more objective content throughout this week, but at least it keeps the theme going, not to mention my writing process. It also might be revealing of other intents, but that's to be made evident as things go.

Thus far, I'm on main order #2222, which means I'm 179 main orders short of completing the entire run of 2400 main orders. Admittedly, it's been rather slow-going for me to complete the main orders since recently I'm more focused on playing through the events, which can take up their own time - and quite a bit at that. Having them available for certain Pokémon is also a concern, although it may be the time to minimize that somehow.

Meanwhile, I'm on extra order #475, which is still a long way off from the 1600 extra orders that are there. At least, this one has its own incentives for completion, as every 25 of these completed rewards Golden Acorns and Tarts; at higher numbers, a few other rewards await, including a recently added signboard for the café. The incentives may be the only thing that keeps this progress going, to devote Stamina to it whenever possible.

Considering either of these progressions, something that's key to them is having Stamina available for playing the orders - though this is less of a problem now that the recently added event modes use up items rather than Stamina. In that regard, jumping in may not necessarily be a problem, but perhaps finding the right moment to do so is, in particular right now with all the things that happen at the end of the year even for the game.

It seems that the intents as revealed by the above progressions are to advance them while also to keep them manageable for other purposes. Satisfying those intents may turn out to be the real challenge, aside from whatever the main orders or extra orders put out as they come up. That too may be a bit of a subjective matter for my own ordeals with the game, but others who play could just decide on that matter objectively by what I put forth.

One year ago: The Compact Battles of TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Finding a Diancie Amongst Carbink

Three years ago: Evaluating Elite Raids in Their EX Raid Places

Four years ago: Inspiration from Characters

Five years ago: The Spirit of Brothers

Six years ago: Shuffle Special Stage Play Limits

Seven years ago: Marshadow and Mimikyu Keychains

Eight years ago: Cosplay Assistants

Kitchen Notes, Wherefore Art Thou?

As part of the overall framework for Pokémon enhancement in Café Remix, items that are called "kitchen notes" allow some Pokémon to unlock a fourth, extra skill in addition to the skills they learn when they level up. However, for quite some time recently, there have been a dearth of them, whether for new Pokémon and old ones alike. Thus, I feel the need to make this post - a second time in a more recent timespan and for the same topic - further as a part of this week's discussion as the chosen topic for "gimme five".

The last time kitchen notes appeared, they were in a Pokémon visit event from somewhat an unfathomably a long time ago, providing just enough to unlock and slightly level up that Pokémon's extra skill. After that, they seemed to have "disappeared" for new and returning Pokémon alike in certain events. Of course, that's not to say they have "disappeared" entirely as a feature or item, since existing ones are still available, and there may be the incentive to use them instead of holding on to them.

It seems that the more recent focus has been on making use of the available skillset of both new and old Pokémon rather than introducing new skills through utilization of the aspect or feature - or in IC terms, it may be that the Pokémon haven't developed something that they can reliably use as new skills that can fit into the new challenges of the café, as in through the new play modes. In that sense, the imperative to use some of the existing kitchen notes may be justified for all possible uses in existing play modes.

Will there be more kitchen notes for new and old Pokémon in the future? The skills they unlock may certainly be significant in some usage cases, and they're not expected to disappear or be removed, so the possibility may be there. However, given the aspect or feature's long absence, it is possible that it might just be changed to something more accessible (for example, having the new skills be unlocked with Golden Acorns instead) and the kitchen notes be converted to them much like how "outfit materials" became "outfit grades" so long ago.

Having been out of the "limelight" for quite some time, it might appear that kitchen notes in Café Remix have become "forgettable" in a way. Yet it is important not to forget that they're (part of) the facility for the Pokémon to unlock greater skills in dealing with orders in the café, so things need to be done with them on both sides of usage. Whether that means keeping them and doing more with them or changing them to something else, there's a greater good that could be involved with or without them.

One year ago: The Tricks (No Tricks) to Card Collection in TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Cosplay: Foodtopia Season 2

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/12/2022

Four years ago: Perfection Under Imperfection

Five years ago: The Little Cup of GBL

Six years ago: Performance Critique: Mezase Pokémon Master feat. Maestoso

Seven years ago: Rediscover Cosplay

Eight years ago: Cosplay: Japan Pop Culture 2017

Spending (and Saving Up) Golden Acorns

This next post for the topic of Pokémon Café Remix could be considered half objective and half subjective, but it should illustrate the condition and quandary of most players, including me, about the way of things in the game. So by now, players are certainly familiar with the usage (or more precisely, spending) of Golden Acorns in the game for a variety of things, and that is perfectly fine and in some cases even necessary. Yet like real money, there is some wisdom in trying to save it for certain better uses, and these two aspects make for a good discussion on where and when they may be appropriate.

Some players, even me included, might sometimes spend Golden Acorns for Stamina Shards, including for the ever-present Stamina Pack in the shop as well as the 180 piecemeal for the purpose of Staff Training or multiples of that to top up to the max. When no leftover bundles are available and there is no time to wait, they're definitely viable, but others may be better off waiting the time and getting the Stamina Shards that way, thus saving the Golden Acorns. Some justifiability is surely subjective for this spending.

For players who have gotten far in the stretch of main orders, they may no longer need to shuffle customers unless a rare Shiny Pokémon comes up, at which point spending for this is likely in order - an instance of both saving and spending. They also may not need to spend the 900 needed to continue an order after moves have been depleted, knowing that it may be better to start over on the order instead, but in rare cases, especially when one is left in a pinch, the spend (instead of save) may just be needed.

Most players today are likely to save their Golden Acorns for the Delivery function instead, which can be attested to take up lots of those. But then, the same would apply for the feeling of "disillusionment", which then leads to savings instead. With the recent addition of the two "monetized modes" for game events that use Golden Acorns as a proxy in part, there's even more of an effort to strike a balance between spending and saving to go through them, get what's necessary, and leave out the rest of their fluff.

Certainly, spending and saving are two sides of the same "coin" (ahem), whether it's for real money or game currency as in the case of Golden Acorns in Café Remix. Sometimes, it does seem it can be a real toss-up between both of those efforts to make further headway in the game of concern, but either effort can and does seem to find their own ways of becoming evident, and that may be all that most players need.

One year ago: Little Things, Little Packages: TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Cosplay: Bocchi Noizu First Anniversary

Three years ago: Changing Deliveries in Café Remix

Four years ago: Wingull Place Mat

Five years ago: PokéJournalists

Six years ago: A Story of Bands

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Manga no Kiseki & Japan Pop Culture 2018

Eight years ago: Heroes, Veterans, and Special Ones

The Full-Belly Adventure in Café Remix

Well, this week will be a puzzling week - not in that sense - for a different Pokémon realm, but I've got to be making my "gimme five" series this month somehow, and I've chosen this week in order to do just that, given its characteristic. For real puzzling matters, there's Pokémon Café Remix as the prime contemporary Pokémon puzzle game, and that becomes the main topic. The subtopic for this post is a brand-new event mode that has a lot of similarities to another recently introduced mode but also some important differences.

The new mode, as can be discerned, is called "Full-Belly Adventure". Succinctly described, it has the sensibilities of that mode while combining it with the framework of One-Minute Cooking for a Pokémon visit, becoming the "action" counterpart to the "strategy" of Café Pop-Up. One is also to play the mode up to five times freely daily using the food storage boxes, and then up to 20 more times total throughout the event period by paying 1000 Golden Acorns for each additional food storage box, forcing payment but also limits.

Since One-Minute Cooking is involved, there is no stage redraw, being that it's just one stage with cycles. As well, players are still to level up the visiting Pokémon and get more points for them than as with "normal" visits. However, some item exchanges for the earned points are now limited to the point of certain levels, so players will really need to put in effort to earn points and level up for making the exchanges, also just like regular instances of Pokémon visits without this new event type.

Meanwhile, the event type also features its own selections of Mighty Menu, which are very much directed to increasing the level of the Pokémon further to allow certain rewards to be earned, furthermore more quickly and effortlessly. Thus, the "monetization" aspect is being ingrained here as well, along with the usual Premium Pass and High-Score Skip functions that do exactly that for regular Pokémon visits as well. Whether players will use them is another matter, but some likely will.

Given this new event play mode and its similarities to another recent event play mode, it seems that the push for "monetizing" even more things in the game is becoming more and more apparent. Other than that, with or without the aspect, players can still enjoy the same gameplay as they have with the "non-monetized" incarnation of the gameplay mode and satisfy the appetites of visiting Pokémon, as the title of this mode suggests. That could be the only other puzzling thing to contend with.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/10/2024

Two years ago: The Money Deal: The Main Series Currency

Three years ago: Ed's "Starry Expanse" with Pokémon

Four years ago: Asymmetrical Friend Levels?

Five years ago: Life with a Go Plus Peripheral

Six years ago: In the November Sky

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/10/2018

Eight years ago: Mission Cards in Shuffle

My Staff Member Progress in Café Remix

The last time I updated anything related to my personal progress in Pokémon Café Remix was somewhat over a year ago, when I detailed the state of leveling for my staff members at that time. Given that quite a bit of a time has passed, it seems right to make another update on the progress, but this time, I want to take a different focus. Instead of focusing (mostly) on their levels, I want to focus on how many staff members I actually have, which could be considered a more extensive way of evaluating how far I've gone through the game, as well as the paths I haven't explored for that purpose. 

So, the numbers are in: I have 67 Pokémon staff members fully raised to Level 25, 12 in the levels between that and Level 20 (the "working group"), and 103 at Level 20 or somewhere close to that. Overall, that also means I have 182 Pokémon staff members in total, which is a very big number. Considering the time that I've been playing - and the time before where I didn't play - that's significant and yet also expected for the best progress possible with all that the game continues to offer today.

Going back to leveling progress, because of the extreme overabundance of resources for leveling, it seems easy to just level up the Pokémon immediately as they are hired, particularly to Level 15 at the very least to unlock all their skills so they can be usable in any stage. In fact, by the above counts, that has been exactly what happened: all the Pokémon I have were leveled up as soon as I had them, further in order to avoid wasting resources, as there is such a thing as being unable to earn more.

Yet even with all that, I'm still missing quite a few Pokémon. The culprits are those that can only be gotten from Delivery and that I can never seem to encounter before they are rotated out for others, or those that can only be gotten if I purchase the monthly Premium Pass - which I don't, being mostly a "freeloader". Then there are still likely others from the time I didn't play that haven't been made available through regular or special means since they first appeared. I'm still interested in these.

With all the staff members that I've hired and subsequently leveled up in Café Remix, I'm definitely fulfilling a core intent of the game and setting myself up for future offerings for the game, which means doing even more of those actions by way of what those future offerings would bring. At that point, it just means trudging on and keeping the Pokémon staff going to make the café more lively each time.

One year ago: Pokémon and Steampunk

Two years ago: Memories of Unova

Three years ago: Cosplay: CyFest 2022

Four years ago: Creepy Pokémon Flashbacks

Five years ago: Minimum Play with Pokémon Go

Six years ago: Performance Critique: Akatsuki no Matsuri 2 J-Song

Seven years ago: A Storybook and a Reference

Eight years ago: A Successor Has Been Named

Café Remix Event Structure, Revisited

It was only about a year ago that I discussed the newly reworked (at that time) structure of in-game events for Café Remix, which in a way was to (somewhat) alleviate the malady of efforts that had been previously needed for them. Since then, further changes have been made for it, rendering my earlier post obsolete. Given what has transpired, I've decided to take out a post to revisit the topic, review the changes, and extract its implications.

The first change to that structure was having just either one of the mini-events with Audino or Eevee as previously discussed, which was then followed by a longer event in individual or team formats, featuring an old Pokémon that revisits the café. These would remain concurrent with a prime event with the usual given formats plus the Cook and Collect event with Gholdengo and Gimmighoul, and of course Mission Bingo with all that it offers.

Eventually, the old mini-events were retired, the prime events were slightly reduced in length, and the only concurrent ones were the longer "return" event to the end of the prime event as well as Cook and Collect. A further recent change removed the event play requirement for Cook and Collect, and the Gimmighoul Coins can be obtained by regular stage play instead. Then there was the addition of Café Pop-Up, for which less is better said.

With these changes, there is admittedly a process of implementing simplification and added workability to the events. The "return" event in particular brings hope to all players to get the Pokémon they may have missed before or to augment their outfit grade if they already did. On the other hand, shorter prime events will mean more of them and more work to do for them, so that may be the most dire consequence of this arrangement.

Of course, there is always the potential for the event structure to change further since the game is continuously updated, but the changes over time since that specific discussion on the topic merits to be discussed as well. The most puzzling thing about Café Remix, aside from its stage play, may just be structuring the events for the best form, and its current form with the changes may be the best one yet, if not at least for the current time.

One year ago: Fonts in Pokémon Presentations

Two years ago: Getting United with Unite Squads

Three years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru (for KJR)

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/9/2021

Five years ago: On the Buying and Selling of Gameplay Elements

Six years ago: Hunting for Physical References

Seven years ago: What Pokémon Eat

Eight years ago: Pokémon Jigsaw Puzzle