Niantic Labs has officially rolled out "Pokémon Go" for Android and iOS. The hit game is now available in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and is expected to be launched in the United Kingdom, United States and other territories worldwide in the coming days.
"Pokémon Go" is a free-to-play augmented reality game that allows players to virtually capture Pokémon hidden in real world locations. According to Ars Technica, the game uses the device's GPS to map out the locations of Pokémon, while the camera will display when a particular character pops out. Players must explore real life settings to discover different types of Pokémon.
The types of Pokémon a player encounters will depend on specific conditions, including terrain and weather. For instance, Water Pokémon is found near sources of water like the ocean or lake. Playing at night will most likely bring out nocturnal Pokémon such as Clefairy and Gastly. Rare and legendary Pokémon are much difficult to find. Some Pokémon are also only available in certain parts of the world.
The whole point of the game is to go around and explore like a real-life Pokémon trainer. Aside from Pokémon, players should also be on the watch for PokéStops where Poké Balls can be found. Players can even get Pokémon Egg there. PokéStops are usually located in local landmarks such as museums.
At level five, players can also battle other trainers in Gyms located in different areas.
Players can log in using their Google account or Pokémon Trainer Club account. According to Polygon, the latter comes with extra swag, such as monthly newsletters and download codes for Rare Pokémon. Trainers can also be customized as there are several facial features and outfits to choose from.
Just like the other Pokémon games, players will get Bulbasaur, Squirtle or Charmander as their starter Pokémon.
Being a freemium game, "Pokémon Go" offers a variety of items to purchase. These items, which will upgrade Pokémon's abilities and make capturing Pokémon easier, can be bought using Pokémon Coins. These items include Incense and Lure Module, to name a few. Pokémon Coins are sold at different prices ranging from $0.99 to $99.99.
Players may want to consider carrying their mobile chargers or power banks when exploring as the game is said to drain a device's battery easily, which is reasonable considering that the camera and GPS are being utilized at the same time.
Which Pokémon have you capture so far?