‘Pokemon GO’ Update Has New Pokemon
Pokemon GO players can now hatch seven new baby Pokemon. The Pokemon are Cleffa, Elekid, Igglybuff, Magby, Pichu, Smoochum, and Togepi. Togepi can evolve into Togetic.
The baby Pokemon can be found in eggs the player collected since the update. Eggs collected before the update do not contain any of the new baby Pokemon.
Players can also catch a Pikachu in a Santa hat until December 29. It will keep the Santa hat even if the player evolves it into a Raichu.
Cleffa discovered in Pokémon GO, & evolving a Santa Hat Pikachu allows Raichu to retain the hat. More updates soon! https://t.co/hwKjghUNof pic.twitter.com/R8qzWmJvL3
— Nintendo Wire (@NinWire) December 12, 2016
The update also features a temporary holiday-themed loading screen. Most prominent is the Santa hat Pikachu. Pikachu and its Pokemon friends string a Pokeball with Christmas lights.
The seven new Pokemon are baby Pokemon from Generation II. Until now, every Pokemon available in Pokemon GO has been one of the original 150 characters released in the original game. The original game was released for Game Boy in 1996 and revitalized the handheld gaming market, becoming one of Nintendo’s most successful titles.
Therefore, these are the first Generation II Pokemon made available in Pokemon GO.
Yet there are still some Generation I Pokemon that have never been seen or caught in Niantic’s mobile adaptation of the Pokemon franchise. These Pokemon are the legendary birds Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, and the genetically engineered psychic-type Mewtwo. Mew, the 151st Pokemon, has also never been seen or caught.
Niantic will probably only release these super rare Pokemon as part of special events.
Although any player who hoped that Niantic would release legendaries in this update was probably a victim of overzealous expectations, bloggers did complain about gameplay issues exacerbated by the update. The new Pokemon can only be hatched from eggs. In Pokemon GO, there is no way to trash eggs, so there is no way to collect ones that might have the new Pokemon without hatching the ones you already have. A blogger at Kotaku pointed out that this meant she would have to march 10 kilometers in the snow to hatch a Magby.
Rural players have already complained about the exacerbated difficulties they experience due to the lack of Pokestops, gyms, and other features that make the game unique, but are practically unavailable in rural areas. Releasing new Pokemon that can only be hatched from eggs means most players in seasonal climates won’t see them until warmer weather sets in and they feel like exercising outside.
And don’t think you can get around this by using a treadmill — the Pokemon GO step counter is more of a GPS tracking system than a pedometer, and it won’t work.
For those in more tropical climates, the new Pokemon can be found in the following eggs:
- 2k eggs: Igglybuff and Cleffa
- 5k eggs: Pichu and Togepi
- 10k eggs: Magby, Elekid, and Smoochum
Except for Togepi, each of these Pokemon evolve into an available Generation I Pokemon. For example, Pichu evolves into Pikachu. Ambitious players confirmed that Togepi can evolve, with 50 candies, into Togetic. This makes Togetic an elusive eighth Pokemon available in the update.
One notable exception missing is the Generation II baby Pokemon Tyrogue. Tyrogue is a fighting Pokemon that can evolve into either Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan. This Pokemon was not included in the update. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan can already be caught at gyms and sports centers.
In addition to legendary Pokemon and the rest of Generation II, players wait in anticipation for Niantic to release updates that will make trading and PvP battling possible. These two key elements of Pokemon allow players to exchange Pokemon with each other and test their skills in battle against their friends. They are a crucial part of the ever-expanding world of Pokemon.
[Featured Image by Scott Roth/AP Images]
