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Official Pokémon Go Mobile Pokémon Game Details Released

Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 9.26.00 AM

Pokémon Go, the augmented reality mobile Pokémon mobile game from Niantic, has a lot to live up to with our expectations and the flashy trailer they released, and it sounds like they could pull it off. They’ve released new details on exactly how the game will work, including traveling to catch your Pokémon, joining teams, and defending gyms.

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The basic game plays like this according to the Pokémon website’s rundown:

As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you’re near a Pokémon. Once you’ve encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone’s touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away! Also look for PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments, where you can collect more Poké Balls and other items.

You’ll be able to level up as a trainer as you play, with higher levels providing access to stronger Pokémon as well as Great Balls and the like to help you catch them. When you reach a certain level, you’ll get to pick from three teams to join, though they don’t provide a lot of detail on what the teams will be like. There’s also not a whole lot to be known about the battle system yet, but rest assured that there is one, so this isn’t just a Google Maps mini game for your phone.

So far, battle is only mentioned in reference to the gyms. Within your team, you’ll be able to assign your Pokémon to defend local gyms. Players from other teams can then challenge your Pokémon in battle and win control of the gym in victory. There will also be achievements to unlock in the form of medals on your trainer profile for accomplishing tasks in Pokémon catching and exploration. We’ll know more when Pokémon Go goes into an open testing phase in Japan in the near future while it’s still under development, and they explicitly mention that “features, available languages, design, and overall appearance are not final,” so don’t be too quick to judge it on what you may have seen so far.

(image via Nintendo)

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Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct <em>Geekosystem</em> (RIP), and then at <em>The Mary Sue</em> starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at <em>Smash Bros.</em>

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