Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Hoopa, Hoopa's Arrival Event, Niantic, pokemon, pokemon go

Pokémon GO Event Review: Hoopa's Arrival Event

Yesterday was the Hoopa's Arrival Event in Pokémon GO. Let's see how Niantic followed through on all of this Hoopa build-up.

What worked in this Pokémon GO event

• Hoopa: We got Hoopa! While I was a bit let down with how we got Hoopa, I can't say that I'm not thrilled to have it. This time in Pokémon GO will be remembered as the build toward Hoopa, so concluding this chapter is rewarding.
• More?: The Special Research dialogue suggests more Hoopa action to come. I strongly believe that this season's Special Research will end with an encounter with Hoopa Unbound.
• Structure: It made sense to do this as an Incense Day, which we haven't had in Pokémon GO for some time. This is a fun style of event that rewards beyond just the Mythical ecounter.

What didn't work in this Pokémon GO event

• The Special Research structure: Let me start by saying that I don't think this is a huge deal… but it did give me a light pang of disappointment. When the season-long Misunderstood Mischief Special Research was released, the sheer length of it excited trainers. Sixteen pages! However, as soon as the Hoopa's Arrival Event began and Page Two was revealed, the truth became clear. Page Two functioned as a block to Page Three. The event lifted the block, we auto-claimed Page Two, and Page Three was revealed. Now, Page Four shows that it, too, will be an auto-claim block revealed in the next event. So we're not really getting a sixteen-pager. It'll probably be closer to eight. Again, this wasn't a huge deal but it did undercut the epic scope of this questline a bit.
• Too easy: Hoopa's encounter was just a bit too easy. The tasks needed to earn it could be completed in ten minutes and the encounter animation itself was nothing like the GO Fest Mythical encounters of the past. It was just like any other Pokémon encounter. After so much build-up, with the game's skies changed to have Hoopa's rings in it, you'd think there'd be a bit more ceremonial grandeur.

Overall

While the actual Hoopa encounter could have had a bit more punch, I'm ultimately happy to see this new Mythical added to Pokémon GO. Time will tell how this release will fit into the overall fabric of the game, as we may just be seeing more Hoopa encounters building.

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