Two years have passed since the release of the mobile app game Pokémon Go from Niantic Labs. Almost everyone was playing the game when the game first released. Constant crowds would pepper the parks and streets searching far and wide for the Pokémon to add to their collection. Players would even stay up as late as 4 in the morning, hunting digital creatures, level up their character, evolve Pokémon, or collect the candy each Pokémon gives. Since the game’s release some of the in-game mechanics have changed and in doing so the fad of the game has significantly dropped. Players started to erase the game from their phones because they were playing just because everyone else was.

Some of the changes in the game have altered how and where to find a certain Pokémon, where the player is, and how gym battles are played. Niantic added weather effects that can alter the way the Pokémon spawn or how they fight. As changes are introduced they add features that some say have been a lot better as well as features promised when the game was first released. The game has added raid battles that will show randomly at gyms for a specific time that requires a certain number of players to fight, defeat, and maybe capture. The raids also may include legendary Pokémon that change every few months.

Trading is another fun feature allows any two players to trade specific Pokémon which can benefit both players. If one player has one that the other does not then they can trade and based on their level of friendship in the game. They can also trade for stardust which is used to power-up the Pokémon and make them stronger.

The game has daily missions which allow players to complete tasks to receive items in the game or catch a certain Pokémon. If a player completes one a day they can encounter a rare Pokémon. There are also mythical quests that allow players three tasks to complete. The quest which has 8 tiers that give items, experience, and leads to catching mythical creatures (which are for Mew and Celebi).

Of course, there are still some issues players face that can leave them angry and wishing to leave the game. One major issue players face is called ‘spoofing’ which is when a player uses an app that will say that the player is in a location they are nowhere near. The reason the player would do so is to take a gym from a player who went out of their way to leave their home and spend the time to own said gym. The spoofer, as they are called, is doing this from the comfort of their home. Another reason to spoof is to join a raid to get legendary Pokémon, catch Pokémon from home, and even get the regional Pokémon not available to the US. There is some relief as Niantic Labs feels if a player is cheating it will ban the player from the game. For the player to play again would mean to start all over and play according to the rules.

Pokémon Go is still fun to play and has its own rewards for those who are trying to be masters. If you played before or have not played I suggest you see if you like the changes and give it another try. So, get on out and “catch ém all.”