Pokemon GOjust received its biggest gameplay shake-up in years with the addition of the Dynamax mechanic at the start of the Max Out season. Now,Pokemon GOplayers can interact with Power Spots located on the game’s map to earn Max Particles and challenge Dynamaxed mons in Max Raids for the chance to earn these mons for themselves. It’s great to see how Niantic has translated this Gen 8 mechanic for the mobile game, but its implementation could be the start of a growing problem withPokemon GO’s location-based gameplay.
While theMax Out seasonhas been a huge boon for Gen 8 fans finally getting the representation inPokemon GOthey’ve been waiting for, the addition of Power Spots as another overworld fixture adds to the number of interactable locations onPokemon GO’s map. Now, players will have to manage the PokeStops, Gyms, and Power Spots near them as they playPokemon GO, potentially leading to a cluttered experience navigating the overworld. Although there can be a large disparity between the density of these map fixtures depending on the player’s location, the more densely populated areas are on thin ice when it comes to having too many interactable items on screen at a time.
Pokemon GO Will Have to Solve its Map Clutter Problem Sooner or Later
Pokemon GO’s Power Spots Signal a Growing Problem with Location-Based Gameplay
Since the core ofPokemon GO’s gameplay centers around location-based mechanics, the game really lives or dies by how engaging it is for players to interact with items on the map. So far,PokeStops and Gymshave been great incentives for players to explore beyond the confines of their homes in their quest to catch every critter. However, now players will have to contend with another item taking up real estate onPokemon GO’s map in the form of Power Spots, which may end up being a double-edged sword for the game.
WhilePower Spotsadd another engaging mechanic for players to interact with, their in-game icons are large and bulky, much like those for PokeStops and Gyms. WithPokemon GOrequiring players to touch their screens precisely, having too many options on the map can get clunky very quickly.Pokemon GOhas faced the problem in the past of having too many or too few interactable locations between rural and populated areas, but the addition of Power Spots for Max Raids may end up causing more headaches than they’re worth for players in densely populated areas.
How Future Mechanics Can Avoid Adding Map Clutter
AlthoughPokemon GOnow features Dyanamxing in addition to the existing Mega Evolution mechanic, it still lacks other generational mechanics likeGen 7’s Z-Movesand Gen 9’s Terastal Phenomenon. If both of these mechanics were to gain their own dedicated location onPokemon GO’s map, the problem of clutter would only grow. Niantic will have to find some way to address this issue, especially for players in more populated areas, potentially allowing some existing locations to serve as hubs for multiple functions, such as Power Spots also allowing players to use Z-Moves in addition to Dynamaxing.
Currently, Z-Moves and Terastallization are not inPokemon GObut could be added in a future update.
The current system for Power Spots allows them to move from location to location, potentially changing the layout of a player’s local map. This is one way future mechanics could manage the problem of map clutter, but it wouldn’t be a perfect solution since a particular area could still become overrun with too many interactable points. Niantic will need to continue to refine its approach toPokemon GO’s location-based gameplayand how the game balances in-game locations with real-world population density, especially as more mechanics from the mainlinePokemonseries are incorporated in future updates.
