Many features of Pokemon GO have become stale

Pokemon GO made a remarkable debut in 2016 with gameplay so addictive and adventurous that it transformed the landscape of mobile gaming. Over the course of the seven years since Niantic's initial breakthrough in the industry, the player base has naturally diminished from its initial viral magnitude. However, in return, it has fostered a passionate following that surpasses nearly any other gaming community. Regrettably, some players harbor the sentiment that several missing features in Pokemon GO may never materialize, resulting in an app that can feel stagnant in the year 2023.

This stagnation has not escaped the notice of Pokemon GO fans. On the contrary, it has become a point of contention and frustration that has sparked numerous debates online. If Niantic aims to restore its flagship title to glory, it must address some of the stagnant features of Pokemon GO.

Pokemon GO Spawns Are Too Uniform

A significant part of the allure of Pokemon GO is meant to be the sense of wonder and adventure that comes with exploring the real world and discovering Pokémon. That was the hype that brought millions of users to the app in 2016, and it's what still entices new players to give the game a try today. However, a world full of diverse Pokémon scattered in any situation is not present in Pokemon GO today.

Essentially, the same Pokémon appear everywhere, and which creatures emerge depends on the current rotation for appearances. As a result, the exploration, which should be a primary incentive of the game, can feel meaningless since players can encounter the same Pokémon regardless of their location. Furthermore, there is rarely an opportunity to find Pokémon outside of Niantic's designated Pokémon spawn events, and when these events occur, it is equally difficult to find anything other than those featured creatures due to their overwhelming numbers. For instance, during a Kanto Starter event, it can be challenging for a player to catch anything other than a Kanto Starter if they are not interested, and this persists for the next 24-48 hours.

The Battle System in Pokemon GO Remains Weak

One of the main complaints about Pokemon GO from the very beginning has been the disappointing combat system. The changes implemented by Niantic over the years have ultimately proven ineffective in making battles in Pokemon GO genuinely more engaging. To this day, combat in Pokemon GO boils down to rapidly tapping the screen until the opponent faints, and the minor complexities introduced through different TMs and QTE-like special moves do little to alleviate this issue.

The solution to this issue is not entirely clear, but many fans wonder why a turn-based combat system similar to the one used in the main games is not possible. It's possible that Game Freak wants to avoid too much overlap between Pokemon GO and the main Pokemon games. There is a potential risk of jeopardizing the sales success of the main games if a turn-based combat system in Pokemon GO proves to be too effective. However, this does not change the fact that Pokemon GO ultimately does not benefit significantly from its current combat method.

At the beginning of the game's lifecycle, these features received feedback, but fans were optimistic that Niantic would continue to update the app and ultimately address all of these issues to create a better experience. The problem is that in 2023, many feel that Pokemon GO is not consistently updated enough to resolve its core problems, and instead, smaller updates may appear stale.

Pokemon GO is now available for iOS and Android mobile devices.