Is Mega Evolution for Pokemon Go worth the wait?

 

Source: Pokemon Go News Banner

Four years after Pokemon Go’s release, Niantic finally added one of the most awaited features to the game – Mega Evolution. Mega Evolution is a temporary change in the appearance of a certain Pokemon giving it a slight boost in its stats. In the main game series such as Pokemon X and Y where it was first introduced, the player needs Mega Stone items unique to each specific Pokemon and a Mega Ring / Bracelet and thus allowing the player and his/her Pokemon to establish a solidified bond with each other to achieve Mega Evolution.

Mechanics

In Pokemon Go, Mega Stone was removed and instead replaced with Mega Energy. To Mega Evolve a specific Pokemon, players need to gather Mega Energy for that Pokemon that is obtainable through Mega Raids as of the moment. Pokemon Go introduced Mega Raids, which players can battle using Raid Passes, it holds Mega Evolved Pokemon that give Mega Energy of that specific Pokemon as a reward. It gives off rewards based on the speed of completion of the raid of the whole team.

Source: Pokemon Go

Something is off

Pokemon Go is said to be a free-to-play game that does not sound like it does anymore. As the Mega Evolution rolled out, it mainly tackled and somehow ruin the essence of the feature in the game. Specifically, a player needs to play for about 4-6 Mega Raid to gain Mega Energy and to evolve an eligible specific Pokemon. Even though the Mega Energy cost decreases after the first Mega Evolution it appears that a player still needs to battle Mega Raids to access Mega Evolution once again. The grind for a particular Pokemon is different to the grind to another Pokemon of the same species. It would take 4-6 days for a regular Player consuming his Free Raid Pass to gather a decent amount of Mega Energy. Another problem tied up to this is the Trainers living in rural areas thus, being dependent on Raid invites to send to them by their friends. They would likely spend their Remote Raid Pass which costs 100 coins continuously just to get a Mega Evolved Pokemon.

From Niantic Support

Verdict

Pokemon Go established a deep connection to its communities and players around the world since its release in 2016. It has given the franchise a breath of fresh air as some of its mechanics were adopted by the Main Game series. It felt rewarding that not only kids can play and enjoy these fantastic Pocket Monsters but also Kids at heart. With the continuous updates of its features that keep players intact with the game, it become one of the most grossing apps worldwide. The game adapted very well with the world health crisis and in fact among one of the top earners during the Pokemon Go Fest 2020 event in July. With Mega Evolution’s release during pandemic, not everyone can cope up and felt like it was a cash grab knowing how it works in the games they previously played with their consoles. Niantic hasn’t even disclosed the hatch rate of Deino during the dragon week event that was being called out by players and with Mega Evolution that is heavily tied up to the raid system not everyone will enjoy this feature as well.  While the Pokemon Go Mega Evolution sprites are fantastic, it definitely does not live up to the expectations of everyone playing the game.

Written by: Satoshii