After being released to Australia and New Zealand for iOS and Android earlier on July 6th, Pokémon GO has now been officially released in the United States, much to the joy of many Pokémon fans.
Pokémon GO is an augmented reality phone app from Niantic, the creators of Ingress. Much like Ingress, Pokémon GO is a GPS-based game that will require users to explore the real world. In Pokémon GO, players can find Pokémon, eggs, Poké Balls and other items, then use them to battle other trainers and even gym leaders.
The game starts by placing the original starter Pokémon around you, allowing you to catch one. From that point until level 5, you can gain experience by visiting PokéStops where you can pick up items and by catching Pokémon that appear in the world with a finger-flick toss of a Poké Ball.
Once you reach level 5, you are required to pick a team to join, much like Ingress’ Resistance and Enlightened. However, Pokémon GO sports three teams: Team Instinct (Yellow), Team Mystic (Blue) and Team Valor (Red). You can support gyms owned by your team by leaving Pokémon there to fight and battle gyms owned by another team. You battle by tapping and swiping on your screen.
While the phone app is free, there are numerous micro-transactions happy to relieve you of your money. You can discover Poké Balls and other items out in the world, but you can also purchase them. I also have a feeling that more customization items might be available for gold in the future.
Later in July, another item will be available for purchase: the Pokémon GO Plus, a wrist-worn wearable with that “notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration.” It also promises the ability to “catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device.”
Good luck out there, Pokémon masters!