A brand new update to the insanely popular augmented reality mobile video game, "Pokémon Go" has now added a feature that should get players interested in the game once again. The recently released update adds a new "buddy system" which now allows players to take any particular Pokémon they have caught and bring it with them while they are walking.
After the initial surge of players following the game's release, there was a gradual decline that was observed as players got really bored with the limited features that had come with the original version. The game's developer Niantic Labs had promised players that they would be releasing new enhancements to the game further down the road.
The "buddy system" is apparently one of those enhancements that should address one of the most frustrating aspects of the game, which is evolving Pokémon.
In order to evolve certain types of Pokémon, a player must acquire a specific amount of its designated candy. Before the buddy system was made available, the only way to acquire candy is to catch the same type of Pokémon over and over again. While this would be an easy feat for Pokémon such as Rattata or Pidgey, it's an entirely different story for rare Pokémon such as Vulpix, Eevee, or Rhyhorn.
Now with the buddy system, players will be able to take one of the Pokémon in their collection and bring it with them in order to acquire candies. Different types of Pokémon will require different distances to travel before the player is awarded a candy. Common Pokémon such as Rattata will require just a kilometer of walking, while rare Pokémon such as Electabuzz will need 5 kilometers.
The selected buddy Pokémon can be swapped at any time and the logged distance for the particular Pokémon will be saved. Players have also found out that even Pokémon that have fainted can be used as a buddy and will still award candies when taken on walks.
A rather cute Easter egg was also recently discovered, which involves Pikachu sitting on a player's shoulder after it is walked for 10 kilometers.
