"Pokemon Go," the hit mobile application game from Niantic Labs, has just concluded its first-ever community event, dubbed as "Pokemon Go Community Day." The January event was the first one in the game's 2018 calendar.
Previous events of "Pokemon Go" feature several rare pokemon that are up for grabs. Also, these events used to last for several days, just like its Halloween event in November 2017.
However, as previously announced by Niantic on "Pokemon Go's" official website, this special day for the hit game would only last for three hours, with one rare Pokemon as the center of attention.
Pokemon's main mascot, the electric-type Pikachu, was the center of the new bonuses. In particular, players were given a chance to catch a Pikachu that knew "Surf" as a charge move. Surf is a water type move that Pikachu was unable to learn prior to the event, giving a great twist for gamers.
The surfing Pikachu was inspired by the famous "Pokemon Yellow" game, which was one of the most famous games for the Gameboy Color back in the late 1990s until the early 2000s.
While this classic twist seems enough to please fans for three hours, Niantic did not disappoint as it added more exclusives. Fans later on found out that the event gave a 10 percent probability increase in catching a "Shiny Pikachu."
Not only did this feature give more players a chance to grab a rare Pokemon, it also sparked speculation that more "Shiny Pokemon" releases are slated to come soon.
Other exclusives also include Pikachus with doubled experience points (XPs). Pokemon with high XPs usually means they are stronger for battling due to the high damage rate.
The added bonus gave fans a new strategy in battling Kyogre, a legendary Pokemon in "Pokemon Go's" raid events. Since Kyogre is a water-type, stronger Pikachus would prove to be a great option for taking it down.
Fans can expect more of these great bonuses in the near future, as Niantic will be hosting a monthly Community Day event throughout 2018.
