Right now I should be in Liverpool, walking around a massive park with thousands of other Pokémon Go-ers, but instead I’m in my kitchen.
It’s a relatively decent-sized kitchen – that’s according to Digital Foundry’s John Linneman, who had a peek as we compared home working setups yesterday. But, as roomy as it is, it’s not designed for playing Pokémon Go. And, more to the point, Pokémon Go isn’t designed for it.
And yet here we are. I’m not in Liverpool, and neither are the tens of thousands of other fans who had tickets. And it’s unlikely any of us will be in the near future. So while Pokémon Go’s Liverpool Safari Zone – like all of developer Niantic’s physical events – is postponed rather than outright cancelled, ticket holders have been given this bonus remote-only version to tide us over until our proper day in the Merseyside sun.
It’s important to note this is a bit of a bonus because, well, there’s just no way it can ever live up to the real thing. As adequately-sized as John thought my kitchen was, it is no replacement for being in the festival-like atmosphere of these events in person, where you meet with fellow fans from all over the world. I had plans to travel and play with friends, stay the weekend and turn it into a bit of a roadtrip. Well, at least we don’t need to work out petrol money.
Instead, anyone with a ticket can log in during their previously-allotted hours and get the event’s rare Pokémon spawns wherever they are, with a set of simple tasks which award plenty of balls to keep you playing. The all-important Shiny versions of Pokémon are readily available on the event’s generous rate, alongside the usually New Zealand exclusive Relicanth, event exclusive Unown and new Pikachu wearing a safari hat.