Fans have been anxious to learn more details about the upcoming augmented reality game Pokémon Go. Designed for mobile devices, the game will allow players to travel the real world and capture pocket monsters using their phones.
That certainly sounds exciting, but thanks to what may be our first unofficial look at the game in action, fans may want to lower their expectations. The footage comes from a SXSW gaming panel in which John Hank, CEO of Pokémon Go developer Niantic, spoke. Though Hanke doesn't appear on screen in the video and it's not 100 percent verified that this is indeed real footage of Pokémon Go in action, it sounds like Hanke and certainly looks to be the game, which is set to release later this year.
A Google maps-like screen shows the player's avatar and the location of nearby Pokémon available for capture. Soon the player and an Ivysaur are face to face, with the footage showing the player attempting to capture it with a standard Pokeball. That doesn't work, so the trainer in the video then proceeds to do the unthinkable: they use a Master Ball.
Of course, the Master Ball does the job, though any Pokémon player watching the footage likely threw up in their mouth a little bit. Pokémon games have always gifted the player one and only one Master Ball per game. As using the Master Ball is certain to capture even the strongest of Pokémon, to see it nonchalantly used on a lowly Ivysaur is painful to watch.
The in-game footage of the game (if that is indeed what this is) is certainly a far cry from the impressive CG trailer used for the game's announcement. Perhaps that has set expectations a little too high for this mobile game. As it's designed to work on as many mobile devices as possible all across the world, it's not surprising that the visuals aren't anywhere close to what's possible on the latest and greatest mobile hardware.
Also missing in the footage (which has more than 1 million views on YouTube) is any hint of the game's battle system. As capturing Pokémon usually involves fighting them first, it's a curious omission that has fans scratching their heads.
Expect official details about Pokémon Go in the coming months, but for now, this cellphone video will have to suffice.
