Through Niantic, the Pokémon Company has gotten the brand a nice spot in the app space with Pokémon GO. The team isn't resting on its laurels and has released a new game, but it's not the kind of Pokémon game anyone expected.
It's Almost Useless
The new app game the team released is called Pokémon: Magikarp Jump. That's right, players get to control and train their very own Magikarp. For anyone unfamiliar with Pokémon, Magikarp might very well be the most useless Pokémon ever created. There has always been a silver lining for the useless fish since it evolves into Gyrados, but that won't be the goal here.
Players will adopt and care for a Magikarp with one simple goal in mind: jumping. The baby fish monster will have to be fed and trained so that it can grow into a mature Magikarp and be the best in a Magikarp jumping league. This will involve some micro-management of its food, friendships with other Pokémon, and cleaning and decorating the tank it lives in. There will also be some heavy training to make Magikarp jump stronger and higher than all the other Magikarp.
The game is designed with simplicity in mind so that it can fit with most other apps and games users have on their phones. Plus, putting Magikarp in a scenario where it isn't completely useless is a nice bonus.
A Nice Surprise
Now on paper, a game focused on Magikarp sounds like an extremely stupid idea. As mentioned above, it might be the most useless Pokémon ever created. That is an unusual achievement in a way, considering this is a universe that now has 802 creatures to find, catch, and train. That said, the simplistic approach seems to be paying off.
The general response to the game has been good thus far from outlets like Polygon and Time. One of the general themes running through it is how much it plays to the core ideas of the series. Pokémon has always been about catching, training, and battling the pocket monsters that make up the world. But more than that there has always been an idea shown in other media, like the cartoon, that emphasizes the bond between trainer and monster. So while the Pokémon in question might be useless, putting it in this sort of scenario with the game could make Magikarp beloved beyond being Gyrados' base form.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump is available as a free download for iOS and Android devices.
