Pokémon GO is no longer as popular as when it first launched in in July 2016, but a new update may bring players back to the mobile game.
In addition to the new Pokémon GO features, the update will finally add one of the most popular Pokémon to the game.
'Pokémon GO' Adds Quests, Storyline, And Mew
Through an official blog post, Niantic Labs announced the arrival of the long-rumored single-player quests to Pokémon GO. There are two kinds of quests, namely Field Research and Special Research.
Field Research refers to daily quests that can be acquired by interacting with PokéStops. Examples of tasks under Field Research include catching a Pokémon of a certain type, winning Gym battles, and winning Raids.
Special Research, on the other hand, is made up of quests related to a storyline. The tasks under Special Research will come from Professor Willow himself and "will take you on a journey to make important discoveries," injecting a single-player story into the mobile game.
Both kinds of quests will give players rewards upon completion, which will include useful items and encounters with certain Pokémon. Players are allowed to complete as many quests as they can daily, with harder tasks promising better rewards.
In addition, Pokémon GO players will be able to earn one Stamp per day after completing a Field Research task. Once a player has seven Stamps, they will receive a Research Breakthrough that will lead to greater rewards.
"You may even have an encounter with a Legendary Pokémon!" the blog post wrote.
The Legendary Pokémon that Niantic Labs is referring to is Mew. While the 151st Pokémon was not mentioned by name, its appearance in the graphic accompanying the blog post should be enough confirmation that it is finally being added to Pokémon GO nearly two years after its launch.
Will 'Pokémon GO' Quests Bring Back Players?
The Field Research and Special Research features are the biggest additions to the mobile game since the introduction of Pokémon GO Raids in June last year. While Raids added a new multiplayer mode for Pokémon GO, Field Research and Special Research will provide structure to the single-player experience.
Currently, Pokémon GO players rely on their own goals, including which Pokémon to capture, which Gyms to attack, and which Raid battles to join. With the introduction of daily quests, players will have specific reasons to log in to the mobile daily.
It remains to be seen if the Field Research and Special Research features, along with the arrival of Mew, will push old players to fire up their Pokémon GO app once again. The wait to find out will not be long, though, as the daily quests will be added later this week.
