The Pokemon Go Fest 2022 was a disaster. The reason for the analysis is as follows: The first day of the celebration stumbled due to a scarcity of shiny Pokemon and poor implementation.
If the weekend of Pokemon Go Fest 2022 was meant to usher in the Season of Go and establish a larger plot to pique fans’ interest for the summer, it failed terribly.

Niantic’s annual celebration is one of the game’s highlights of the year, but this year’s Go Fest was disappointing on a number of levels. Players had to cope with a glitch that was linked to incense and lures on one hand. Players were left scratching their heads after tapping on incense-specific Pokemon only to discover them had vanished.

The absence of flashy versions for players was the most visible issue and the source of the most complaints. Saturday was a struggle as gamers struggled to obtain these uncommon monsters. I got a good collection of 38 shiny Pokemon after Day 1 last year. This year, the number was reduced to 13.

Part of it can be attributed to random number generators, or chance, and some of it can be attributed to the general organisation of the first-day activities. There was no rhyme or sense to this Pokemon Go Fest, and there was just too much going on. Previous endeavours had a backstory that was backed up by the day’s roster. Players had to catch Kricketot, Bronzong, Loudred, and Jigglypuff during Pokemon Go Fest 2019.

It resulted in a satisfying a-ha moment at the conclusion of the narrative.

Last year’s Go Fest featured a similar musical concept, but players were in charge of forming a band, with costumed Pikachu, Gardevoir, and Vibraza on hand to assist them. The event was connected together by the Pokemon, who were collected in four separate environments. It everything came to a head when Meloetta appeared.

When it came to the habitats for Pokemon Go Fest 2022, rationality was thrown out the window. Meanwhile, Niantic chose to give players additional options when it came to approaching Shaymin’s Special Research, although there’s no logical reason why Klink, Tropius, or Torkoal be engaged in this questline despite being rewards.

Furthermore, by attempting to suit various playstyles, the mission lacked a unified emphasis, contributing to a day filled with Team Go Rocket bouts, raids, and changing habitats that seemed chaotic.

To make matters worse, several of the habitat selections were also illogical. Wingull is a pokemon that lives on steep cliffs near the sea, thus why is it in the Tundra biome? At the very least, Meditite fit with the subject since, according to legend, the monster dwells with Medicham in high and freezing areas. Binacle and Skrelp are two more unusual Rainforest Habitat candidates. Another odd choice was Hitmonchan in the City hours without Hitmonlee.

The whole lineup lacked thematic cohesion, and the pocket monsters offered fell short of what gamers wanted. There were a number of Pokemon with Community Days or activities. Yes, it’s helpful for novices, but aside from Shelmet, Karrablast, Numel, Shroomish, Unown B, and Axew, there wasn’t much new for veterans (and whales) who have played the game for years. That’s not enough, and finding those variations wasn’t easy. I’m embarrassed to confess that it took me more than 30 raids to get my one shiny Axew, and my PokeBall Plus failed badly while I was preoccupied.
All of this combined to create a disconnected and unpleasant experience. Let’s hope that whatever Niantic has planned turns out to be a success.