- Pokémon Go is scaling up with giant-sized Dynamax Pokémon
- Mechanics and Pokémon from Sword and Shield are being introduced for the first time
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Pokémon Go is going big with its next update, scaling its cute, collectable creatures into gigantic monsters through the introduction of the Dynamax mechanic.
A feature previously exclusive to 2019 Nintendo Switch titles Pokémon Sword and Shield, Dynamax is all about spectacle: bigger Pokémon, bigger attacks, and bigger battles.
Go glossed over the feature at the time, as well as most of Sword and Shield’s new Pokémon themselves, and later introduced Pokémon from subsequent Switch titles Legends: Arceus, Scarlet and Violet instead.
This resulted in Go having more species of Pokémon on offer than any main series game, but the mobile game still had a distinctly 2019-shaped hole in its catalogue, which Niantic finally intends to fill five years later.
Go gets giga-sized
Pokémon Go: Max Out is the latest season kickstarting on September 3rd, encouraging players to “go out, go big, go wild”.
Sword and Shield fan-favourites Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble will be making their debut, as will version mascots Zacian and Zamazenta – Legendary Pokémon embodying sword and shield motifs.
In the latest trailer, the new Dynamax mechanic was shown off via old classics Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise, suddenly giga-sized through the influence of Max Particles and Power Spots.
Of course, being a geolocation-based game, Go will task players with finding these Power Spots in the real world, guided by their in-game maps on the hunt for Dynamax Pokémon.
And getting their hands on some Godzilla-sized monsters, players will be able to participate in Go’s first-ever Max Battles, scaling up combat so soon after the hyper-competitive tournament at Worlds.
“Breaking news: Dynamax Pokémon are emerging in Pokémon Go! Reports indicate that they are appearing at mysterious new Power Spots being discovered across the globe. Rally your friends to take on new Max Battles, catch these mighty Pokémon, and unlock the power of newly discovered Max Particles,” the Pokémon Go team said.
As Sword and Shield were heavily inspired by the United Kingdom, Go is rewarding UK residents with an exclusive Pokémon spawn in Stonjourner, a rock-like creature based on Stonehenge; once again, Niantic finds a way to leverage the unique opportunities of location-based play.
As mobile game makers continue to encourage web shops over in-game purchases, Niantic also hopes to get players migrating. A Max Particle bundle designed to give spenders a head start with the Dynamax mechanic will be sold exclusively on its online store.
