Pokémon GO Finally Re-Enables Weather VFX After 5 Months
Developer Niantic has brought weather-related visual effects back to Pokémon GO following the feature's removal last year. The mobile alternate reality game lets players explore their actual neighborhoods in order to find, battle and collect digital pocket monsters. The game used to accurately reflect an area's real-world weather conditions, which inspired the Pokémon GO Weather Week event back in March 2021, but this feature was sadly removed in December of last year.
As an alternate reality game, Pokémon GO strives to get gamers out of the house by transforming their surroundings into a Pokémon habitat. The game's map is a geographical representation of the player's community, allowing pocket monsters to appear in parks, on sidewalks or near other public areas. PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms are also important parts of the game, with PokéStops attracting wild Pokémon and Gyms letting players face off in online battles. Pokémon GO places PokéStops and Gyms at real-world landmarks like libraries or parks, increasing immersion and creating a sense of community. In-game events, like the Pokémon GO Weather Week Rayquaza Raid, also help make the game an ever-evolving experience.
Related: Pokémon GO's In-Person Community Days Punish Rural Players
After the feature was disabled in December 2021, Niantic Support (via Twitter) has announced that weather-related visual effects are returning to Pokémon GO. The immersive VFX were apparently causing a bug last year, so they were temporarily removed while the developer investigated the issue. Gamers never expected the fix to take five months, but now players can once again see the local weather reflected on their in-game map. The weather effects are purely visual, but they go a long way
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