5 Pokemon GO highlights from Mythical Wishes (Season 9)

Pokemon GO's Mythical Wishes season is set to conclude on March 1, 2023, and players are likely to experience a range of emotions as the ninth season draws to a close. Some may have had positive experiences during the season, while others may have encountered setbacks and challenges. As the event draws to a close, players are likely reflecting on their experiences and memories from the season, including moments of joy, frustration, and everything in between.

As the season comes to an end, it's worth taking a moment to reflect on some of the most impactful moments of Mythical Wishes. While the season may have been challenging for some, it's important to acknowledge the achievements and milestones reached by players throughout the two-month event. With Pokemon GO's tenth season on the horizon, players have a lot to look forward to.

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Moments that defined Pokemon GO's Mythical Wishes Season

1) Permanent improvements to Pokestops and Incense

Pokestops and Incense were improved in Pokemon GO's Mythical Wishes (Image via Niantic)

Prior to the ninth season of Pokemon GO, Pokestops and Incense were considered functional, but there was room for improvement. Although Niantic didn't make any major changes, there were still noticeable improvements. Pokestop spins now guarantee that trainers will receive gifts along with their item drops, while Incense is now more effective when the player is moving.

These are small but important changes to help players stay engaged in gameplay by ensuring they can continue to open gifts solo if needed. Additionally, the improved capacity of Incense should keep trainers moving by rewarding them for doing so.

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2) New mega evolutions

Mega Gardevoir was only one major Mega Evolution inclusion in Mythical Wishes (Image via Niantic)

Mega Evolved Pokemon have been a fan-favorite feature in Pokemon GO since their introduction, and Mythical Wishes season brought even more of them to the game. In this season, Hoenn's trio of starter Pokemon - Blaziken, Sceptile, and Swampert - finally received their Mega Evolutions, and they quickly became some of the most powerful Mega Evolutions in the game's PvE meta. Along with other fan favorites like Glalie, Gardevoir, and Salamence, the trio of starters proved to be a major highlight of the season for many players.

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3) Paywalling controversies

Keldeo's paywall was something of a red flag for the rest of Pokemon GO's ninth season (Image via Niantic)

It's no secret that Niantic's goal with Pokemon GO is to generate revenue, but the Mythical Wishes season has left many trainers feeling disappointed. One of the main complaints was the amount of content locked behind microtransactions. The arrival of Keldeo was one such example, but the increased prices and reduced rewards for event tickets, limited research, and item bundles and boxes were other topics of contention.

Coupled with the decline in access to Remote Raid Passes, some trainers felt excluded if they were unwilling or unable to pay real-world currency for events or other parts of gameplay.

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4) Primal reversion

Arguably one of Pokemon GO's most significant inclusions in quite some time, Primal Reversion was rolled out as part of the Hoenn Tour event. With this newfound power, Groudon and Kyogre were able to enter their primal forms originally featured in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Though this ability is comparable to Mega Evolution, it is a distinct evolutionary ability currently exclusive to Hoenn's first two Legendary Pokemon.

Despite being exclusive to only two Pokemon, Primal Reversion has been well-received by the Pokemon GO community. The immense power boost that Groudon and Kyogre receive from the transformation has made them even more formidable in battles.

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5) Hoenn Tour Las Vegas' flawed rollout

Pokemon GO's most recent in-person event was rife with issues (Image via Niantic)

The controversy surrounding the Hoenn Tour event will likely be remembered by many Pokemon GO players for some time. The event began with a live kickoff in Las Vegas, but almost immediately, trainers were hit with in-game performance issues ranging from the inability to access raids to game crashes. While Niantic did eventually release a patch to address these issues, it was well into the three-day in-person event, and many players were left feeling frustrated and demanding answers.

According to Niantic, the issues were caused by an overload of local cell towers. To alleviate the problem, they asked players who hadn't purchased tickets for the event to refrain from playing in the public park where the main aspect of the event was being staged. However, since the park was open to the public, this request was mostly ignored.

For trainers who paid a significant amount of money to travel to Las Vegas for the event, the issues were particularly upsetting. Many fans pointed fingers at Niantic for not thinking about the potential for non-pass holders to attend the event. There were also many players who spoofed their devices to participate in the event.

It's important that Niantic learns from the problems that arose during the Hoenn Tour kickoff, as many players may be hesitant to travel to future events given what transpired over that weekend.