"Thank you Niantic": Pokemon GO fan mocks devs over A Mystic Hero event

Pokemon GO developer Niantic has been embroiled in a fair share of controversy lately, and it appears that the latest "A Mystic Hero" event has further upset some fans. Due to the recent changes it made to remote raiding, the company has received plenty of pushback in the last few months.

In a Reddit post on April 12, 2023, a player by the name of Jlinnenkamp20 lampooned the "A Mystic Hero" event for not having any wild Pokemon spawns and explicitly railroading players into doing research tasks for a Lapras with an accessory.

Jlinnenkamp's post sarcastically skewering Pokemon GO's "A Mystic Hero" event (Image via u/Jlinnenkamp20/Reddit)

The title read, "Thank you Niantic for such an amazing 4 day event with no wild spawns," while also sarcastically quipping about how much the company "cares for the people who play their game."

Pokemon GO Redditors voiced their own criticisms and concerns in the comments section.

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Pokemon GO Redditors react to "A Mystic Hero" and its perceived lack of content

Typically, major events in Pokemon GO implement their own pool of wild Pokemon spawns alongside new research tasks, raids, and other content.

A Mystic Hero primarily introduces new research tasks and a Special Research Story surrounding Blanche's studies on Pokemon evolution. However, Lapras has been advertised as the flagship reward for the event, which is odd considering it can't evolve and doesn't seem to fit the theme (minus the fact that it has an accessory inspired by Blanche's in-game costume).

In Jlinnenkamp's Reddit post, many Pokemon GO fans criticized the event, with some players remarking that they were boycotting the event due to Niantic's recent changes to remote raiding. These changes spurred on the #HearUsNiantic campaign by players and prominent content creators, but Niantic has so far refused to budge on its overall plans for the mobile title.

Pokemon GO fans criticize Lapras' inclusion and the technical glitches that have appeared in-game (Image via u/Jlinnenkamp/Reddit)

Many fans also pointed out that there appear to be technical bugs in the game, though they may have appeared before A Mystic Hero began. Trainers complained of Blanche T-posing during scenes or the game completely freezing when attempting to access the Special Research Story.

Fans of the game lamented that it was clear that Niantic wasn't putting much love or effort into this particular event. Some players also remarked that the developer had essentially "checked out" after the latest controversy.

This contention comes on the heels of the nerf to remote raiding as well as Pokecoin item price increases and reduced Community Day time windows.

Given all that has happened in recent months surrounding Pokemon GO, it isn't unreasonable to think that players have begun to believe that Niantic isn't putting forward its best efforts when it comes to the content schedule and direction of the game at large.

Fans continue to voice their objections to Pokemon GO's A Mystic Hero event (Image via u/Jlinnenkamp20/Reddit)

Other fans pointed out that a lone Lapras is hardly worth the effort on its own. A Mystic Hero does offer trainers the chance to catch a shiny Lapras with a Blanche-inspired accessory in Pokemon GO, but they can only encounter it once.

Unless trainers are exceptionally lucky, the chances of them finding this shiny on their first try are vanishingly small. This is especially true since Lapras isn't included as a wild Pokemon spawn in the event and hasn't appeared in raids either, minimizing trainers' chances substantially.

Fans on this particular Reddit thread didn't believe a lone Lapras was worth the effort (Image via u/Jlinnenkamp20/Reddit)

Unfortunately, if the recent months are any indication, Niantic doesn't appear to be willing to hear out the community's criticisms. If it is, it isn't inclined to make changes based on critique from the playerbase.

Despite the upheaval by many members of the mobile title's community, the company seems to be tuning things out and making decisions as it sees fit. Some might question the wisdom of this decision.

Unfortunately, Niantic appears to be pushing forward regardless of the negative reception of some events and gameplay changes.