Pokemon GO has remained one of the most popular mobile games on the market today. Riding in on a wave of hype during its initial release in the summer of 2016, Pokemon GO has maintained a dedicated player base that continues to explore all the new game has to offer. Developer Niantic has also aided the game’s growth by adding a bevy of new features and content that wasn’t initially available during the game’s launch period, turning it into the definitive Pokemon experience.

One notable feature that was added to the game following its launch was the Adventure Effect feature in Pokemon battles. These effects allow Pokemon to receive temporary buffs and bonuses based on what attacks they use in battles. While this is a great feature, it feels like one that could use a bit of refining, and Niantic could benefit from making some changes and additions to the mechanic.

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Pokemon GO Adventure Effects Could Offer Greater Benefits

Pokemon GO Shouldn’t Limit Adventure Effects To Legendary Pokemon

Currently, Adventure Effects in Pokemon GO are only available to certain Legendary Pokemon. The only Pokemon that benefit from this feature are the Origin Formes of Dialga and Palkia, along with the Dusk Mane and Dark Wing versions of Necrozma. Thus, beyond the limited selection of Pokemon that feature Adventure Effects, all three of them are among the most powerful and most difficult-to-obtain creatures in the game.

It’s great that these effects are available for Legendary Pokemon, as allowing these ultra-powerful Pokemon to become even more deadly makes them more enjoyable to play with. With that said, it’s particularly frustrating that such a unique mechanic is limited to an incredibly small number of Pokemon, specifically a trio of Pokemon that are incredibly rare and hard to capture. It feels like this is a mechanic that can be used for more than just three unique critters.

Adventure Effects Could Be Scaled Down In Pokemon GO

If Niantic wanted to create a greater variety of Pokemon to give Adventure Effects to, the team could start by allowing fully-evolved Starter Pokemon and pseudo-Legendary Pokemon to use them. It’s understandable that not every Pokemon would be able to use them – especially Pokemon that are perceived as being "weaker" – but Adventure Effects clearly offer a greater benefit to powerful mons. Thus, if Niantic added Adventure Effects for Pokemon outside of the “Legendary” threshold, it would cast a wider net and allow more players to take advantage of them.

Of course, if the worry is about Adventure Effects being too powerful, Niantic could offer a more scaled-down version of them for non-Legendary Pokemon. Whether that’s by lowering the benefits of each Pokemon’s effects or offering similar buffs for a shorter duration, Niantic could pare down Adventure Effects to allow more creatures to gain them. This would help create far more gameplay variation than what is currently offered in Pokemon GO.

If Niantic wanted to create a greater variety of Pokemon to give Adventure Effects to, the team could start by allowing fully-evolved Starter Pokemon and pseudo-Legendary Pokemon to use them.

Legendary Pokemon Or Not, Adventure Effects Need More

Even if Niantic wants to stick to offering Adventure Effects to Legendary Pokemon, there should still be a greater number of Legendaries with these effects. Offering Adventure Effects to Dialga and Palkia was fitting given that the feature was introduced during the Sinnoh event, but since then, two forms of the same Pokemon have been the only ones to receive these buffs. Even if Adventure Effects remain geared toward the "hardcore" player, Niantic could still offer so much more variation if they choose to expand on them.

Pokemon GO’s Adventure Effects are an interesting part of the game, but Niantic could certainly add more to them in the future. A greater number of Pokemon would help create more varied gameplay, and the opportunity to offer Adventure Effects to non-Legendary Pokemon opens the feature up to more players. Niantic can take this gameplay buff and expand on it even further for a more well-rounded gameplay experience.