Pokemon GO

the upcoming Pokemon-themed augmented reality app , shines light on a different side of being a Pokemon Master. We met with developer Niantic, known for AR game Ingress , on the pier in San Francisco to take a walking tour of the app.We saw a lot of Pokemon GO on our tour, and we also got a closer look at one of San Francisco’s most gorgeous areas with a Slowpoke or two to show us the way. Read on to see how our first real-life Pokemon adventure unfolded.

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11:00 am — The Journey Begins

11:10 am — Step One: Put the Phone Down

11:15 am — The Tall Grass

Pokemon-Go-Screens-June-2016 25 IMAGES

11:20 am — A City Slowpoke Appeared!

11:25 am — The First Gym Battle

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11:30 am — Who's That Pokemon?

We peer down at the Pokemon GO app in person for the first time. It’s a little embellished GPS — we can see the curve of San Francisco’s The Embarcadero and the Bay Bridge jutting out into the distance. Looking up, it’s a beautiful day filled with joggers and dogs. Looking back down, it’s those same San Francisco streets near the IGN office that we’re already familiar with, except they’re peppered with blue markers called Poke Stops. These Poke Stops are based on real-world locations, like art installations, parks, and monuments, that are easily accessible to the public. The location data comes from Ingress, and much of that data comes from real people giving feedback about where they live. We set off toward a nearby Poke Stop along The Embarcadero.Pokemon GO has a power-saving feature, so we can turn the phone upside-down to keep the app running without occupying all of our battery or attention. It'll vibrate if we get close to something important, so we’re not walking with our eyes on the phone. Instead, we’re looking around, chatting about how hatching Eggs works (you have to actually walk for varying distances, currently measured in kilometers). That’s one of developer Niantic’s goals for Pokemon GO — for you to explore your city and interact with people. The app is supplementary to our walk, not the constant focus of it... Though we do have a lot of questions. No, you can't cheat and get on a bike or drive around to hatch eggs.We reach the Poke Stop — a park area close by — and flip a coin in the app to get some items. It could be Potions or Eggs or any number of things, but this time, it’s Poke Balls. We lucked out, because when we switch to the GPS screen, we see a Slowpoke nearby. We learn that Pokemon appear based on the real-world ecology of where you are, so the Bay is home to a lot of Water-types, and we start planning pretend vacations to visit friends in other countries and catch different Pokemon. If Kangaskhan is found in the Safari Zone in the games, then how far do we have to go to get one? Niantic doesn’t have a direct answer, but we think a safari vacation sounds pretty fun (and expensive). Maybe someday...We find the Slowpoke on the sidewalk by holding up the phone. It’s a small thing, seeing a Pokemon hanging out in front of a bridge I pass by every day, but it’s that childhood Pokemon fantasy come to life. Pokemon GO isn’t about intense training or breeding or making the perfect team; it feels much more like setting out on my own Pokemon adventure for real this time. We don’t even have to battle the Slowpoke to catch it, instead flicking the screen at the right speed and angle to throw a Poke Ball. I’m seeing San Francisco like I’ve never seen it before. I take the train to work most days and barely stop to look around me, but now, I’m really appreciating the beauty of the trees and parks by the water and the feeling of exploring a street I’ve only seen through a scratched-up light rail window. I'm not rushing to get to a destination like I do in my real life and in my Pokemon playthroughs, and I realize that's exactly how Niantic wants it to be.We reach Cupid’s Span, a large art installation of a bow. This isn’t a Poke Stop but a Gym, and in order to take control of it (sort of like capturing an objective), we have to challenge the Pokemon guarding it. We have two phones with Pokemon GO, so we team up, both fighting the Gym’s stationed Grimer simultaneously. Battles in Pokemon GO aren’t turn-based, and at first it’s weird to just tap the screen until the opposing Pokemon faints. It’s an intentional choice, though. You’re not supposed to look at the phone for long, and this battle style is meant to be quicker. Pokemon have only two moves, so there's not much traditional strategy to it. It's not like using an overleveled Pokemon in the main games, though; it doesn't feel like I just spammed the A button until the Gym Leader ran out of Pokemon. The satisfaction comes not from the battle but the act of taking the objective from one team and holding it for whichever of the three you choose at the start. In that way, we're playing a very different Pokemon game... except that setting out on an adventure to find a Pokemon Gym is incredibly familiar.After the battle, there’s an unexpected surprise: We’ve walked enough to hatch an Egg. It's a Pikachu! It's a fitting end to our short tour — Pokemon GO might deviate from the Pokemon formula significantly, in structure and platform and overall goal, but it's still Pokemon at its core. I have a lot of questions going forward (how trading would work, for one), but so far, Pokemon GO embraces the spirit of friendship and journeying that is key to what Pokemon is. As someone mired in the ins and outs of IVs and battle strats, I'm excited to go back to the joy of adventure.

Kallie Plagge actually pursued a degree in organic chemistry in the hopes of making Pokemon real. This is the closest she's ever gotten to it. Follow her on Twitter @inkydojikko for cute things, FPS adventures, and Pokemon everything.