Pokémon Go Is Finally Doing Something Right This Halloween

It’s weird how many Pokémon have just never made it to kerbillion-player mobile hit, Pokémon Go. Astonishingly, the game has yet to feature major monsters like Arceus, Naganadel and Silvally, and even the most banal minor names like Phione, Honedge and Blipbug. The gaps in Gen VII are inexplicable. But fortunately, one such enormity is being addressed: at long last, this Halloween, Morpeko is arriving.

The Gen 8 Pikachu-like is wonderful because it represents us all. Morpeko, admittedly one of the more shameless examples of a Pika-clone, has two forms: One is Full Belly Mode, and the other is Hangry Mode. Yes, you feel seen.

Why is it so prone to the major munchies? Because while this flagrant cut-and-paste of Pokémon’s main mascot goes as far as to including it generating electricity in sacs in its cheeks, in Morpeko’s case, this is a major drain on its energy levels, leading to becoming ravenous. And if that appetite isn’t quickly sated, it causes a hormone imbalance that induces a physical transformation—Jekyll & Hyde-style—where its fur and eyes change color, and its mood becomes aggressive and volatile. Or put more simply, when it gets hungry, it gets mad.

Morpeko finally shows up

Come October 22, from 10 a.m. (no matter where you live), Morpeko will finally be appearing in POGO, and brings with it a small tweak to battling. Form changes have been entirely ignored by the mobile app as an element of battles until now, so it’s nice to see it feature. Although it’s pretty much by default, as Morpeko will change form each time you use a Charged Attack, and at first, only when fighting Team Rocket or in the GO Battle League.

Also, while I’m sure Niantic will find a way to charge money for things that happen in the game anyway, you’ll be able to get the monster without paying. Morpeko will be a reward encounter in the GO Battle League, which is free to take part in.

Talking of charging you for things, Niantic’s continued effort to paywall everything that used to just be a nice part of playing Pokémon Go continues, with costumed characters rewarded for Timed Research this Halloween put behind a $2 or $5 ticket. Joy. And, as ever, a bunch of them are recycled. Imagine, Piplup in a pumpkin hat! Drifloon in a boater! Again! (Good lord, I have the same behatted Drifloon and Piplup on my account from 2021. How hard can it possibly be to just draw a different bloody hat?)

Missing in action

Image: The Pokémon Company / Bulbapedia

Other Pokémon that somehow still haven’t been added to the game, some of them released over ten years ago, include Zeraora, Pyukumuku, Volcanion, Corviknight, Nickit, Applin, Wishiwashi, Silicobra, Toxel, Sinistea, and perhaps most egregiously and wrong-headed of all, the best Pokémon of all time (sorry Mantine, you’re my favorite, but you’re not the best), Mimikyu.

Yeah, despite Mimikyu and Pokémon Go both first appearing in 2016, some eight years later, the wonderful, heartbreakingly sad little creature remains just left off the Gen VII Pokédex.

Photo: John Walker / Kotaku

There’s always Halloween 2024 Part 2, I suppose. But I don’t hold out much hope.

.