Exploring Pokemon Go's City Safari format in Milan
- Playing together while exploring Milan
- City Safari is a primarily digital experience
- Tons of other trainers flooded the area
It's no secret that I absolutely love Pokemon Go, and whenever they do physical, community events, I get really excited to see a bunch of other fans all together. Their City Safari events started last year, with Barcelona, which doesn't have so many physical activations but instead focuses on exploring different cultures and areas through Pokemon Go.
There were three physical locations within Milan that featured some Pokemon Go-related items, giving trainers a code, stickers and a paper hat if they showed they had purchased a ticket to Go Safari. Otherwise, the rest of the events took place primarily inside the app. The Shiny rate was increased, more stops were about, and there were Pokemon that could only be caught through this specific event. Safari Eevee, featuring a cute hat, could also be captured through a timed event. This version of Eevee was extremely limited and the background of them reflected on Milan - a very cool feature.
Along with Safari Eevee, which could be completed in under an hour if you go to the right location, there were also spawns like Corsola - the version primarily found only in America - and Mudbray (along with its shiny form), which was released specifically for this event. I spent a lot of time catching and focusing on these Pokemon, as I very much wanted to get as many Shinys as possible. Even with catching over 300 Mudbray, I still only got one! It's very much an event focused on catching, though there were plenty of other trainers jumping in Raids or Max battles along the way.
Despite generally playing Pokemon Go, the Go Safari also focuses on showing off new places. The collection of new shops and increased spawns were often around tourist sights. This is such an interesting concept, as you can easily see new areas of countries while also playing your favourite game.
We spent some time by the Doumo and were inspired to go inside, mostly due to how long we spent around it! We also explored the stops around Chinatown, where we also picked up some food. I think that's where Go Safari thrives - it feels like an event you can do at your own pace, exploring areas that interest you.
There was a buzz throughout the city - it was so easy to spot other Pokemon players! I ended up trading a Pokemon you could only get in England with someone who hadn't been previously. It was a fun time and a fantastic structure for checking out a new area of the world.
