'Pokémon Go' celebrates Halloween with limited-time bonuses
Whether you're still an active Pokémon Go hunter or you've scaled back in recent months, you might want to check in for Halloween.
The popular alternate reality mobile game from Ingress developer Niantic Labs will host a Halloween event starting Oct. 26. During the week-long activity -- it ends on Nov. 1 -- players can expect to earn bonus candy and find a greater number of certain Pokémon.
Trainers can expect to find spookier Pokémon in greater numbers during the event. Drowzee, Gastly, Gengar, Golbat, Haunter, Hypno and Zubat are all pegged for "increased global encounters."
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Yes, we all have roughly one million Zubats each, but the rest are pretty exciting, right?
Any Pokémon caught during the event -- spooky or not -- will also earn the capturing Trainer six candies, double the normal amount. Pokémon Go candy is necessary for either leveling up or evolving any creature you've captured.
The candy bonus extends to the payout players receive from their professor when they donate excess Pokémon to science. You'll receive two candies (instead of one) for every Pokémon you give to a professor.
Buddy Pokémon rewards will also get a boost. Instead of receiving one, measly piece of candy when you walk your assigned Buddy for a kilometer, you'll receive four.
Pokémon Go was a big deal when it launched in July, but interest has waned in recent months. The game got off to a strong start for giving Pokémon fans a way to live the dream of being a trainer, but the relatively simple and straightforward AR experience didn't evolve (no pun intended) fast enough.
This Halloween event could reignite interest, if only for the candy bonuses. Pokémon Go is the biggest barrier to progression in the game, so increasing the amount that players receive could encourage them to get back into regular play.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
