After years of waiting, Kecleon has appeared in Pokémon GO. It’s not particularly helpful, but it’s still one of the most exciting monsters in the game – thanks to its special release. The game could use more of that, says MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.
One of the longest-running discussions and guesswork in Pokémon GO history has come to an end: “When is Kecleon coming?”, “How does Kecleon end up in the game?” and similar questions were finally answered with Igamaro over the weekend after Community Day.
Now the rare chameleon can be collected by spinning certain PokéStops where it will hide in its invisible form.
This form of Kecleon encounter is quite unique, and there is little that compares to it in Pokémon GO. What’s more, the monster was thrown into the game just like that, without much prior notice – a real surprise given the lengthy discussions.
However, this small feature gives the game a much-needed injection of excitement and surprise. Because even if Kecleon is pretty much useless in the game, it will be remembered by players. Niantic should keep that in mind – and plan surprises more often.
Kecleon is weak but cool in Pokémon GO
What can Kecleon actually do? If you look at Kecleon in Pokémon GO, it’s relatively uninteresting. As of now, it has no use as a raid attacker, nor is it a viable teammate for Battle League.
In the main games, Kecleon has a special ability called Color Change, which transforms it into whatever type of attack hits it. Another hidden ability called Transfiguration works in the opposite direction, turning it into the type of attack it uses.
However, these abilities do not exist in Pokémon GO, which means that it loses a good part of its special position. All that remains in the memories of the players is the long-standing hype surrounding Kecleon and the ultimate release of the monster.
But it has already achieved much more than many other monsters.
Special releases like Kecleon breathe life into Pokémon GO – more of this, please
Do you remember the release of Meltan in Pokémon GO? When everyone was suddenly wondering what that blob is crawling around on the map? Or the not so long ago release of Gierspenst, which suddenly followed you and sent you on a coin hunt?
Kecleon will also fit into that line for me, even though it doesn’t really have anything in the game: as a special monster that doesn’t feel as interchangeable as many of the other Pokémon in the game that don’t have a place on players’ attacking teams .
And above all: As a monster that managed to surprise me and create a memory. Unfortunately, many of the Pokémon in the game simply act as gap fillers that you catch once for the PokéDex entry and then ignore them.
For example, do you remember the release of, say, Eguana? Not me. Each new release is actually an opportunity to generate curiosity.
What makes Kecleon better? At Kecleon, the game managed to give a monster a personality, giving it the ability to stick in players’ minds. Simply by making the release itself a surprise and giving it a special feature.
Most Pokémon get an “event” for the release, or at least celebrate their release within a special event. The Kecleon surprise, on the other hand, was something really special. A Kecleon find should have been a pleasant surprise, especially for players who had not previously heard any announcement or similar.
Given that Pokémon GO no longer brings waves of monsters these days, but instead only releases new monsters one at a time, this is a system that Niantic should use more often.
Imagine a new ground monster burrowing through the ground and you have to catch it digging in the wild before it dives. Or a new Flying Pokémon will dash across the screen instead of just flapping around in one spot.
If a Pokemon can’t do anything, at least make it cool. This definitely encourages the desire to go out and discover new monsters.
A second opinion: My MeinMMO colleague Franzi Korittke also had a few thoughts on the release of Kecleon:
Survey for the Kecleon release in Pokémon GO
We want to know from you: What do you think of the Kecleon release? Take part in our survey:
How do you see the Kecleon release? Was it a cool surprise for you, or did it rather disappoint your expectations after all these years? Did you expect your own event? And what do you think of the monster itself? Tell us in the comments!
By the way: If Kecleon doesn’t appear with you, Team Rocket can play a role. Here you can find out everything about the problems with Kecleon and the Rocket Radar.