This weekend’s brilliant Gimmighoul reveal in Pokémon Go showcased the app’s continuing ability to bring together fans in a moment of shared surprise.
Why are PokéStops now golden? What is this little goblin doing following me? Oh wow, this professor is from the new Scarlet and Violet games? Are all questions I had.
Now, Pokémon Go maker Niantic has laid down the details of how Gimmighoul will actually be caught – even as questions continue about its mysterious golden coins.
Gimmighoul in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
In a similar manner to how Meltan was used to promote Pokémon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee, Gimmighoul will be available for Pokémon Go players to catch once you link the mobile app to a Switch copy of the new games.
But this functionality won’t arrive at launch for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – which is now just over a week away on 18th November. Instead, fans will have to be patient for an update due in 2023.
There’s another difference here, too. Gimmighoul comes in two versions – one each for Pokémon Go and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. In the latter games, the little goblin creature can only be caught inside a treasure chest-like shell. In the former, he can be caught while roaming.
In the meantime, Pokémon Go continues to feature gold-coloured PokéStops where players will receive a quick conversation with the game’s hunky professor Willow and his pal Jacq, from Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region. (It’s the first time Pokémon Go has presented a conversation in this way, via a kind of holo-message, and was another nice surprise.)
How I encountered Willow and Jacq.
Spinning these gold PokéStops will cause a miniature Gimmighoul to appear in-game, who will run around and follow you as you walk. Tapping on the creature won’t let you catch it yet, however. Instead, it will offer up a little speech bubble showing a mysterious coin.
Gold PokéStops have a chance of dropping these mysterious gold coins – as well as a more generous helping of items than normal, including rarer items like Max Revives.
Gimmighoul (on the right).
For now, the gold coins are just sitting in players’ inventories.
“A coin with a mysterious air,” the item’s description reads. “It seems to have originated in the Paldea region.”
Datamining of the game suggests you can hold up to 100 of these coins at once, although their use is not yet clear. I’ve found 14 so far, and am still collecting them – here’s hoping they’re useful.
Perhaps, once the Scarlet/Violet link-up is active, you’ll pay a gold coin to use the feature and catch a Gimmighoul for yourself? Professor Willow will tell us more soon enough.
