Over the years, Pokemon Go has seen its fair share of changes. And while some of them have genuinely helped the game remain relevant, others have been met with pushback from players. And few Pokemon Go updates have infuriated fans quite like its controversial avatar redesign. After several years of the same look, 2024’s Rediscover Go campaign gave us a new take on the Pokemon Go avatar. Over a year later, fans are still mad about it. But a recent update to Pokemon Go somehow made these avatars even worse, forcing players to seek out a solution.
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The new avatar designs sparked backlash from fans who dislike the dough-like appearance of the new versions. Though they do allow for more body diversity, there is something a little Human Ditto about the overall effect, especially when it comes to the avatar’s new facial expressions. And that’s where the big leveling update that recently arrived in Pokemon Go had an unexpected downside. Not only did it leave our bags full to bursting, it also introduced a new animation that may haunt our nightmares more than Darkrai. Luckily, players have found a simple way to avoid this cursed experience while playing Pokemon Go.
Pokemon Go Players Insist On Covering Up That Creepy XP Gain Grin
Following the big leveling update in Pokemon Go, the XP curve has been reworked. The new level cap is 80, not 50, and the process of getting there has been adjusted to balance the flow. The level-up challenges remain in place, but have seen some tweaks. And then, there’s what happens when you gain XP from things like hatching your new Daily Adventure Egg in Pokemon Go. This now comes with an animation where your avatar gives a strained, closed-lip smile that really highlights the Play-Doh vibes of that 2024 avatar redesign. And fans are going out of their way to avoid having to look at it.
Pokemon Go player jake_rawr_meow has taken a slightly extreme approach to cover up that “cursed grin.” But while this particular look may well be just as haunting, the basic idea is solid. In fact, many trainers in the comments are chiming in to admit they, too, use masks in Pokemon Go to avoid seeing this particular animation.
The comments are full of avatars wearing face masks, from the basic medical mask to more elaborate masks like Giratina or Banette. Clearly, many Pokemon Go players are covering up their in-game faces to avoid seeing this new XP animation. Of course, some avatars have been sporting face coverings ever since the rework introduced the new look. But if you haven’t been avoiding that face now, seeing it in this haunting pop-up might inspire you to start.
The cursed grin isn’t the only reason players don’t like this new feature, though. While the mask can cover up the unsettling animation, it doesn’t mask the sense of sadness that comes from watching that bar barely move.
As this commenter points out, the pop-up itself mainly seems to be there to encourage you to use a Lucky Egg. That’s because generally speaking, the bar “flashes white momentarily before failing to budge.” With your avatar smiling menacingly at you, Pokemon Go begs you to use up your Lucky Eggs to make that bar move, all the while hoping you’ll wind up needing more Poke Coins to replenish your stock.
At the end of the day, this animation is a minor flaw in a game many players still log into daily. But the humor behind trying to avoid it all costs points out the fact that many Pokemon Go fans would still like to see a rework for the unfortunate avatar design change. For now, there’s always finding a fun new mask to sport in the game to cover up as you head out for your next Shiny hunt.
Does your avatar have a face mask to cover up that cursed smile? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Paramount+
