Remember the Pokémon Go launch, around this time last year? Huge tattooed guys were squeeing over the Jigglypuff they’d caught; it was a magical time to be alive. Yesterday, Magikarp Jump hit mobile devices, and it wants to get in on some of that action, too.
Granted, this one isn’t quite up there with Go, but as simplistic as the core idea is (the Magikarp that jumps the highest wins), there’s a lot going on under the surface that players could easily overlook. To ensure you kick off your adventures with the world’s most craptastic Pokémon the right way, then, check out some of our quick tips.
First up, your little guy or gal eats way more food than you’d think. You’ll spend a lot of your time with Magikarp Jump in the pond, tapping furiously on fallen berries to eat them. Pokémon staple berries like Rindo and Wacan each give you a different amount of experience (JP), so you’ll want to unlock and upgrade them as soon as you can. Watch out for rare appearances from legendary Pokémon like Manaphy and tap them quickly to trigger a food frenzy, an event where Luvdiscs and Corsolas will mob the screen and drop lots more food.
While food is the most common source of experience, you’ll get your feeble fishy friend the most experience from training. You can train your Magikarp every half an hour, and there’s a little more to it than just headbutting a tree with Tackle. As with the food, you can upgrade Dwebble Push, Timber, Sandbag Slam and the other methods with the coins you win.
Each time you choose to train, you’ll get a randomly-selected little minigame to take part in (well, it’s more of a cutscene), and possibly a cutesy little event with another trainer afterwards. You’ll know if an event has triggered by the text when the training is complete; if your character wants to hurry home before it gets dark you’ll get no bonus, while wanting to stay out in the sun means a possible random encounter or the like. As in the main game, if you meet another trainer and they give you a nugget, sell it ASAP!
Most importantly, it’s not all about Magikarp. You can recruit Poké-pals with diamonds, and their support abilities can be crucial to success. Litten can award JP bonuses, for instance, while Rowlett can grant you a lot of coins. As you progress, exclusive Pals will be given to you for advancing in the league, and they’re all quite powerful. Use them as often as you can, but the opposite applies to the game’s events! They’re a 50/50 gamble, and you never know if the potential reward will be worth the risk. You could get a berry, or you could lose your magikarp to a marauding Pidgeotto! If you’re not feeling lucky, you can choose to ignore the event entirely.
Which brings us to the end of our tips and tricks for beginners. There are a lot of little pointers you can pick up by watching the in-game tip boards, and this is the sort of game that rewards you for doing so. Enjoy your time with the game, and may the odds be ever in your favour!
