Pokémon GO Event Review: Inkay Limited Research Day

Last weekend, Niantic kicked off the Season of Light in Pokémon GO with the first single-day event of the Season: Inkay Limited Research Day. This event allowed trainers to spin Pokéstops and obtain event-themed research. When completed, this research would lead to an encounter with Inkay, who had a boosted Shiny rate during the event. Let’s see if this was an exciting way to kick off this Cosmog-themed season of gameplay.

What worked for this Pokémon GO event

• Shiny Inkay: Inkay was a terrific choice for a Limited Research Day, as Inkay has never had its Shiny available previously. I love events like these that challenge us to get out there and play in the real world with real, actual incentive rather than taking away other in-game bonuses. Inkay also has a great Shiny, which made this one a fun hunt.
• Shiny odds: Limited Research Days generally have highly boosted Shiny rates, which makes each encounter that much more fun. I wasn’t able to get Shiny Inkay as easily as my Shiny Cranidos and Shiny Shieldon from the Adventure Week Limited Research event, but this is certainly the kind of event where if you play the entire time, you’re very likely to get a Shiny.
• Event length: I love one-day events and truly appreciate that September is brimming with them with this, Clefairy Commotion, Deoxys Raid Day, and hopefully more.

What didn’t work for this Pokémon GO event

• Funny enough, also event length: While I do like single-day events, this one could’ve easily been six hours in length. Community Day makes more sense at three hours because it’s just a catch-fest, while Limited Research Days have actual tasks that you’ll need to put effort into completing. I’d happily play a Limited Research event for a full day.

Overall

When all is said and done, Inkay Limited Research Day was fun and challenging due to the time constraints. It’s also good for the longterm, as it adds Shiny Inkay and Malamar into the pool of what can be obtained. Unfortunately, Inkay does remain a rare spawn.