Pokémon Go’s buddy feature went live last night for all players, and players are now having fun seeing how their favourite Pokémon look while wandering around the map.
Over the three years of Pokémon Go so far, the game’s creatures have actually remained pretty static. Sure, you can take them out to snap a quick photo, but their animations have remained fairly limited.
Now, each Pokémon can run, fly, flap, or swim around the game’s overworld map. And you can throw berries at them to feed them – leading to some fans being surprised where a few of their Pokémon’s mouths actually are.
Fans are still working out the exact mechanics of how best to level up your Pokémon’s friendship stat – there are 10 hearts to unlock each day through various actions – petting, feeding, taking photos, battling with them on your team, walking with them and spinning a new PokéStop.