Pokemon Go update hides code for new moves, evolution items, and brings us closer to shinies

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While Pokemon Go developer Niantic has gotten better at communicating its future plans for the popular app, some plans remain shrouded in mystery. Case in point: players may have noticed that the app was updated this week, though nothing had noticeably changed. Turns out the update actually added a ton of code, just nothing that's being utilized… yet.

Pokemon Go fan site The Silph Road has a breakdown of what's lurking behind the curtain, and it should excite anyone looking for the game's next *ahem* evolution.

Second, it looks like Pokemon Go is one step closer to making shinies and breeding a reality. The foundation for these features was added in a previous update, but this week's patch adds even more supporting code. Who knows when these features will go live, but it at least looks like they're being actively worked on.

Thirty-eight new moves have also been added, giving trainers who like to battle more options in a fight. The Silph Road says that graphical effects have also been added for several moves, indicating that they're ready to be switched on via a server-side push at a moment's notice.

If you're more into collecting and evolving, you may like to know that code for evolution items - such as the Sun Stone, King's Rock, and Dragon Scale - has also been added. What's interesting is how these items relied on trading (a function currently absent from Pokemon Go) in the main games. For example, the King's Rock was used to evolve Poliwhirl into Politoed and Slowpoke in to Slowking, but only when traded while holding said item.

Obviously Pokemon Go doesn't follow the same rules as the main games, but it would be nice for the long-requested feature of trading to finally be implemented alongside these items.

Lastly, if you've been wanting your trainer avatar to stand out from the crowd, it looks like more customization options are incoming. In addition to current options, the new update adds code for "belt," "glasses," and "necklace" slots.

Yup, looks like Pokemon Go is still go-ing strong.

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Sam Prell
Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.