Pokemon Go Valentines Day event update shows new items

A few extra secrets have been hidden inside the code for the newest Pokemon GO update for Valentine's Day. In addition to the bits and pieces we've already uncovered, the newest build includes new elements for the player as well as new elements in the backpack. These backpack items lead us to believe that some of the features promised by Niantic at the start of the game almost a year ago will be going live soon.

Niantic has been relatively slow to update their mega-popular game Pokemon GO – at least by some standards. Compare how often the game gets new features compared to how often Fire Emblem is updated and it's not even the same sport. This can be largely attributed to the breathing room Niantic has been afforded by the unprecedented success the game has had over the past 9 months.

The company is making "$2412.19 per minute, over $144,731.40 in an hour" according to to Decluttr using Think Gaming data. Regardless of this, they continue to do work behind the scenes. Each time Niantic releases an update to Pokemon GO, even if that update only says "Text Fixes" publicly, there's a lot going on under the surface.

This most recent update, in addition to the many other changes we showed over the weekend, there's a new set of berries. These berries will likely rely on a system similar to that of the Buddy Pokemon. Each set of berries will either be able to be grown or, when they appear, will have a certain percentage of growth.

The "percentage" number shown in each mention of these new sorts of berries likely refers to how likely it is that the player will keep the item in normal gameplay. These berries won't run away. Other percentages relate to how the berries take effect.

1. Razz Berry: The berry we already have in the game multiplies the capture chance for any given Pokemon.

2. Bluk Berry: This new berry is one of several that's appeared in the game code before, but is only now nearly ready to be released. Bluk Berry seems to change the "movement" of the Pokemon encountered, rendering it unable to knock Pokeballs away from a toss.

3. Nanab Berry: Similar to Bluk Berry, this Nanab Berry stops the Pokemon from initiating its "Attack" animation. This has basically the same effect as the previous berry – though both together are likely most effective in stopping a Pokemon from moving almost entirely.

4. Pinap Berry: Similar to the previous two berries on this list, the Pinap Berry will "slow" the target Pokemon down. This likely means that the Pokemon will be far less likely to run away. Think about the Abra, and think about how the Abra always runs away.

5. Wepar Berry: This berry likely opens up the capture circle of the target Pokemon to the largest size it can be. This doesn't necessarily make the Pokemon easier to hit, but does increase the possibility that a hit ball will be an Excellent Throw.

These berries, again, are just part of the full story. This latest set of updates to Pokemon GO lay the groundwork for the future of the game. Gen 2 will be upon us soon – though not terribly soon. Think about the start of Summer, the 1-year mark after the game was launched – perfect to get in gear to start the craze up all over again.