This time last year, a channel on Twitch created something of a phenomenon. It was an emulator of Pokémon Red, but instead of watching someone play the game, viewers could control the character by entering a command in the chat window, such as A or START. It was something of a mess at first, but soon turned into a chaotically beautiful adventure. And now, it’s back and better than ever.

The last time this was done, the game was completed after about three weeks. It’s hard to fathom, but the Pokémon mob actually managed to obtain every badge. This time, the stakes are even higher. The goal is to catch all 151 Pokémon. After the first 30 hours, the player has obtained three.

Twitch Plays Pokémon uses a slightly-modified version of the game that allows all Pokémon to appear. This will allow the player to catch Mew and the other otherwise-unobtainable Pokémon. There are also certain parts of the game where a “Democracy Mode” is enabled. This lets users vote on which move should be entered next. This is crucial for areas like the Team Rocket hideout where the player must make very specific movements to be able to proceed.

All in all, it looks we’re in for another thrilling (and lengthy) ride. If it took three weeks to finish the game before, it could easily take several months to catch even half of the total number of Pokémon. The game runs 24/7 and is open to anyone, so feel free to go make your inputs heard!

My Opinion:

I remember watching this last year, and I couldn’t believe all the shenanigans that happened. Like the time when a level 36 Venomoth defeated a level 62 Dragonite because the code in the original game kept Dragonite from attacking Poison-type Pokémon. Good times. Here’s hoping this year’s run has just as many memorable moments!

Benjamin Luthi is an Associate Writer for MONG who wishes he could go to the Mushroom Kingdom for realsies. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.