An all-new Pokémon experience recently opened in Ginza, Japan and we were lucky enough to get our hands on tickets for the opening day!
The exhibition is titled Pokémon Colors and is a project that aims to have visitors experience four different activities and one installation with Pokémon and… color. Each activity features large, bright screens that display elements unique to each activity or experience. The event had limited tickets costing ¥1000 each (around $10 USD) and visitors could expect to spend around an hour in the venue, not including time browsing the gift shop.
Each of the four activities (and the central installation) all offered unique experiences for visitors and each one had a different way of engaging or interacting with the content on the screens around the room. All of the activities shared the same premise: uncover hidden Pokémon and light up the world with color! Here’s a brief rundown of what each activity involves:
Colors Road
Colors Road was definitely the most popular activity at the event and also the most musical. Visitors had to mount a bike and begin riding down a dull looking road. When they bumped into Pokémon they then had to hit buttons on the bicycle’s handle bars in order to interact with Pokémon and have them fill the world with color.
The further into the course players progressed the faster and more frequently Pokémon appeared, meaning they had to time their button presses to the rhythm more accurately. Once the end of the road was reached, the world exploded with color and a Charizard appeared to greet you.
Colors Lake
Reeling in Pokémon with a fishing rod was the main catch of Colors Lake. Visitors were required cast out their lines into the dull lake ahead and wait for their rods to start rumbling. When it did, reel in the catch and watch the Pokémon at the end of the line fill the lake with color. While the activity wasn’t necessarily rhythm based, there was definitely a sense of rhythm required to quickly fish up as many Pokémon as you can.
Colors Forest
In the Colors Forest were a group of huge balloons, meant to mimic trees. When visitors shook the balloons or hit them, berries and Pokémon fell from the dull trees on screen. The more you shook the trees, the more things fell and more color filled the forest. This was probably the easiest of the activities as it didn’t require any skill, just unleash your inner Hitmonchan and there was no way to fail. At the end of the activity a Bulbasaur fell from a tree and was chased across the forest by a Snorlax.
Colors City
The Colors City started out grey and boring, with a bunch of blocks stacked on top of one another. When visitors began throwing balls at the screen, hidden Pokémon were uncovered and lurked around the city. These Pokémon then began spreading color throughout the city. The more dull blocks that were hit, the more Pokémon appeared.
At the end of the event Mew appeared to greet players.
Colors Circle
The installation in the middle of the venue featured screens that can be poked and prodded to uncover 12 Pokémon hidden within gorgeous swirling colors. 8 of these Pokémon are featured in the events artwork and all of them had unique interactions depending on how visitors touched the screen. At random intervals a large globe in the middle would also explode with color and light up the entire room.
Goods
Of course, it wouldn’t have been Pokémon if there wasn’t a lineup of goods for sale. The Colors merchandise ranged from notebooks and magnets, to T-shirts with designs of the 8 main Pokémon featured in experience. Check out our Instagram for a chance to get your hands on some of the limited goods!
Pokémon Colors felt like a truly “Pokémon” experience and was well worth the entry fee, even if to just see a few favourite Pokémon almost brought to life.
We hope you enjoyed our write-up and video review of the event. Let us know in the comments if you’d like to see us have more coverage of Pokémon experiences direct from Japan!
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