Insane Pokemon Go Route has fans questioning Niantic’s “thorough checks”

❘ Published: 2023-10-20T03:33:57

The Pokemon Company

Pokemon Go’s oft-maligned Routes feature is supposed to be vetted by Niantic. One player’s screenshot on Twitter has people wondering if that’s really true.

Pokemon Go is in the midst of its 2023 spooky season and the Halloween and Eerie Echoes Timed Research Events have caused an explosion of Ghost-type Pokemon. One thing that’s scarier to players than Ghost-types is Pokemon Go’s Routes.

The mechanic has caused a lot of frustrations in the Pokemon Go community from baffling daily limits to the notoriously difficult Zygarde grind. These limitations are a big part of the reason the world’s first 100% complete Zygarde was such an impressive feat.

Now players have discovered one of the most bizarre Pokemon Go Routes we’ve seen yet. Twitter user BossDokins posted a screenshot of the Route which has elicited some confusion from players.

This one goes straight into my folder for reference when Niantic insist they do careful thorough checks pic.twitter.com/iUEQbiT05Z
— BossDokins (@BossDokins) October 19, 2023

See, the truly strange thing about this Route is that it exists at all. Niantic have claimed to heavily moderate the creation and publication of Pokemon Go Routes on their FAQ page for the mechanic.

The aptly named Noodley Labrinth featured in the screenshot is a winding 20-kilometer-long mess that appears to cross multiple residences despite rules against it. “This one goes straight into my folder for reference when Niantic insists they do careful thorough checks,” BossDokins sardonically captioned.

When another user in the comments replied they wanted to “walk” the Route, @BossDokins was quick to point out the various buildings it passed through. “I think you would need a bulldozer to be able to follow this,” they quipped. “Or the ability to fly.”

Others found humor in the Route and praised the creator for the work that must have gone into it. “It is 20km of effort whichever way you look at it,” BossDokins conceded.

Routes in Pokemon Go are the only place you can farm Zygarde cells so 20km is a no-go.

Despite the effort, it is in clear violation of Niantic’s limitations on Route creation and a pretty flagrant one at that. Many users commenting on the incident have also called Niantic’s moderation into question.

We definitely don’t recommend braving the Noodley Labrinth but we do have plenty of other Pokemon Go recommendations in our massive list of guides.