Meet Trevor, Our Pet Magikarp

Magikarp is a famously terrible Pokémon. Yes, with a lot of work, it can evolve into a mighty Gyrados, but most players who have encountered Magikarp will be more than familiar with its original, meeker form.

And yet, that undeniable awfulness is why Magikarp is so loved—adored enough for The Pokémon Company to build a whole game around it. Your task? Raise and train a string of Magikarps to become the highest jumpers in the land. Our current one is called Trevor. Here’s why we can't stop playing it:

Your Magikarp’s home is where a lot of the action happens. Swipe to have a look around, tap on the floating food, feed your new pet, and then decorate the place. Other Pokémon drop by too, which means a boost to your stats.

In between feeding sessions, your task is to turn your Magikarp into a champion jumper. Training initially consists of flapping up against a sandbag or jump counter. Later, they’ll push a Dwebble along a beach a little bit or repeatedly hop into a tree. It’s all pleasingly strange.

Once your new pal is properly fed and trained, you battle other Trainers’ Magikarp, which is not as intense as it sounds—you just press a button to make them jump and see if they leap higher than their rival. Simple, but surprisingly tense.

After some training sessions and jumping contests, you’re presented with a 50/50 choice: play it safe or risk your pet’s demise in exchange for some more XP. You read that right—this is life or death stuff.

Continue training your Pokémon while keeping it out of harm’s way, and it’ll eventually reach retirement, which is heralded by a bittersweet, flopping-off-into-the-sunset cutscene. We'll never forget you, Trevor. Never.

Pokémon: Magikarp Jump

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