Pokemon Go players horrified as Drifloon lurks near playground Pokestop
Niantic / The Pokemon CompanyThe Gen IV ‘mon is getting a spotlight hour in January.
A Pokemon Go player spotted two members of the Drifloon family lurking near a playground Pokestop and trainers familiar with their Pokedex entries feared for the safety of young parkgoers.
While marketed as a kid’s game, Pokemon can hide some dark undertones within the game’s text. Specifically, players who actually spend time reading Pokedex entries may find that some of their favorite Pokemon aren’t as amicable as they seem.
Gen 9’s Greavard is a recent example, as the lovable, playful ghost-pup may seem like a spooky rendition of man’s best friend, but it has a rather nefarious secret. While it loves attention from trainers – much like dogs IRL – Greavard actually sucks the life force out of people it comes into contact with, effectively killing them.
Despite these Pokedex entries being fictitious as the world of Pokemon itself, some players still treat each Pokemon as if it’s description were gospel. Even when a Pokemon has never exhibited the traits given to it by Game Freak.
Drifloon creeps out Pokemon Go players
One of the most notorious Pokedex entries belongs to the Gen 4 Ghost-type, Drifloon. The purple balloon with dangly feet looks a bit dopey, but according to its Pokedex description, it steals children away who mistake it for a normal balloon.
So, it’s no surprise that Pokemon Go players would freak out after spotting a Drifloon and a Drifblim lurking around a Pokestop for a playground. The kidnapping Pokemon duo was posted to Reddit by GalaxymasterNL.
Of course, no real children were in any danger, but that didn’t stop fellow trainers from playing up the spawns.
“No wonder the playground is empty,” one user commented, while others feared for the safety of any tots on the playground.
One trainer commented how they often visit the local Children’s Hospital, as it seems to be a great place for Drifloon spawns.
We don’t know if these spawns are an intentional nod from the devs or simply a humorous coincidence. Either way, trainers may want to bring a few Ghost-types of their own when visiting playgrounds… just to be safe.
