From the Play Lab to a jumbo sized Pokémon Center and intense fiery battles that would make any Fire type Gym Leader proud, this year’s Pokémon Europe International Championships, had a lot going on this April, but the real icing on the cake, was its little recreation of the Land of Kitakami.
First introduced during Wave 1 of the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, released back in September 2023, the Land of Kitakami served as a second region players could explore. There was only 200 Pokémon to catch and very few of them were actually new, but it was the region that gave us Bloodmoon Ursaluna, the Loyal Three and Ogerpon.
While small in size, Kitakami was still a fun area to explore nevertheless and it was wonderful to see The Pokémon Company International dedicate a small part of EUIC 2024’s floor space to a minor recreation of Kitakami. Thanks to a well-placed rest area suitable for families, made complete by adorable touches and a selection of kiosks available, each one dedicated to its own activity. From Hook a Tatsugiri, to a catching game where you need to knock down nine Pokémon via consecutive throws to catch them all, each activity was engaging and was fun for all the family to take part in.
For a brief minute, the Kitakami area almost made me feel like I was attending the Festival of Masks, but, dissapointingly, there was no masks to be seen, but there was a selection of retro consoles and handhelds so attendees could revisit classic Pokémon titles or head over to the many stands, where a varity of goods could be purchased, pertaining to all things Pokémon.
Of course, should you wish for something modern, Nintendo were in attendance as well, with multiple kiosks set up, allowing players to take on a range of Pokémon titles, all playable on the Nintendo Switch. I didn’t really feel it was necessary to linger too long in the Land of Nintendo as I already have every Pokémon game they had playable on my own Nintendo Switch, but it was a fine addition to the Kitakami festivities nonetheless and with a relaxed vibe and easy going atmosphere in this part of the EUIC, I can see why so many kept coming over.
It’s a shame we missed the Yoga session, but at least we still took part in a number of missions that were available, covering getting one’s face painted, doing some colouring in and so much more and for you lovely folks ready this, we have some Kitakami related photos for you to check out here:
An ExCeLlent time at the Land of Kitakami
While there were plenty of things to love about this year’s EUIC 2024, I’d be lying if I said this little Land of Kitakami was not part of my top three favourite things we did during the event. It was the perfect blend of pure enjoyment and relaxation, compared to the high-stakes, high octane action that took place on the other side of the massive halls and I can’t wait to see what EUIC 2025 has in store for us next year.
