First impressions of the Pokemon Research Exhibition

Pokemon trainers, rejoice! There will be a Pokemon Research Exhibition at S.E.A Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) from this Saturday (Oct 22) to Jan 2 next year.

It will be the first time that such an exhibition has been held outside of Japan. Located at the exit gallery of S.E.A. Aquarium, the exhibition provides visitors with opportunities to learn more about the various Pokemon.

The exhibition spans a total of 1,000 square metres or around the size of 10 four-room Housing Board flats. The highlights of the mission include a larger-than-life Pokedex wall with 721 Pokemon and eight interactive stations.

I was hoping that there are more Pokemon decorations but you get only a few Pokemon air-filled statues. Instead when you first enter the exhibition, a Pokeball counter will greet you. Here is your mission.

Professor Pikachu also trying its hands on guessing the Pokemon within the Pokeball in the Pokemon Research Exhibition at S.E.A Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa. Photo: THE STRAIT TIMES

Choose a real-life Pokeball of different difficulty level - a regular Pokeball (easy), a Great Ball (medium), or an Ultra Ball (hard) - and deduce the Pokemon within it by visiting four interactive stations at the exhibition.

Remember to take the corresponding pamphlet with you, as it helps you to write down the clues.

You only get to choose four out of the eight interactive stations to get your clues. Place the Pokemon at each station to get different clues about the Pokemon.

For example, the Footprint Collector station will show you how many claws or toes are there on its footprint. Or you use Face Magnifier station to reveal selected part of the face of the Pokemon.

The most "labour intensive" station is the Outline Shooter station. You have to run on the spot on a board within a given timing. The more steps you did on the board, the more of the Pokemon's outline you get to see.

After using four stations, you go to the Answer Station to get your answer. But you do not really get to answer. When you place the ball at the Answer Station, you will immediately get the answer. It is kind of an anti-climax.

The Pokedex wall with more than 700 Pokemon in the Pokemon Research Exhibition at S.E.A Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa. Photo: THE STRAIT TIMES

Return the Pokeball and repeat the guessing game with another Pokeball of higher difficulty of your choosing. Also, there are no prizes for guessing the correct Pokemon.

I understand that you cannot keep the exhibition's Pokeball as each has RFID tags for the purpose of the exhibition. But RWS should have at least some Pokemon merchandise, like Pikachu or Eevee plush toys or even Pokeball, for sale. It is a downer that you cannot buy or take away (except the pamphlets) any mementos from the exhibition.

However, you can look forward to meeting the iconic Pikachu mascot, all decked out in a lab coat. It will appear every day at 11.30am, 2.30pm and 5.30pm for a photo opportunity.

The Pokemon Research Exhibition opens daily from 10am to 7pm starting this Saturday (Oct 22) till Jan 2 next year.

All tickets to the exhibition are bundled with admission to S.E.A. Aquarium. So after you are done with guessing Pokemon, you can visit the rest of the Aquarium at your own leisure.

Visitors get to enjoy savings with online ticket bundles at $35 (usual price: $42 for adult) and $23 (usual price: $32 for child/senior) inclusive of admission to the S.E.A. Aquarium.

(THE STRAIT TIMES)