Five great AR games you can download on your Android smartphone
While the technology is still in its infancy, augmented reality titles have managed to carve their own niche in the gaming industry. Coming off the heels of the record-breaking PokĆ©mon GO, numerous studios have tried tapping into the concept by offering out-of-the-box experiences that are super interactive. And with Googleās ARCore in the picture, more studios are comfortable in playing around with new ideas and enabling better AR-based tech for modern devices. On that note, here are five AR-based games you can try out on Android.
Ingress Prime
Long before PokƩmon GO was out, Niantic fiddled around with a sci-fi experience game called Ingress, to essentially create a long-drawn capture the flag mode. The discovery of an unknown, transdimensional force called Exotic Matter (XM), has sparked a covert struggle between two factions.
Ingress Prime brings virtual, alien portals and control fields to the real world, helping you expand your factionsā territory. (Image credit: Niantic)
Players must pick a side and dominate territories by visiting interesting locations in the real world, to link virtual portals and create control fields to expand their territory. The app also comes with an in-built Ingress Scanner that helps with collecting valuable resources to further your crusade. The regular Ingress was later renamed to Ingress Prime, owing to changes that offer some more handholding for newcomers.
PokƩmon GO
An absolute no-brainer on this list, Nianticās next venture took the world by storm, as they built upon a renowned brand ā adored by many, adults and children alike. PokĆ©mon GO brought the iconic monster-hunting experience to your smartphones, encouraging an active playground that rewarded those who stepped outside their house.
PokƩmon GO continues to be one of the most played games on mobile. (Image credit: Niantic)
After the initial avatar creation, players can go looking for monsters in the real world, and use lures to attract the shy ones closer. Gym battles, raids, and special locations called PokƩStops furthered the immersive experience, while offering some fresh challenges on the path to become the next PokƩmon master. A faction system was introduced here as well, letting you defeat and claim enemy gyms and expand your outreach.
The Walking Dead: Our World
A nice detour from the average zombie-shooting experience, Next Gamesā AR-based title brings the undead from the popular TV series into our surrounding environment. Players are thrown into a free roam, survival scenario, as they scavenge for weapons and supplies to fight off massive hordes of zombies.
Our World lets you unlock characters from the original The Walking Dead show to offer support in tense situations. (Image credit: Next Games)
Completing objectives earns special rewards and character cards from the original show such as Rick Grimes, Michonne, and Daryl Dixon, who offer support with your journey through the wretches. Players could also team up with friends, to rescue survivors and build shelters to stake out for the entire, deadly night. Recently, the studio was acquired by Netflix to create new gaming experiences on the platform.
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs
One of the most revolutionary games that popped off in the touchscreen phone department has an AR version as well. In Isle of Pigs, players are equipped with a slingshot containing the iconic birds ā Red, Chuck, Bomb, and Blues, as they venture into new zones to search for the missing eggs.
Isle of Pigs offers more freedom in terms of strategising, before shooting down the hungry, green pigsā settlements. (Image credit: Rovio)
Same as the original, you are tasked without taking down the green pigsā settlements, and progressing through over 70 fun-filled, puzzling levels, all overlaid onto the real world. With AR, you can physically walk around structures in the environment to find weak elements, identify different angles for the best accuracy, and uncover hidden surprises to earn more points. The game is customisable in size, letting you accommodate the play area within your room(s) and expand it while outside.
Jurassic World Alive
As the name suggests, Jurassic World Alive brings the pre-historic creatures to the surrounding modern-day environment, and is quite similar to PokƩmon GO. Players can explore the world using a map to collect dinosaur DNA and cultivate them in a lab to create hybrids and form the perfect strike team.
Jurassic World Alive lets you create hybrid dinosaurs using advanced DNA found in the wild. (Image credit: Ludia)
Jeff Goldblum isnāt here to stop you this time. So, feel free to take them onto real-time 1v1 battles and build out an entire roster of vicious monsters. The game functions on a monthly subscription system of $9.99 (about Rs 767) that earns some special prizes, though the general play is enjoyable in its own regard.
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