The mobile phone game Pokémon GO is not longer quite the fad it was in recent years, but still illustrates how video games and outdoor activities don't have to be mutually exclusive. The success of Pokémon GO has inspired a number of other iPhone and Android-based Augmented Reality (AR) games that enhance the real world and encourage players to get mobile in several ingenuous ways.
When it first released in 2016, Pokémon GO's gameplay was simply a GPS-based scavenger-hunt experience that let players search for digital Pokémon by going to different locations in their neighborhood. Later updates would add the Pokémon trading and trainer dueling mechanics long-time fans expected from a Pokémon game, but as bare-bones as it was at the time of release Pokemon GO still drew in many players thanks to the novel way it integrated game progress with real-world environments – Water Pokemon could be found near lakes and water features, for instance, while the local coffee shop might be right next to the neighborhood Pokéstop.
According to Game Deg, games like Pokémon GO are still exciting because they invert the core conceit behind most other video games. While games on consoles or PCs are designed to let players escape from the world around them, Augmented Reality games spice up reality, creating a virtual overlay that can make the everyday world exciting, and even turn the process of exercise an adventure. Current AR game technology is still simplistic in many ways, a consequence of the technical limitations of hand-held devices, but despite those limitations many AR phone games innovate off the Pokémon GO formula to engage players in exploring their community in interesting ways.
Pokémon GO's Predecessor, Ingress: Prime
As the original Augmented Reality title from Pokémon GO's developer Niantic Games, the premise and story of Ingress: Prime is more mature than its follow-up game. Ingress: Prime takes the form of a science fiction thriller, where two secret conspiracies fight for control over portals leading to another universe. This translates into gameplay where players travel back and forth between real-world landmarks, play mini-games based around translating/drawing alien glyphs, intercepting secret messages, and engaging in complex, faction-based PVP.
Orna: The Map-Based GPS RPG
Published by Cutlass Software, Orna: The GPS RPG takes the GPS-focused Final Fantasy games. After creating a Warrior, Thief, or Mage hero, players interact with a fantasy map version of their own local landscape, filled with random encounters, dungeons, item shops, and special quests positioned at notable landmarks. Subtle variables in the real-world environment influence the 8-bit fantasy environment of Orna: The GPS RPG – for instance, the game screen darkens at night, forcing players to equip a torch into order to keeping exploring.
Run Like Hell In Zombies, Run!
Zombies, Run! combines the utility of fitness apps with the suspense of apocalyptic narratives like Left 4 Dead 2, putting players in the shoes of a "Runner" who needs to transport supplies between fortified compounds in a world overrun by the living dead. Players unlock more chapters of the detailed, immersive audiobook storyline by completing Missions, which are jogging sessions of variable distance and pace that can be customized based on their current fitness level.
Toggle the 'chase mode' of Zombies, Run!, and a player's sedate run can be randomly interrupted by the snarling moans of zombies, forcing them to sprint at a faster pace if they don't want to lose their hard-earned supplies. This provides a great incentive for people who need just that extra bit of boost to make it over the next hill, and putting in headphones only enhances the experience.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
The third new AR title from Niantic Games, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is geared more towards solo and cooperative play, with no options for PVP or item trading at present.
There are all kinds of games out there for players who want to get some exercise, and despite the overwhelming popularity of Niantic's Pokémon GO these titles above are also definitely worth checking out. Playing games can be fun, but playing games outside (while staying safe, of course) and also getting some exercise can sometimes be even better.
Source: Game Deg
