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7 Games To Play If You Love Pokemon Go
The phenomenal success of Pokemon Go has seen countless game developers jumping on the bandwagon. If the allure of catching Pokemon is beginning to wear off, check out these games for a new twist on location–based gaming!
1. Ingress
You might be surprised to hear that Pokemon Go wasn’t Niantic’s first brainchild. Launched in 2013, Ingress is a science–fiction AR game with surprisingly deep lore involving the emergence of a mysterious type of energy emanating from portals scattered around the world (basically this game’s version of Pokestops), and two factions fighting over it: The Enlightened, who want to study and harness the energy, and the Resistance, who believe it to be a threat to mankind and want it destroyed. Players around the world choose which faction they want to join and team up to fight for control of these portals while delving into the story through Anomaly events, which slowly reveal more about the world that Ingress is set in.
In late 2018, Ingress received a revamp called Ingress Prime, which updated the game engine along with some other story and gameplay elements that we won’t spoil in this article. Choose your side, and be ready to enter a world of mystery and intrigue.
Available on Apple and Android
2. Jurassic World: Alive
Perhaps it’s impossible for us to get up close and personal with dinosaurs like in the Jurassic Park franchise, but this game offers the next best alternative. The basic premise is pretty similar to Pokemon Go: Take a stroll around your neighbourhood and have fun seeing dinosaurs roaming around, then use drones to obtain DNA samples from them and breed your own dinos, or even create hybrids through crossbreeding different species! And of course, there’s an AR mode for you to take pictures of the dinos in the real world (T–Rex on your couch, anyone?)
Available on Apple and Android
3. Ghostbusters World
If there’s one thing Ghostbusters has taught us, it’s that ghosts are everywhere. This game goes all–out in bringing the Ghostbusters universe to life: The app features ghosts from not just the films, but also the TV shows, comic books and video games, along with new ghosts that haven’t been featured elsewhere before.
Available on Apple and Android
4. The Walking Dead: Our World
Based on the popular TV series, this game lets you live out your zombie–killing fantasies without the requisite danger of becoming zombie chow. Fight off hordes of walkers as they invade your neighbourhood while you rescue survivors and build shelters to serve as strongholds for defence. On top of that, you can collect a large arsenal of weapons and recruit familiar faces from the series such as Michonne and Rick Grimes to fight by your side.
Available on Apple and Android
5. Zombies, Run!
On the flipside, most of us would probably bolt in terror if we actually saw a zombie. If you’re hoping to get some practice for the apocalypse, this game encourages you to get some exercise with the undead hot on your heels. Zombies, Run! revolves around story mission which require you to run (or walk, if you’re athletically challenged) certain distances while collecting supplies along the way, using GPS to track your progress. As you reach milestones, you’ll unlock more missions and delve deeper into the game’s surprisingly gripping story, which is narrated to you as you run. For an added challenge, make sure you turn on Chase Mode, which enables random encounters with zombie hordes, forcing you to outrun them to ensure your precious supplies aren’t lost.
Available on Apple and Android
6. Geocaching
Although this isn’t an AR app, geocaching is a popular activity centred around the use of GPS, though not in the same sense as the other entries on this list. Instead, this game requires you to use the Geocaching app to hunt for treasure in the real world. Yes, you can actually get your hands on actual, physical items through this game!
The hidden items, referred to as caches, have their approximate location displayed on the map in the Geocaching app. From there, simply locate the cache via its GPS coordinates and voila! Sometimes, you might have to solve a puzzle first to figure out where the cache is hidden, adding an extra layer of challenge to the hunt. Once you find the cache, which is often a small souvenir like a keychain or some other quirky trinket, simply write your name on the logbook to show you’ve found it. You can even create your own cache for others to find once you’ve gained more confidence.
Note: Please don’t simply empty the cache and take it with you unless you’re leaving a replacement trinket to mix things up; stolen or missing caches spoil the fun for everyone.
7. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
After much anticipation, this long-awaited game has finally arrived. Wizards Unite is Niantic’s latest project, and it certainly has a promising premise: An AR game set in the magical world of Harry Potter! Don’t expect it to be a mere rehash of Pokemon Go though; while it’s still too early to say for certain, Wizards Unite seems to be more narrative-driven, with an overarching storyline about misplaced magical artifacts called Confoundables and hints of a new villain responsible for this catastrophe.
Available on Apple and Android
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