The upper hand that AR games have over VR games is that these games keep you rooted to the reality and if you look at the brighter side, the walks and runs also keep you healthy. So, keeping both in mind we have made a quick roundup of Augmented Reality (AR) games for Android.
1. Ingress
Coming from the same company — Niantic studio — that gave us Pokemon Go, Ingress has been a major draw ever since it was launched in 2012. Much like Pokemon Go, here you’ll have to get off the couch and start playing and building portals (or energy sources). And much like Pokemon Go, most of the popular sites or places of historical importance are Portals. And yeah, in my case, the nearest metro station is one too. Where it’s different from Pokemon Go is that players must meet up in person to take up control of the portals. What’s more, it has an amazing storyline where there are only two teams — the Enlightenment and the Resistance. So, depending on the side that you pick, you have to race it to the top.
2. Zombie Go
Do you believe in a Zombie Apocalypse? If yes, then the Zombie Go game might help you in training for it. This one also involves walking around and killing zombies. And while you attempt to kill zombies, mind you, they wouldn’t just ‘watch’ the show from the sidelines. So keep in mind the health of your character and the status of the medical kit as well. My only gripe is that the game is a bit on the heavier side (48 MBs in total) and takes a tad longer time to install compared to other games.
3. Bee Ready
If only Zombies were Bees. Bee Ready has been there in the Play Store for quite some time and for those who would like to better their aims, this is the perfect game for you. All you have to do is shoot and kill the bees before you are stung. As far as the game point are concerned, stings do hurt. A bee sting lowers the health of your character by as much as 6 points. But don’t worry, you have the butterflies to help you out. Shoot and aim at a butterfly and you get a couple of health points free. If you are just starting out on AR games, then this is the ideal game to practice on.
4. Geocaching
Interested in a real world treasure hunt? Say Hi to GeoCaching. This game makes use of your phone’s GPS to track and place real-life treasures in containers around the world. And if you aren’t interested in roaming the world, well, the local area would do just fine. The gameplay involves a barter system — where you get to take treasures from a container if and only if you can place a treasure which is of equal value or greater. There are lots of tips, hints, and instructions to be explored as you proceed in the gameplay. If you are outdoors person and you love collecting knick-knacks, this modern treasure hunt will definitely be your personal favorite.
5. Ghost Snap AR Horror Survival
Be a digital ghost buster with the Ghost Snap AR Horror Survival game as you track and kill ghost on the go. The ideal environment to play this game is a dark room and add in a dash of creepy music to whip up the perfect environment for ghosts hunting. This game makes use of the camera flash (remember, dark room?), so do make sure that the battery is charged up when you leave for your prowls. The motto of the game is “You cannot run away, there will be no escape.”, so don’t go in there expecting a win against the dark forces, but make sure that you kill most of ’em.
6. Father.io
Father.io is a first person shooting game that requires an inceptor to play. Once plugged in, the game makes use of the phone’s camera to shoot the members of the enemy faction. This game has two factions — the humans and the evolved. And based on your inclination, you’ d have to overpower the other species. Though, still in Beta phase, Father.io can be played without the inceptor also. Here, you need to occupy areas that are lying vacant or raid the nearby enemy areas to harvest from them.
All Set?
In case you have noticed, we have left out Pokemon Go for obvious reasons — everyone knows about it so well that it doesn’t need a listing. So, have you packed your gaming kit yet? Also See: How to Play Pokemon game from the safety of your Home Computer.
