Appletell reviews augmented reality games for iPhone 3GS

Augmented reality. If you’re not familiar with the phrase, get there. It’s a fairly new trend in games in which the computer generated graphics are laid on top of what you actually see around you. There are other more detailed and possibly more accurate definitions, but forget about them. What matters here is that augmented reality games are starting to surface on the iPhone, and we’re going to take a look at two of the first: Fairy Trails and Arcade Reality.

Fairy Trails

Category: Augmented Reality Game
Seller: Freeverse, Inc.
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.12 software or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 26.3MB
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $1.99
Reviewed by: Josh Holat

Fairy Trails is based around capturing fairies on your screen. The game uses the camera present on the iPhone 3GS to capture the background of your actual location, while on older iPhones and the iPod Touch, it will simply render a forest scene. Either way, the gameplay is similar. On the 3GS, Fairy Trails will use the build in compass to render and move the fairies in and out of view while you move your device around to capture them. On the previous model iPhone and iPod Touches, the game will use the camera and accelerometer to calculate how to move the fairies in the environment, and appears to be limited to vertical movement.

The actual gameplay for this product is rather simple. Once you launch the app, you are greeted with a loading screen that takes about 10-15 seconds to finish. Then, you frist must shake the device to recharge to be on your way to capturing fairies. From there, you simply move your device around to search for the fairies and tap them to capture them. The whole time there is an interesting soundtrack playing if you choose, as well as sound effects for recharging and capturing various fairies.

Overall, this game was pretty amusing on my iPhone 3G, and Kirk points out it’s even more fun with the 3GS, where movement can be in any direction thanks to the built-in digital compass. That said, you can tell the developers put a lot of time into it as it works exactly the way it is supposed to, and I didn’t experience any crashes or bugs with it. However, the gameplay is pretty limited in that all you do is tap fairies and capture them, so it would be interesting to see what other types of features they could add in future releases.

Arcade Reality

Category: Augmented Reality Game
Selller: Chillingo, Ltd.
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone 3GS
File Size: 0.8MB
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $2.99
Reviewed by: Kirk Hiner

Toyspring, developers of Arcade Reality, took a different route than Freeverse by forcing you to have the iPhone 3GS in order to play. I approve of that choice, as an augmented reality game without augmented reality is really nothing more than…well, Beachhead 2002, and we all remember the horror of Beachhead 2002, right?

In this game, rather than hunting your surroundings for fairies to tap, you’re seeking aliens to destroy. More specifically, video game aliens. It’s a fun little touch, acknowledging the disconnect between the real world and the video game sprites by making that part of the game. These aliens attack you from all sides and from above, and you have to spin your phone around in order to find them. So, that crazy man in the park who stumbled around as if drunk, waving his arms in the air and occasionally cursing at no one in particular? He’s now you.

Sadly, the innovative and embarrassingly engaging gameplay is hampered by some poor design decisions. The on-screen elements are perhaps trying to look like retro arcade cabinets, but instead just look amateurish. In addition, the buttons are awkward to hit, making the game more complicated than it needs to be (especially considering you’re spinning around the whole time you’re playing it). This is especially annoying after you’ve made it through the first few levels and the difficulty ramps up considerably. There are power-ups to help you on your way, but the aliens get power-ups, too.

Ultimately, Arcade Reality is great as introduction to augmented reality games, but it doesn’t go much beyond that. You’ll enjoy it for a bit, and you’ll enjoy showing it off to your friends. Once that novelty passes, however, you’re left with a game that won’t find yourself playing all that often.

Also, Chillingo deserves a good spanking for misleading gamers in the iTunes App Store. Although Arcade Reality works only on the iPhone 3GS, it states under Requirements, “Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch.” Is that an honest mistake? Maybe, but then why say at the top of the description, “This game requires the iPhone 3GS camera and compass features for the complete augmented reality experience!”? The word “complete” is wildly misleading, because fact is it requires the iPhone 3GS camera and compass features for any experience. You can’t play it without the 3GS! Change that, Chillingo.

Conclusion

So, if you’re looking for an augmented reality game to experience or to show off, you’re likely better off going with Fairy Trails; it’s easier to play, and it’s a bit cheaper (although not at press time, as Arcade Reality is currently selling for 66% off its normal price). Also, if you’re confused about what kind of phone you have, you’ll at least get some gameplay out of it.

If, however, you’re just looking for a good game, you should likely bypass both of there. The novelty of augmented reality will eventually wear off, at which point, so will your interest.