BACKGROUND

ARrrrgh was developed by Warpin Media, hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. Unlike some of the other developers we have covered, Warpin focuses on bringing the power of Virtual and Augmented Reality to brands through a variety of tech solutions, and are not primarily game developers. Because of this, it has worked on a variety of projects, primarily utilizing AR headsets to maximize customer experiences in retail stores like H&M.

Warpin Media developed ARrrrgh out of a desire to test Apple’s newly released (at the time) ARKit technology. Warpin’s goal was to use ARKit to its max potential, and truly immerse users in augmented reality like never before. While ARrrrgh is not a world-shifting game, it definitely adds elements of immersion that much of the market had yet to include.

GAME EXPERIENCE

ARrrrgh is a simple mobile application, to be used by two or more people. The app uses augmented reality to modify the classic treasure hunt. An initial user picks a hiding spot for the treasure. Once the phone has been given to another user, they then try to find the hidden treasure, with helpful hints from a cartoon parrot.

The user navigates the room, tapping the floor looking for the treasure. Eventually, once found, the treasure can be dug up to reveal a wooden chest of gold coins. The app can be used in any area, as long as you have a flat surface to eventually dig the treasure up from.

CONCLUSION

ARrrrrgh provides a way for parents to entertain their children in a novel, innovative way. The game's simple gameplay is easy to pick up and does not require hardware or a major learning curve. The application is responsive and animations are cleanly executed. ARrrrrgh does a good job of demonstrating the capabilities of Apple’s ARKit while still keeping things simple. However, due to this simplicity, the application can become a bit boring after multiple, successive uses.