Augmented Reality Game Review #5: ARise
Aurora Reality reviews a selection of augmented reality applications and games available on iOS and Android products. The goal of these reviews is to take a critical look at the playability and potential of the different products while providing an informative product description for potential consumers and other developers. We want to identify key trends in augmented reality and shape the future of this useful technology.
BACKGROUND
ARise is a mobile phone game unlike many others. The game was created by Climax Studios, a British game developer out of Portsmouth, England. ARise is a puzzle game that involves guiding a knight through a unique castle course. The game is special due to its use of Apple’s AppleKit technology to create a fully-functional augmented reality experience. Due to this, it is only available on Apple products.
GAME EXPERIENCE
ARise is a relaxing augmented reality puzzle game where you escort a pint-sized knight through a wonderfully-rendered castle maze. The knight walks on its own until it reaches a barrier, at which point the user is tasked with identifying a solution to continue the journey. To identify the correct path that will allow the knight to continue their journey, the user must walk around the virtual game world and rotate it. To align broken paths and jump over cliffs, you've got to move your phone — no swiping or tapping in this app. Make sure you have a lot of room because you'll probably be circling around the same spot for a while.
Apple’s ARKit allows for this unique play style. When you first open the app, you must aim your camera at a location to serve as a base to be walked around. Once set up, the user can play through each level with relative ease. The AR design is well done, and works almost seamlessly with the fun, cartoony graphics. Still, often a user will have to reset heights and perspectives to successfully identify the visual cues to continue their journey. Sometimes limited instructions frustrated users to the point of quitting, along with many people being initially turned away when they realized any iPhone below iPhone 6+ would not work with ARKit technology.
CONCLUSION
ARise is the type of early augmented reality-based game that has made the industry seem so perfect for incredible growth in the future. Fun, simplistic graphics are mixed with the exciting perspective-shifting nature of the AR experience and played with simple controls. Unfortunately, the price tag of the game and usability (only Iphone 6 and above) hurt its adoption. Some less-intuitive features and a lack of instructions also made many users frustrated. This game seems to be moving in the correct direction, but is it really fully developed in its current state?
