Pokemon GO took the world by storm in its 2016 release, and it's maintained a steady following ever since. With the wonders of augmented reality (AR), Pokemon GO finally brought the hit Pokemon franchise on a more personal level to its fans worldwide. Given its international acclaim, it's no wonder other franchises and concepts adopted Pokemon GO's approach to using AR for rather immersive gaming experiences.
And while there's been a number of Pokemon GO clones to have used the hit game's AR approach, very few rose to the status of being their "own" phenomenon. For fans of Pokemon GO, just which Pokemon GO clones are worth trying out?
10 Angry Birds AR: Isle Of Pigs
Albeit lacking the AR exploration component of Pokemon GO, players can use Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs to make their tabletop adventures more entertaining. Players bored to death near a surface can log off their social media and boot up Isle of Pigs. In this AR title, the game transforms any surface into the same destructible environments of Angry Birds.
Despite lacking the deeper mechanics of Pokemon GO, Isle of Pigs can definitely take boredom off the equation for players. The lack of demand for walking and exploration can make Isle of Pigs a very stationary yet equally-entertaining AR title. After all, if players stretch the mechanics (pun intended), pulling a slingshot to topple a puzzle does seem similar to throwing a Pokeball off the screen.
9 dARk: Subject One
Players who want to take Pokemon GO and its exploration component to another dimension can “literally” do so in dARk: Subject One. This game, which uses Apple’s ARKit tech, is an AR-based horror title. Despite its short story, Subject One explores the potential of AR in creating immersive and thrilling experiences.
The game takes place in the real world, where players are prompted to enter a “tear” in spacetime to an alternate reality while finding someone. Unlike the exploration-heavy components of Pokemon GO, Subject One can have its story happen right where players are standing. This makes it less strenuous in terms of exploration yet still captures the innate Pokemon GO appeal of walking around.
8 AR Dragon
Perhaps more inspired by the Trainer-Pokemon relationships in the Pokemon franchise, AR Dragon gets players their very own dragon. When they start the game, they hatch a baby dragon that they need to take care of as days go by. Akin to a virtual pet, they can see their dragon in full AR view - from cute little hatchlings to giant dragons that occupy the AR space.
Contrary to Pokemon GO, AR Dragon puts a huge emphasis on the “caring” aspect for the dragons. Players can feed their dragons with various foods or play with them to increase their mood. Oftentimes, players can train their dragons to do various tricks and engage in minigames to keep gamers entertained for hours.
7 Ghostbusters World
Fans of horror who want a lighter ghost hunting experience will know who they gotta call. Or in this case, what app they’re going to boot. As the name suggests, Ghostbusters World will task players into doing ghostbusting into their own neighborhood.
At its core, Ghostbusters World is an exploration-based AR where players capture ghosts using various ghost traps. Unlike Pokemon GO, the game has quite a refreshing take on the monster-hunting concept. However, franchise fans would appreciate the game’s unique storyline - a tale that ties into the series’ main narrative!
6 Geocaching
Players more interested in Pokemon GO and its exploration aspect can become treasure hunters in Geocaching. As devs from Groundspeak Inc. describe, Geocaching is perhaps the largest treasure hunt in the entire world. Taking its name from the real-world concept, Geocaching replicates real-world “Geocaching” that supposedly uses GPS to locate hidden stashes of items called geocaches. In the app, the concept works much in the same way.
Despite the travel restrictions in today’s pandemic, players can hop on the Geocaching app to see if there are real geocaches near their location. What separates Geocaching from other AR games is the fact that geocaches are often real-world items. And other players who create their own geocaches sometimes leave puzzles for others to solve, adding a mystery component to them.
5 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
What better Pokemon GO clone to play than one created by the game’s devs, themselves? This time around, Niantic Studios will transform players into Wizards of the Wizarding World through Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. In this ARG, players explore the real world transposed with locations, creatures, concepts, and even characters from the acclaimed Wizarding World.
Like Pokemon GO, players can gather resources in Inns (instead of PokeStops), and fight mythical beasts (instead of Pokemon). At the beginning of the game, players create a character that will eventually become an Auror, a Magizoologist, or a Professor!
4 The Walking Dead: Our World
Fans of The Walking Dead can get into Walker-slaying themselves with The Walking Dead: Our World. In this ARG, the real world gets transposed into the Walker-filled apocalypse of The Walking Dead. This time around, players roam the world as Survivors - gathering supplies, establishing bases, and killing Walkers that threaten their progress.
Despite the existence of other zombie-themed ARGs, Our World has the depth of The Walking Dead. In turn, players can expect a solid gameplay loop alongside entertaining battles.
3 Ingress
Fans of Pokemon GO who want to get involved in a world of spies and hackers might appreciate the clandestine world of Ingress. What’s more, fun is that Ingress served as the first game from the folks of Niantic Studios prior to Pokemon GO!
In Ingress, players take on the role of agents who need to discover portals around them. As players progress through the game, they become part of either the Resistance or the Enlightened. Agents who are part of the Enlightened try to conquer the world, whereas the Resistance brings the fight back to the Enlightened.
2 Run An Empire
Anyone who’s ever jogged for a while will feel a sense of “ownership” to the areas they’ve been running in. Thanks to Run An Empire, players become mini-rulers themselves as their very running grounds become their own turf. At its core, this transforms the idea of jogging into a light-hearted strategy game.
When gamers play Run An Empire, the locations around them become segregated into areas highlighted in hexagons. Players who complete running around hexes will capture them, adding to their territory. This strategy will actively encourage players to get more active, if not for fitness, at least for their turf.
1 Zombies, Run!
Unlike other Pokemon GO clones, players can get a more straightforward experience with Zombies, Run! Instead of being a typical ARG, Zombies, Run! is heavily a cardio experience. In the game, players take on the role of Runners, sprinters who bring resources around bases on foot. Players can then choose missions to play, each of which has dynamic options such as distance units.
However, the fun begins when players turn on “Zombie Chases.” With this option, fictional zombies chase players around throughout the mission - encouraging them to run further and much faster. Players can fail the mission if they get caught, giving them more incentives to get going with their cardio.