Jurassic World Comes Alive with Augmented Reality
Some people may find this difficult to believe, but 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the first Jurassic Park movie. When it was released in 1993 it set new standards in action and special effects. In addition to that, the storyline was totally irresistible. Who isn’t fascinated by our prehistoric ancestors? Not many people would turn down the chance to see a real-life dinosaur up close. The franchise has been hugely successful, spawning multiple sequels, Lego sets and even a Lego-based film.
There have also been video games, such as park management-style titles, plenty of other types of merchandise in the past, and even a pokies game. The high-quality interactive entertainment has strengthened the brand for those who appreciated it already, and helped to create new fans. Jurassic World Alive is set to continue that trend.
Universal has announced that the new Augmented Reality game will be released near the premiere of the franchise’s upcoming movie, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Pre-orders for the game are already substantial, showing how big the Jurassic fan base is, and the title will be available for both Android and iOS. Other new video games and marketing plans will boost Jurassic World’s fandom and profits even more.
Inspired by Pokémon Go
While there are other popular Augmented Reality games such as Ingres, Pokémon Go is the one that really took the world by storm. Now it is more than a year after that game was launched and not much has followed to impress players. However, that all seems to be changing; games based on Ghostbusters, The Walking Dead and Harry Potter are all in the pipeline. And of course, there is Jurassic Park Alive, which bears many similarities to the Pokémon Augmented Reality game.
The map used in the new Jurassic World game is similar to what was seen in Pokémon Go; players must once again interact with and collect various creatures. In this case, they’ll be trying to get different dinosaurs, which will also be able to be levelled up as Pokémon were. Some dinosaurs are specific to certain areas, and the creatures also fight each other, borrowing even more from Pokémon Go. However, there are also distinct differences between that game and Jurassic World Alive.
Drone-Based Collection and Massive Scale
The biggest difference between Pokémon Go and Jurassic World Alive is the way players collect creatures. To catch a Pokémon, players had to be in an exact area in order to catch the coveted species. Likewise, Jurassic World Alive is also location-based and relies on players interacting with the world around them – showing dinosaurs that are in your immediate surroundings. However, for those who aren’t able to go outside to hunt, they can deploy simulated drones to collect DNA from nearby dinosaurs. The DNA is then used to unlock the dinosaur, and even combine DNA of different dinosaurs to create and unlock a new species. These twists borrow heavily from the storylines of the movies, to tie in even more perfectly with the franchise.
The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park Alive are, of course, also much larger than the pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. This will make it more novel and even more enjoyable to interact with. There will be around 100 dinosaurs in the game initially, with regular updates. Universal is planning these to tie in with later film releases, and there will be special hybrids to unlock too.
Although the marketing links are obvious, the various Jurassic World games are very high quality. If individuals enjoy the movies, they will almost certainly appreciate the gameplay, and vice versa. Likewise, gamblers who like the films and video games will love spinning the reels of the Jurassic World pokies game. As long as you have fun while you play, it’s a win-win situation for everyone!
Sources:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/7/17090294/jurassic-world-alive-pokemon-go-ar-augmented-reality-game
https://jurassicpark.wikia.com/wiki/Jurassic_World:_Alive
https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/10/jurassic-world-alive-ar-game-is-pokemon-go-with-dinosaurs/
