When Niantic’s Pokemon Go took the world by storm in July of 2016, one thing was clear, it was just the beginning of the use of the concept of AR (Augmented Reality) in games.
And here we are in 2019, where a number of game developers are incorporating AR into their games but a few have succeeded in combining the storyline, gameplay and the gamer’s environment in such a manner that makes the player’s experience pleasurable and not frustrating.
Two such games are Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and according to the reactions to the beta version, Minecraft Earth which will be released later this year.
Both the Harry Potter and Minecraft games are similar to Pokemon Go but are really different from it in their own ways.
Wizards Unite is built on the same mapping technology behind Pokémon Go, which puts an animated overlay on the real world map. You can walk to different points on the map to discover creatures and magical items in the real world.
You can find animated objects or creatures and interact with them, including walking around 3D animations of locations from the worlds of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
It also consists of various battle modes and leagues. Niantic being the pioneer had to develop various features over 2-3 years and update the game quite a few times and so the Harry Potter Wizards Unite will likely have these features much sooner.
Minecraft Earth has been described by many reviewers as a bigger Pokemon Go or Minecraft + Pokemon Go.
What makes Minecraft Earth different from the other two games is that the creators have stuck to their guns, i.e., the game is putting emphasis on collaborative building, which made them so popular when they were first launched.
Players will be able to walk around their neighborhoods and create small size constructions or collaborate with anyone else in their neighborhood. The game will also have a survival type mode where the players would have to fight off creeps, ability to crossbreed mobs and create new creatures, etc.
At the moment, there is no clear winner or king among these three games, but eventually, with future updates, it will be easier to declare the one which the fans love the most.
