Developer studio Niantic (known for Ingress and Pokémon Go) presented new tech demos of two AR titles at a press event in San Francisco: Code names Neon and Tonehenge. The AR multiplayer games enable a virtual laser tag and the joint solving of puzzles with the smartphone.
AR title codename Neon by Niantic – AR multiplayer laser tag with the smartphone
The journalists of Upload VR were able to test the new AR title codename Neon by Niantic directly on site and report on their experiences with the multiplayer game. According to this, up to nine players could compete simultaneously in real time in a room and shoot each other down with virtual laser beams.
The gameplay is as simple as it is fun: the participants collect white points on the floor, which serve as a kind of ammunition. Pressing the smartphone fires the collected charge, which is discharged in the form of a colourful laser beam. The targeted opponent is not able to repel the bullets, but it is possible to cancel the approaching bullets with his own bullets. Altogether 90 seconds the players could throw themselves into the action-rich combat until the demo ended.
Whether the gameplay of the presented game will also be used in other Niantic AR titles such as Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was not answered by the responsible persons. All in all, the developers covered the cloak of silence about the AR game.
AR title codename Tonehenge by Niantic – AR multiplayer puzzle game with avatars
Besides codename Neon, the developer studio presented two more (not playable) tech demos. The AR multiplayer game Tonehenge allows players to move statues as disguised avatars to trigger energy balls. This energy is necessary to solve the jigsaw puzzle in the middle of the board. Cross-platform support for iOS and Android is to be guaranteed.
The second demo presented Niantic’s new AR technology in Pokémon Go. Both games shown are not finished products of the company but are currently in the development phase.