Pokemon has gone a long way since its release on the Game Boy, and now you can play a version of the game on your smartphone.
From humble beginnings the Pokemon franchise grew to include a television series, comic books and movies, says Android Headlines. The trading cards were a sensation in the mid-nineties, with schoolchildren sinking their pocket money into getting the best cards and trading with their friends.
Pokemon Go comes to iOS and Android
The franchise has now expanded further with the arrival of Pokemon Go, which combines the classic characters with augmented reality. The game was first seen in September last year, and is the result of a collaboration between Nintendo and Niantic Labs.
Players use their iOS or Android device to find monsters which are hidden around them in the augmented reality world. Players can also purchase a Pokeball-shaped wearable device which flashes and vibrates on the wrist.
The Pokemon Go Plus looks a bit like a smartwatch and is used to control certain features of the game like catching a Pokemon. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and will flash when a character is nearby.
The game uses location data to allow you to explore the augmented reality world. You are able to catch, train and battle Pokemon in the real world. Pokemon Go is about to enter a field test phase in Japan this month before a wider release.
Die-hard Pokemon fans can now hunt for characters in augmented reality
The whole experience is immersive and it allows players to escape reality, entering a virtual world. During a recent event at SXSW, Niantic CEO John Hanke demonstrated the game on a big screen. Although you can’t see any fighting, the preview does give a sneak peek of the game.
There has been no announcement on the release date for the app, or how much it will cost. It is thought that more details will be announced in the next few days.
Take a look at the preview to see if you would want to download the game. It looks pretty fun and big fans will surely get a bit nostalgic.
