Niantic is perhaps best known for Pokémon Go, but it has developed a few other augmented reality games over the years such as Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Pikmin Bloom. Inspired by Pokémon Go – with a shot of Tamagotchi thrown in for good measure – Niantic has announced Peridot, a new AR game where players can bring up the titular little creatures and explore the world with them. .
Like Niantic’s previous games, Peridot is developed exclusively for mobile devices. It remains to be seen if it hits it big as Pokémon Go and becomes one of the best Android games out there, or if it suffers the same fate as Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which never took off as Niantic had hoped. Until it comes out and we get our answer, here’s everything we know about Peridot so far.
What is Peridot?
If you have not already heard much about Peridot, everyone says it looks like a mix of Pokémon Go and Tamagotchi, and from what we’ve seen so far, it’s pretty accurate. Niantic creates a new augmented reality adventure where players can breed, educate and explore the world with the titular creatures.
According to Niantic, “After thousands of years of sleep, the Peridots wake up to a world very different from the one they used to roam in, and they will need your help to protect them from extinction.”
Described as a “true pet adventure game”, Peridot has handmade and procedurally generated designs to make each creature unique.
Peridot: Gameplay
Peridot’s first unveiling trailer shows a lot in the gameplay way, instead it offers simulated game recordings of what the world would look like if Peridot were real. Fortunately, more pictures on the game’s official website give us a better understanding of what players can expect when it launches.
Like previous Niantic titles, Peridot appears vertically on the screen, and players will be able to use their phone’s camera to capture the world around them with Peridots superimposed on the environment. In addition to going on daily walks where Peridots can interact with the environment and discover objects, players can cuddle, feed and play with the cute creatures. And don’t worry if you forget to feed them. Despite its premise of rescuing them from extinction, Peridots cannot die in the game.
Because Peridots have a combination of handmade and procedurally generated designs, your Peridot will be unique. By breeding them with each other, players will discover different archetypes (similar to dragons, cheetahs, unicorns, etc.)
To enhance its social aspect, players are encouraged to share their discoveries and photos with friends. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
Peridots: Are they NFTs?
Given how unique each Peridot is, it would seem like an opportunity to turn them into NFTs. For now, at least, it will not happen. Senior producer Ziah Fogel told The Verge: “It’s a really interesting idea and it’s something we’re obviously looking at. But right now we’re focused on testing and refining the core gaming experience to make sure it’s really fun and accessible. “
It was not a definite no, which may disappoint some players, but it does not appear to be on the cards at the moment.
Peridot: Beta-test
Niantic plans to soft-launch Peridot in restricted areas for beta testing, due to begin in April in the Google Play Store and App Store. As beta testing progresses, more regions will be added. To be notified when the game becomes available, you can sign up on its website.
Peridot: Is it free to play?
There will most likely be microtransactions and in-app purchases of some kind, but players should be able to download Peridot for free. This is a similar approach that Niantic took in its previous games using the freemium model.
Peridot: Release Date and Platforms
Peridot does not currently have a release date beyond its beta test, which launches in April. It will be available for both Android and iOS devices. Niantic has not specified any device requirements, but players probably only need to run a newer Android OS, have access to a strong Internet connection, and have GPS or location services.