Many mobile augmented reality experiences will continue to be compared to Pokemon Go for the foreseeable future. It was one of the first times that an AR-based game drew such a massive following and, even though it was mainly due to the strength and nostalgia of the Pokemon brand, the game did present ideas that take advantage of today’s constant use of smartphones.
The major key for Pokemon Go’s popularity was fostering a social experience by getting groups of people out in droves and Snatch is an AR app that hopes to do the same — but with a bit of a twist.
When it comes to groups hitting the pavement to collect items and capture creatures in Pokemon Go, it was always exciting to see other people clearly doing the same as you hit up parks, stores, and other places. With Snatch, you may be a lot less excited to see other players. In this AR app, your goal is to grab parcels on an augmented map but you must also protect them from being snatched by other players. You can steal from those people as well, but your focus is staying on defense considering the game has some pretty great prizes for you to earn. You’ll regularly find in-game currency that will allow you to steal and defend with unique tools, but the parcels can even contain extremely impressive gifts from cash to concert tickets and even full vacation packages.
The frequency of prizes is going to be a big concern for those trying this out (we’ll update everyone with some hands-on impressions of the app soon) but one key detail is that the parcel count is dependent on the amount of people playing the game in one area. So, though you’ll be wary of people playing near you, it’ll serve you better to invite as many people as you can to open up more chances for prizes. Stay tuned to UploadVR for more updates from SXSW.
