Arcade Reality is a new game that is unlike anything you have ever seen. While the game sounds a lot like most other games…you go around shooting aliens and asteroids using a variety of weapons including lasers, guided missiles and plasma cannons…you do these things in a way that is completely unique and only possible using a smartphone device like the Treo. What is so unique about Arcade Reality is that the aliens aren’t in your Treo; they are all around you in the real world. How is this possible? Arcade Reality uses your Treo’s built-in camera and displays whatever the camera sees, just like when you are getting ready to take a photo or video. But in addition to showing you whatever the camera sees, Arcade Reality also shows you the aliens and other objects that you can’t see with the naked eye.

These aliens don’t just sit there on your screen either - they move up, down and around the room you are in, sometimes even moving behind you. The only way to shoot them is to move your Treo around so you can get the aliens in your sights and shoot them to pieces. Here is a sequence of three pictures showing several aliens I was cooking up in my kitchen as they started to come towards me and attack.

While I’ve done my best to describe how the game works, you really have to see it and try it yourself to see how different this is from any other game you have played on your Treo and how much fun it is. You can see a video of the game below or you can download an evaluation copy here.

YouTube Video of Arcade Reality

Since the aliens can be above, below, in front of, and behind you at the same time, you will need to use the radar at the bottom of your Treo’s screen to locate them. Once you know where they are, you need to point your Treo in the right direction so you can see them on the screen and shoot them. This really is one of the most interactive games I’ve ever seen because you can’t just sit on your sofa while playing; you need to stand up, turn around and move your Treo around or the aliens will quickly blow you away.

Game Details

The game consists of a Training Mode and three different game modes: Arcade Reality, Infinite Shooter and Asteroids Mode.

The Training Mode has five levels that will teach you all you need to know about playing the game and provide a place where you practice using the different types of weapons and skills.

The following three screens show an example of Basic Training. In the first picture you can see a target in front of my refrigerator near the floor. In the second picture the target explodes after I shoot it and there is a green arrow pointing towards the next target. In the third picture I have turned about 90-degrees to the left and you can see the new target in front of me (and the carpet in front of the refrigerator is on the right).

Once you have the basic skills down there are three unique game modes where the fun really starts.

In the Arcade Reality game mode, you must battle your way through several different aliens that come at you alone or in groups. The different types of aliens move around differently, require anywhere from 2 to 10 shots to kill, and some have different types of weapons (Plasma, Black Jelly, Ramming, Laser, Big Gun or Fire).

You start the game with 3 minutes on a timer which starts counting down and you can add time more time to the timer by shooting aliens. The more quickly you can shoot the aliens the longer you get to play. When you kill all of the aliens on one level you move on to the next level.

The Infinite Shooter mode plays a lot like the Arcade Reality mode, but the goal is to kill as many aliens as possible before they escape through a portal. The game ends after 10 aliens escape through the portal.

Finally, Asteroids Mode, which is very different from the other two modes. Like the classic game “Asteroids,” you remotely control a spaceship (which you can see on the far right in the following picture) and your goal is to shoot the asteroids and the occasional alien spaceship. However, unlike the original Asteroids game, you are playing in a 3-D space which also happens to be the room you are standing in. To help you hit your target there are green lines and targeting rectangles that show you where your spaceship is pointing and where your shots will go.

Conclusion

I have to say when I first heard about Arcade Reality I was interested, but I really didn’t expect it to live up to the hype and I was prepared to be disappointed. Much to my surprise, I found that the game was just as cool as it sounded, well designed with many more features than I had expected, and a lot of fun to play.

The demo mode limits you to just the first level of each game mode but the full version gives you access to all of the features and includes many additional surprises such as bonus levels, power-ups, etc. Even if you don’t like playing games, I would recommend that you install Arcade Reality and try it out. If nothing else, you will have something that will be sure to impress your friends.

Pros

• Completely unique type of game that is both fun and challenging

• Fun to play and will even give you some exercise as you move around
• Will definitely impress your friends that like to see something new and unique

Cons

• Much like Dance Dance Revolution, it is hard not to look like a goofball to others while playing the game.

• Playing for a long time may make your arm tired

Tested using Treo 700p.

Related Links

Download Arcade Reality

Buy Treo Games

Discuss Treo Games

YouTube Video of Arcade Reality

Arcade Reality Website

Filed under: Software reviews