Apple Adds Multiplayer AR Spy Game ‘Super Oops’ to Arcade Subscription Service « Mobile AR News :: Next Reality


With No Time to Die, the 25th installment in the James Bond saga, arriving in April and Black Widow, the first solo film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s own secret agent, following a month later, what better way to get in the espionage mood than some augmented reality spy gaming?

As luck would have it, Apple and game developer Mixed Bag are ready to satisfy that itch with Secret Oops!, a multiplayer puzzle game set in a cartoonish spy world that’s anchored in the players’ environment via ARKit’s plane detection capabilities.

The game is available now via the App Store for Apple Arcade subscribers. The service costs $4.99 per month, but new subscribers can try the service for free during the first month.

Image by Mixed Bag/YouTube

Unlike 007 and Natasha Romanov, Special Agent Charles, the main character of Secret Oops!, is neither dashing nor cunning. In fact, he’s the world’s dumbest spy, so he needs some help navigating the various levels of the game.

That’s where the players come in. Using their eagle-eyed view of each level, players must deactivate security cameras, traps, and robot guards to guide Charles through each level. For instance, the color-coded buttons that disable the corresponding obstacles are hidden behind walls, so players will need to walk around the space to uncover them.

Images by Tommy Palladino/Next Reality

Using the shared experience features introduced in ARKit 2.0, up to four players with compatible iPhones and iPads can play in multiplayer mode, during which players will need to coordinate their actions to ensure the mission succeeds.

The game includes 35 levels across two worlds, The City and Antarctica, though Mixed Bag plans to add more worlds to the game. Each level also comes with different configurations based on the number of players participating.

Image by Mixed Bag/YouTube

Secret Oops! isn’t the first AR game to join the ranks of Apple’s gaming subscription service. Players can also choose to play Spek. from RAC7 Games, Possessions by Noodlecake, and Rosie’s Reality by RosieReality, all of which employ similar puzzle-solving game mechanics.

In much the same way that Apple Card and Apple Pay set the stage for simplifying payments for smartglasses wearers, and ARKit provides an ecosystem of capabilities for future smartglasses apps, Apple Arcade could also streamline how smartglasses wearers try out new games. Instead of having to make a purchase decision for an individual AR game through their smartglasses interface, future Apple smartglasses wearers could enjoy the convenience of finding that their AR games are already included in their subscription and are ready to play.



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