Over four decades after Space Invaders took over arcade centers, the series has its sight on mobile devices. Square Enix and Taito, in collaboration with Google, have launched Space Invaders: World Defense on iOS and Android mobile devices.
World Defense is an augmented reality game, like Pokémon GO. It uses Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, blending AR and 3D from environments and objects around the player within a 100m radius, as well as adapting time of day and local weather.
Invaders can drop from the sky around you, as well as attack from a different dimension. By using the Geospatial API, the world shifts into a 3D, Tron-like view where you pilot your ship to take down enemies. It looks kind of like old school Star Fox.
Specific areas will be under attack, and by defending them, you can add your name to the local and global leaderboards. Cool to see how far the AR tech has gone!
Fun fact: Space Invaders is celebrating its 45th anniversary, and has been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest-running video game series.
Space Invaders: World Defense is available now on mobile. It’s rated E for Everyone.
