One of the best parts about playing a board game is the comradery that comes with it. Gathering together with friends and family, talking and laughing, all the while each of you quietly plotting different ways to take each other down in the hopes of being crowned the winner.

Unlike conventional board games, many AR experiences lack the social elements that make games like Monopoly and Cards Against Humanity so much fun to play locally. Interactive design students Robin Bittlinger and Seppi Schuchmann saw a way to bring those two worlds together, and in doing so, they have created the “world’s first” 4-person AR party game called AR PARTY.

Bittlinger and Schuchmann, who are both big Nintendo fans, wanted to create something that felt similar to the “Mario Party” series, but at the same time offer players an original experience. They also wanted their game to take advantage of all the benefits AR has to offer. Once you place your virtual game board on the table, you’re able to move freely around the digital game board. You can zoom in and out, walk around and view the board from different perspectives, and shrink yourself down onto the game board itself and play the game from your avatars point-of-view.

The environment itself is designed to blend seamlessly with your home. Scattered throughout the AR game board are random objects you would find in your house and garage or lost in the cushions of your couch, like an old button, a lollipop, or a loose nail. Every puzzle and challenge in the game are beautifully detailed and easily seen in your AR environment.

In terms of gameplay, AR PARTY takes heavy inspiration from traditional board games, only instead of sitting down at a table you’re instead walking around, squatting, and leaning in closer to your adorable AR play space.

The board is made up of a bunch of odd shaped sofas that have been created by a character called Wallet Guy. Not only does Wallet Guy enjoy building these strange worlds made up of couches and other lost objects, he also loves to eat coins. He loves eating coins so much that in order to help him satisfy his coin cravings, he has created a set of minions called Sofa Guys. As one of Wallet Guy’s plush employees, your job is to move around the board in search of coins for Wallet Guy to consume. The player who collects the most coins, wins. But it won’t be that easy because your opponents will be able to use a bunch of random objects to sabotage your next move or even steal the coins you’ve collected.

Because it is a board game, you will need to roll a die in order to determine your next move. Your roll can also unlock some pretty cool advantages that will surely make you unpopular with your fellow gamers.

On top of the normal gameplay, there are also 12 mini games built into AR PARTY. Those individual games fall into two different game categories, Free for All or Team Play. Each game offers a different experience, from shooting targets in a scrapyard and battling other players in a battle royale-style melee to venturing off on a treasure hunt and participating in the ultimate game of Hot Lava! Just don’t forget to continuously yell “the ground is lava!!” as you play.

Trust me, it’s an unofficial rule.

Those interested in supporting the release can donate to the official Kickstarter. According to the developer, the goal is to release AR PARTY 100% free-to-play with zero ads. Donations start at €5 ($6 US) and end at €1,000 (roughly $1,196 US), the ladder of which earning you a chance to collaborate on a future mini-game.

AR PARTY is expected to launch mid 2021 on compatible iOS and Android devices.

You can learn more about AR PARTY here.

The post Play Your Friends In This Mario Party Inspired AR Multiplayer Game appeared first on VRScout.