AR Dragon, Tamagotchi in modern form

When Apple released iOS 11 mid September, they added a new categorie of games in their App Store: AR games. Naturally, I was curious to see what was there. Pokémon Go took over the world over a year ago with AR, encouraging people to catch the Eevee that was sitting right next to you on the park bench. Although the AR technique has been around since the late ’90’s, the Nintendo 3DS was one of the first however to incorporate AR when the console was released in 2011. Remember scanning the AR cards and seeing Mario pop up on your table?

Well, one title stood out to me in the App Store: AR Dragon made by Playside. Way back when it was all the rage, I had my own little Tamagotchi that I took care of for weeks. I even took it to work with me and fed it during my lunchbreak.

I’m all for having pets, virtual of in real life, so I took this little Dragon on with enthusiasm.

When you first open the game you’ll get an egg to hatch, and in a random way, you’ll get your own little dragon. They range from common to legendary, and I was lucky: got myself an epic Dragon. All dragons are different, you will never find two dragons with the same look or same effects. Playing with him multiple times a day will give currency in the form of little purple pyramids that are strewn all through your screen.  You need these crystals to feed your dragon, play with him and buy him all kinds of cool accessories and toys.

When you start to play, the game scans the room to find a suitable surface for the Dragon to appear on. When that’s finished, the Dragon is waiting in front of you on your phone. he looks desolate when he’s hungry or bored, and perks up when you feed him and play with him. The playing consists of throwing him a toy and try to bounce it back and forth several times. When he’s fed you can also pet him, and I swear, he gives me the same adoring look that my little Sammy gives me! Oh, and you also have to get rid of his poo…just like with Sammy!

Using the gems you can buy little hats, glasses and other fun things, or chance the color of his skin. Of course this comes at a high price in crystals, which you can buy with real money. However, there’s no need to do so, as you can enjoy the game just as well without all the added stuff. Still, the happier the dragon, the faster he will grow. But if you’re worried this will take up all of your precious time, don’t be. I check in for a few minutes two or three times a day, and he is as happy as a dragon can be!

AR Dragon is available in iOS and Android, but I have seen comments where people state it won’t work on an older phone. Still, the game is free to play, so no harm in trying!

4 comments

      1. Haha!! I think ever since we moved last year, mine has been packed up in a box somewhere and I haven’t come across it yet. Did you know that they are coming out with new Tamagotchis in November to celebrate their 20th anniversary? They are supposed to be exactly the same as the original, just a little bit smaller. I don’t know why, but I am extremely tempted to buy one!

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