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Become a god-like gardener of a surreal skyworld in After the Gods for Android

Gardeners' World

Become a god-like gardener of a surreal skyworld in After the Gods for Android

How many times have you caught yourself venturing around a gorgeous game world and getting ever-so-slightly jealous of the in-game character?

While the 13-man team behind new Android game After the Gods doesn't offer you the wardrobe to step into Narnia, it does make use of augmented reality (AR) to bring a sumptuous landscape within touching distance.

The team of designers, 3D artists, and programmers (without a collective name as yet, I hasten to add) released After the Gods after working on AR games for over a year.

The team's mission all along has been to develop AR games that are intuitive to play. The team has also been trying to making effective use of the unique capabilities of AR in its games.

Rinse it

To accomplish these two 'goals', the team has had to rinse and repeat a fair amount to find the perfect feel for its gardening god game.

"After the Gods was developed through a highly iterative process to avoid the common development trap of adding elements to AR games that ultimately feel broken," Brian Schrank, project lead, said.

So, what is it exactly, then?

After the Gods

To play After the Gods, you'll first need to download and print out the Image Tracker and place it on a surface. Then, you'll need to download the game's .apk file onto your Android device.

Peering through your Android device's camera, you'll see a stunning and highly stylized landscape in the middle of the room.

There are grand lakes stretching out under mountainous terrain. Huge iconic structures poke out through the wispy clouds. It's a pleasure to simply clap eyes on this surreal skyworld.

Statuesque

Peering in closer, you should start to spot a number of statues. Within these, the elemental powers of the fallen gods remain.

By tapping, holding, and moving your device around, you can play with wind, clouds, and light. By combining effects like daylight and rain, you can grow flora. For something more dramatic, try swirling dust storms or drowning out the sky with shimmering waterfalls.

Soon, you'll start to restore the world to its former, lush state.

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Chris Priestman
Chris Priestman
Anything eccentric, macabre, or just plain weird, is what Chris is all about. He turns the spotlight on the games that fly under the radar.