Players can interact with virtual pets in augmented reality (AR) on their mobile device.
Niantic, the creator of Pokemon Go, released Peridot, its latest free-to-play mobile game on iOS and Android devices.
Peridot is a virtual pet game that allows players to befriend and care for colorful creatures called Peridots, or Dots for short. When players first begin the game, they’ll be able to choose one of three “eggs” to receive their first Dot, with the creature’s appearance matching the appearance of the “egg.” The game’s website says Dots are “100% genetically unique creatures,” so no two Dots should be exactly alike.
Players can interact with their new virtual friend in augmented reality (AR), which makes them appear to be in front of players in the real world. The Dot will automatically move around the world on the screen and walk or run alongside players as they move around. Players can also double tap on a location to cause the critter to move to that spot.
Each Dot has hunger and entertainment bars that players can fill by interacting with them. Specifically, players can feed their critters different kinds of food and play with them. These food and play items come in limited quantities, but players can find more of them by foraging. To forage, players can draw a circle on the screen, which will cause their critter to burrow under the ground and collect random objects. For instance, they may bring up a sandwich they can eat or a tennis ball they can play with.
Dots also have desires that change automatically over time. For instance, a Dot may want to eat a certain kind of food, or it may want to look at a cat or dog. In the second example, players could point their phone’s camera at a cat or dog in the real world to have their Dot “see it” in the game.
As players interact with their Dot and fulfill its desires, they’ll earn “Growth” points, which causes the animal to grow up over time (a Dot starts as a baby). Once a Dot grows up to a certain point, it can be bred to create a new Dot.
Players can breed their Dot with a Dot owned by another real Peridot player. Since the game designs each Dot to have its own unique DNA, the resulting baby Dot will have a mix of features from the two parents. As players breed and “hatch” multiple Dots over time, they’ll collect a variety of “Peridot Archetypes” in their in-game journal.
Finally, the game gives players timed quests they can complete by performing certain actions in the game or in the real world. For instance, the game may ask players to feed their Dot a certain number of unique food items or walk a certain distance in the real world. As players complete these tasks, they’ll earn experience points and will level up their in-game profile. As players level up, they’ll unlock new in-game features, such as the ability to teach their Dots tricks and the ability for their Dots to go on “travels” when players aren’t actively playing the game.
While Peridot is available to play for free, the game gives players the option to spend real money on in-game items. For example, players can purchase clothing and accessory items for their Dots to wear, as well as food and toy items for their Dots.
Peridot is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices. The game is rated 4+ on iOS and E for Everyone on Android.
Have you played Peridot? What do you think about the game so far? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Editor’s note (05/09/2023): The section of this article related to in-game purchases has been updated since the article was published.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
