K5 Games and ARRI Media are set to release the most advanced mobile game yet.
On May 29 2018, fans will be able to get early access to ANON – The Game, a groundbreaking near-future noir thriller that uses the newest AR technology – available on iOS 11 and Android Nougat – to immerse the player in a novel VR experience all without the need for a headset.
ANON – The game is room-scale virtual reality stealth adventure based on a world created by director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time) for his new film of the same name. Starring Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried, the movie is out now in UK and Irish cinemas and on Sky Cinema.
The film is based in a modern world where advanced biosyn implants mean everyone is subjected to a relentless visual stream of information they call the ‘Mind’s Eye’, privacy and anonymity as we know it has vanished. With everyone’s personal information on public display and each person’s life recorded down to the millisecond, personal information is downloaded to a vast grid called ‘The Ether’, a database which law enforcement can access and use to prosecute criminals.
In ANON Sal Frieland (Clive Owen), is faced with a series of shocking murders which appear to be linked. Unable to identify the killers it soon becomes apparent that what they have in common signals a major breakdown in the system on which society has come to rely.
As he delves into the case, Frieland encounters a woman seemingly with no identity (Amanda Seyfried). Something he initially assumes is a minor glitch becomes the first clue that security of ‘The Mind’s Eye’ has been compromised, sending Frieland off on a mission to find a someone who effectively doesn’t exist before they kill again.
The Game gives fans the opportunity to live in the world of ANON on their mobile device. It is produced by Oliver Simon, Oda Schaefer, producers and partners at K5 Media Group and André Rittner, Head of Creative Solutions ARRI Media, from a game concept by two-time Academy Award Nominee Jan Lachauer, games director of K5 GAMES, in cooperation with Clarens Grollmann from ARRI Media.
Niccol, Lachauer and Grollmann’s work heavily influenced writer Paul Milbers when he set the story of ANON – The Game. The action-adventure combines cutting-edge VR storytelling and puzzles elements with first-person stealth mechanics and a sophisticated skill system. Using the latest AR technology on their mobile device, players will be able to interact with the virtual environment with an unprecedented degree of immersion in mobile gaming.
The Story
As the player, you wake up in bed with a beautiful woman – a well-known ‘vlogger’ in the world of ANON – in an apartment you’ve never seen before. The blood splash on your pillow makes you jump out of bed in panic as you notice she has been shot dead right next to you. With police sirens already approaching you have to be quick to get out of the apartment unnoticed.
On your way the mysterious ‘Anon’ contacts and helps you to escape. She puts you in contact with an organisation that will throw you into an exciting techno-thriller in the world of the film.
Game Mechanics
By making use of the inside out tracking functionality of Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore technology the player will be able to position his point of view in the virtual environment with an accuracy that has only been possible on tethered VR HMDs so far. It will allow the player to look into the world of ANON as if he is using the camera of his mobile device. Searching under a bed, peeking around corners or examining what’s written on a piece of paper tossed in a bin will be possible by simply moving the device up close to the virtual object.
Intuitive touch gestures allow for the most immersive way to interact with the game’s environment. Picking locks, hacking computer terminals, picking up and throwing objects and many other ways of interaction will be necessary to master a variety of ingenious riddles and challenges. Over the course of the game, the player will collect items, letting him engage with the story and interact with the virtual environment in ever-changing ways.
He will be able to practice a variety of skills, enabling him to sneak his way through heavily guarded alleys and buildings, hack his way through firewalls and gateways to reach locations surrounded by almost insurmountable barriers.
Additionally, the player will be able to sell in-game objects or share screenshots of the films iconic AR-billboards displaying real-world brand logos to obtain in-game currency or receive real-world product vouchers.
ANON will be released May 29 for iPhone (SE or later) and Android.
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