Peridot is heavily inspired by Tamagotchi, the digital pet game that was popular in the 90’s. “Peridot is a modern adaptation of the original Tamagotchi,” said Peridot project manager Ziah Fogel at a press conference on May 3, 2023.
This is an accurate summary of the new game. When you look at your surroundings through the app, you can see your virtual pet running, hiding and wandering around obstacles in real life. The pets in this game are so beautiful, and the game gave me such pleasant feelings as if I had a real pet, because I really want to have a pet and I love animals. However, I did notice that playing the game was a bit repetitive, and it drained my phone’s battery really quickly.
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Will the company repeat the success of its famous game Pokemon Go?
The big question is whether Niantic can replicate the success of its popular game, Pokémon Go, which became a cultural phenomenon in 2016 when it had players frantically chasing game characters for rewards. This company has released games inspired by other movie series such as “Harry Potter” and “Transformers” and brands such as the Catan game, but this is the first game that the company has invented itself since the release of the Ingress game. The first virtual reality game developed by the company in 2014. The company bet a lot on Peridot; It broke away from the realm of other movie franchises and brands and created a whole new world with new characters.
According to the company, all Dot creatures are unique, created by developers using company-proprietary algorithms that combine creatures inspired by real (like the hunting cheetah), mythical (like the abominable snowman) and imagined (like the unicorn). Other algorithms influence physical features such as skin texture and feathers. When Dot’s creatures mate with each other, they “hatch” entirely new creatures that combine the parents’ genetic code derived from algorithms.
According to Vogel, these algorithms ensure that the organisms resulting from mating are not asymmetric; As she said: “The number of possible combinations exceeds 10 x 2.324 combinations, which exceeds the number of stars in the universe and grains of sand on Earth.”
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Unique “dot” objects
Peridot starts with an egg, just like Tamagotchi. I chose a granitic egg, and it hatched into a fluffy, round, silvery animal with big, anime eyes. I had just finished making my grocery list before I started playing, which is probably why I named my pet Orzo (after a type of pasta). Orzo started jumping from wall to wall in my dimly lit office, “dug” into the carpet and found a snack, then sat down next to me cooing after I “patted” him by rubbing his belly against the iPhone screen.
Even though Orzo was “born” in my house, Dot’s beings are not supposed to be domestic. Niantic views Peridot as an outdoor game, much like Pokemon Go. “We want to motivate users to get moving every day,” Vogel says.
Action game
Peridot motivates users to get moving by giving them rewards for completing a certain number of steps or covering certain distances while using the app. It also suggests local areas of interest to them, such as parks, where users can take their virtual pets to hunt for food or find prizes.
