Parallel Kingdom – a Surprisingly Enjoyable Augmented Reality MMORPG!
by Jonathan Lonczak
Aug 5, 2011 12:35 PM –
Install
Parallel Kingdom is a real-time multiplayer location based role playing game. Parallel Kingdom shows you a parallel universe that exists all around you. Only now do we have the technology to actually see it. You will play the game on a Google Map at your actual location. Using simple, Zelda-style graphics, Parallel Kingdom shows the creatures lurking in your backyard and the mythical beasts that you pass everyday on your way to work. Play alongside others that have discovered this portal to another dimension. Chat and strategize in real time how best to conquer and claim this strange world.
Price: Free
Tested on: Motorola Xoom, Sony Xperia Play
Content Rating: Medium Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Location-based MMORPG with incredible depth and scope!
- Extremely large and active player base!
- Many crafting professions and various trade centers allow for customization and profit!
- Mentoring system allows you to get adjusted to the gameplay faster!
- Huge customization of character and territories!
- Location in-game changes with location in real life.
- Satellite view can be enabled under settings for true augmented reality experience.
Cons
- Mentors cannot be online to help at all times, and poor timing on their part can make the initial learning curve a little more difficult.
- Graphics are extremely limited due to location-based nature of the application.
- No use of vibration or sound.
- No accelerometer or hardware controls.
Features:
Parallel Kingdom is a augmented reality MMORPG for both Android and iOS. It reveals a hidden word that is around you at all times, but can only be seen through the eyes of your phone. Discover the dastardly trolls hiding down the street, the friendly fairies in your house, and enormous cities for trade and battle. This application uses your location to position your character within the realms of the game. Featuring massive online multiplayer, a skill based crafting system, a mentoring program for new characters, a detailed tutorial, and many in-game items and pets to help your character grow stronger!!
The basic principle of Parallel Kingdom is that there is an immense world of fantasy living around us, and that we can only see what is going on in that other world through the enhanced vision of our Phones and Tablet devices. The interesting thing about this concept is that your position in the game changes based upon your position in real life. When I first began playing the game and exited the tutorial in order to play in the “real world” I discovered that I had landed in a virtual cesspool of poisonous trees, trolls, spiders, and all other sorts of vermin. Not only did I start off in an extremely dangerous area, but I was also starting off in another person’s territory. Luckily this was my “mentor’s” territory so I didn’t have too much to worry about. Later, I relocated in the real world to my fiance’s house and found that I was in a completely different area than I had left off in and I was surrounded with easy to kill animals that provided useful items for crafting. This location-based dynamic makes for an extremely interesting gaming experience and brings a whole new angle to online gaming. This is one game where you are rewarded for leaving the house and playing elsewhere. 
Parallel Kingdoms assigns you a mentor as soon as you begin playing the game and leave the tutorial zone. Your “mentor” is someone who can give you tips that will help you to succeed in the game, and who you can ask any questions you need in order to better understand the gameplay. The mentor is a real human being who is randomly assigned by the game based on experience and activity. This concept is an extremely good one, because it forces you to communicate with other players in order to better improve your own gameplay, but suffers from the fact that no one is going to be available 24/7, When I first began playing the game my mentor was not online and so I was lost and confused and ended up attacking his territory since I was unsure of what to do next. I think some of this initial confusion could be remedied with an in-game home location for your hero, so that you have a starting point from which to create all of your future endeavors.
As you engage in combat with monsters in Parallel Kingdom you will receive three things: items, money, and pages. Items are what allow you to trade with other players and with the various NPCs in the game. Items also allow you to craft new goods using your hero’s skills. Money is used in conjunction with items for trade, and pages are the way your hero gains experience. When you gain 1000 pages you are able to level up your character and use another skill point towards a profession. There are several different professions in the game including leatherworking, weapon smithing, archery, alchemy, combat training, metallurgy, and shield charge. Each of these professions allow you to focus on increasing a single specific attribute of your hero, so it is extremely important that you choose a profession that best matches your goals and style of gameplay.
There are also pets in Parallel Kingdom. When you play through the in-game tutorial the instructor gives you a dog whistle. This allows you to call a dog to stay with you either until he dies, or until he has been in the game for more than an hour. If the dog is with you for too long he will need a nap, and you will have to call him back to your side once again. As you play through the game you can level up your pet and acquire new pets along the way.
Finally, you can trade with other players. Major Cities in your state of residence will be declared trade centers for Parallel Kingdom. I live the state of New York so my trade center was New York City. Unlike normal areas the trade centers are heavily populated with both players and buildings and is where you can purchase virtually any item in the game. At this area of the game you are able to put up your items for sale or purchase new items from other players. The auction system is very similar to that of World of Warcraft and encourages a competitive trading environment.
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Parallel Kingdom Title Screen
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Parallel Kingdom Menu
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Parallel Kingdom Faries
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Parallel Kingdom Poison Trees
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Parallel Kingdom Experience
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Parallel Kingdom New York City
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Parallel Kingdom Message
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Parallel Kingdom Skills
Fun Factor:
Parallel Kingdom was a surprisingly fun game to play. I had tried it once before doing this review and had been unimpressed with it at that time. Since having to revisit the game for this review I am convinced that I barely gave this game a try the first time around. The graphical style of the game does require some getting used to, because it is nowhere near the quality of many modern games like Dungeon Defenders or Dungeon Hunters. Despite that fact, Parallel Kingdom is a strong competitor to those types of games due to it’s extremely detailed system of location based gameplay. It allows you to completely customize your hero and allows you to have an entirely different game experience based on your device’s location.
Addictive:
Parallel Kingdom is also surprisingly addictive. This probably as a result of the location based gameplay; it allows you to have a different experience with the game entirely due to your GPS position. As you continue to play through the game you will become more and more immersed in the atmosphere of the game, and will begin daily check-ins in order to harvest more resources for crafting or to farm monsters for gold and pages.
I also noticed while playing there were many fixed locations that you could access as well for higher level quests and items. Due to the massive community participating in Parallel Kingdoms you never had too much trouble getting in touch with other players to assist with larger quests and rewards. The extensive community surrounding this game also greatly enhances this games addictive factor.
Graphics:
The graphics are one of this games weak points. Unfortunately, Parallel Kingdom’s graphics are extremely limited due to the location-based nature of the game. All of the in-game graphical models are set on the backdrop of your Google Maps position, so 3D modeling is not possible. As a result this game will never have as nice a graphical interface as other MMORPGs like Order and Chaos Online or Dungeon Defenders.
There is one interesting setting that pertains to this category in the game settings. Under the settings menu you are able to enable satellite view for the Google Maps backdrop. After discovering this hidden feature to the game the interface became much more appealing. It also brought more to life the augmented reality nature of this game. I would highly recommend enabling this feature to any new players as long as their device has a strong network connection.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
Unfortunately the game makes absolutely no use of vibration or sound, and the only use of the accelerometer in the game is to rotate the game display. This is definitely something that could be improved in future updates.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Arcade & Action,
Augmented Reality,
Casual,
Fantasy,
Kingdom,
MMORPG,
Multiplayer,
Parallel Kingdom,
Parallel Kingdom Age of Thrones,
Parallel Kingdom AOT,
World Of Warcraft,
Zelda
Categorised in: Arcade & Action, Casual
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