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Ingress Prime is Pokémon Go with a sci-fi twist (Update: Niantic released Scanner Redacted)
Update, November 7, 2018 (11:19AM EST): It looks like Niantic is at least paying attention to those who are not fans of Ingress Prime. Earlier today, the mobile developer released the original scanner app under the name Scanner Redacted. Keep in mind that you can only sign in the app if you signed up for an account in the original scanner app.
Even though that leaves new players in the dust, at least older players can still experience the old UI if they want to.
Original article: Niantic has launched a new free-to-play augmented reality game called Ingress Prime… sort of.
Described by the Pokémon Go creator as a follow-up to Ingress, its first location-based title, this “new” game is actually a reboot which replaces the original Ingress game on the Play Store via an update.
While this would be fine if the game had been made better, according to many of the game’s fans, the sci-fi massively multiplayer title is now demonstrably worse.
The Ingress subreddit has been flooded with negative responses to the update (via Android Police), with many bemoaning a perceived pivot towards ‘pay-to-win’ style mechanics and a host of bugs.
The game’s recent reviews section on the Play Store is also full of one or two star ratings, with most reviewers calling for Niantic to roll back the changes.
In Ingress Prime players (dubbed agents) are tasked with visiting virtual portals situated around real-world landmarks in order to collect “Exotic Matter.”
This all plays into a larger story where agents can join one of two factions — The Enlightened or The Resistance — and battle with other players over control of Ingress Prime’s sci-fi world.
If this all sounds very Pokémon Go, that’s because it’s built off the same technology as Niantic’s smash hit pocket monster collectathon. The biggest difference is that Ingress Prime will be driven by an ongoing, evolving narrative that will be influenced by real-world events.
Niantic has plans to hold 12 “Anomaly” events across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, where players will come together at specific locations to do battle and influence the next chapter of the Ingress Prime story. There will also be smaller “Satellite” community events available to players all around the world, much like what we’ve seen with Pokémon Go’s weekend challenges.
As well as the game, the Ingress Prime story will also be told through a web series called The Dunraven Project, as well as an anime series that will come to Netflix in 2019.
To celebrate Ingress Prime’s launch, Niantic is also hosting an event in Pokémon Go where players can catch a shiny green Cubone and a blue Ponyta. Go players will also be awarded a free avatar item in Ingress Prime.
We’ve seen plenty of games follow the Ingress/Pokémon Go template with mixed results so far, including titles based on popular franchises like Jurassic Park Alive and The Walking Dead: Our World.
Niantic is also developing another location-based game set in the Harry Potter universe which is now expected to launch in 2019.
What do you make of Ingress Prime? Is the update really that bad? Let us know in the comments.