There’s something strange brewing on Android and iOS-enabled phones all over the neighborhood. Showcased at Google’s Mobile World Congress booth, Ghostbusters World will release a spectral horde of apparitions and poltergeists for mobile users to bust in an augmented reality environment. The brief demo shown at the Barcelona event highlighted Google’s new augmented reality platform, ARCore, and was accompanied by the release of a teaser trailer.
Much like Niantic’s Pokemon Go!, Ghostbusters World will send players out into the world in search of the biggest and baddest of the Tobin Spirit Guide. The demo and subsequent teaser may not have shown much of the game, but fans of the Ghostbusters franchise were given a taste of at least one familiar specter: Slimer. Details are slim, but TechCrunch notes that the FourThirtyThree Inc. developed game will feature spooks and ghosts seen in “films, TV shows, comic books, theme parks, and video games” across the franchise.
Source: FourThirthyThree, Inc.
Even without a full listing of catchable ghosts, it can be assumed that other recognizable foe like Stay Puft, Gozer, and Vigo the Carpathian will make an appearance. Marketing associated with the release of the teaser trailer also indicates the Sandman from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and Gertrude Aldridge from the 2016 Ghostbusters film will also be haunting the AR experience.
Further deduction of series favorites can be used to assume that more notable fiends from the Ghostbusters’ universe will be sliming their way across mobile platforms. Players should expect to square off against the Scoleri Brothers from Ghostbusters II, the Chef from Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Xanthador from Ghostbusters: The Return novel, Idulnas from IDW’s The Man from the Mirror comic series, and Mayhem from Ghostbusters (2016).
The demo and teaser did show off proton pack and particle thrower mechanics, which are visible and move fluidly in the AR environment. Ghostbusters fans may question whether additional equipment will be unlockable as more ghosts are captured. If so, it’s likely that the slime blower from Ghostbusters II, the boson dart blaster introduced in Ghostbusters: The Video Game and some of the gadgets from Ghostbusters (2016) may also be available for use.
Ghostbusters World has no set release date yet, though it’s expected to launch later in 2018 for Android and iOS devices. This is the second Ghostbusters' augmented reality game to launch on mobile devices. Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast launched in 2012 on Android and iOS to a mostly cold reception.
