Invizimals
Encyclopedia
Invizimals is a PlayStation Portable
augmented reality
video game developed by Novarama
, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game, and is bundled with the PSP's camera attachment
on launch.
At E3 2010, a sequel entitled Invizimals: Shadow Zone
was announced, and released that fall. In 2011 a second sequel, Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
was announced.
or with others using the PSP's wireless abilities. Unlike Pokémon however, Invizimals requires the player to hunt and capture these creatures within the real world, using the concept of augmented reality
, a camera attachment
for the PlayStation Portable, and a physical "trap" square-shaped device used as a fiduciary marker
. These monsters are spawned at different environments (determined by colors of surfaces and time of day), and the trap is used to capture the monsters. Once captured, players are able to raise and level their monsters, and allow them to learn different attacks that can be used in battle. Players can also use the trap to view their monsters, and take pictures of their collection.
), who is another mentor for the player. He teaches the player special attacks like VECTORS and SUPERATTACKS. There are enemies you will meet during the game. Kaminsky is the person who hacked into the PSP R&D research labs to steal the Invizimal technology. The player will eventually confront him in a battle near the end of the game. Kaminsky is employed by Sir Sebastian Campbell, a most recognized character in the story who befriends the player, but has his own interests as well.
The Invizimal world has 6 different elements: Fire, Water, Earth (rock), Forest (jungle), Ice and Desert. Just like Pokémon
, each element has different strengths and weaknesses the player needs to discover. Finally, the player needs to collect sparks, orb-like items that can be used to purchase power-ups in game stores.
These are one of the most powerful vectors in the game (Meteor Strike is strongest). Use Elementals wisely, they cost 50 sparks each.
Here is what they look like and what they do:
Fire: A giant fire ghost comes out of the ground and slaps the opponent, works best with Jungle types.
Ice: A flying eagle-like spirit jumps out of the trap and dives into the enemy, works best with Fire types.
Rock: A giant rock monster climbs out of the ground and punches the opponent, works best with Ice types
Ocean: A giant water-creature lunges down and squishes Invizimals with its belly, works best with Rock types.
Desert: A giant sand ghost comes out of the trap and turns into a cyclone making other Invizimals lose health, works best with Ocean types.
Jungle: A tree comes out fully grown from an acorn, bites the enemy and transforms back into an acorn, works best with Desert types.
Later on in the game when you reach Cairo Club, watch out: The opponents there use Elementals.
, and 2011's Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
.
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
video game developed by Novarama
Novarama
Novarama Technology is a video game developer based in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. It is a Sony first party exclusive studio.-History:The studio was founded in July 2003 with the mission statement of creating innovative games with mass appeal. The studio began developing PC games, releasing Fallen...
, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game, and is bundled with the PSP's camera attachment
Go!Cam
The PSP Camera is a digital camera peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game system. In Japan, the PSP-300 was released as the Chotto Shot on November 2, 2006. In Singapore, the PSP Camera released in the same year. For PAL territories, it is named...
on launch.
At E3 2010, a sequel entitled Invizimals: Shadow Zone
Invizimals: Shadow Zone
Invizimals: Shadow Zone is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2009's Invizimals. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and requires the PSP's camera attachment for play...
was announced, and released that fall. In 2011 a second sequel, Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game currently in development by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2010's Invizimals, and 2011's Invizimals: Shadow Zone. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and...
was announced.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Invizimals has been compared to the Pokémon series, involving players capturing and raising different species of creatures, and allowing the player to battle with them, either against an AIAi
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
or with others using the PSP's wireless abilities. Unlike Pokémon however, Invizimals requires the player to hunt and capture these creatures within the real world, using the concept of augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
, a camera attachment
Go!Cam
The PSP Camera is a digital camera peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game system. In Japan, the PSP-300 was released as the Chotto Shot on November 2, 2006. In Singapore, the PSP Camera released in the same year. For PAL territories, it is named...
for the PlayStation Portable, and a physical "trap" square-shaped device used as a fiduciary marker
Fiduciary marker
A fiducial marker or fiducial is an object used in the field of view of an imaging system which appears in the image produced, for use as a point of reference or a measure...
. These monsters are spawned at different environments (determined by colors of surfaces and time of day), and the trap is used to capture the monsters. Once captured, players are able to raise and level their monsters, and allow them to learn different attacks that can be used in battle. Players can also use the trap to view their monsters, and take pictures of their collection.
Story
The story follows Kenichi Nakamura, a researcher at PSP R&D in Tokyo. He is the Invizimals' discoverer and the player's mentor during the course of the game. Along the way, the player will meet Professor Dawson (played by Brian BlessedBrian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
), who is another mentor for the player. He teaches the player special attacks like VECTORS and SUPERATTACKS. There are enemies you will meet during the game. Kaminsky is the person who hacked into the PSP R&D research labs to steal the Invizimal technology. The player will eventually confront him in a battle near the end of the game. Kaminsky is employed by Sir Sebastian Campbell, a most recognized character in the story who befriends the player, but has his own interests as well.
Scope
The player will be able to collect 100+ invizimals during the course of the game. Each Invizimal has different attacks, powers, and skills. The player can level up their Invizimals by collecting "Watts". The higher the level, the stronger the Invizimal.The Invizimal world has 6 different elements: Fire, Water, Earth (rock), Forest (jungle), Ice and Desert. Just like Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
, each element has different strengths and weaknesses the player needs to discover. Finally, the player needs to collect sparks, orb-like items that can be used to purchase power-ups in game stores.
Elementals
Elementals are based on the Elements of invizimals. Fire, Ice, Rock, Ocean, Desert and Jungle.These are one of the most powerful vectors in the game (Meteor Strike is strongest). Use Elementals wisely, they cost 50 sparks each.
Here is what they look like and what they do:
Fire: A giant fire ghost comes out of the ground and slaps the opponent, works best with Jungle types.
Ice: A flying eagle-like spirit jumps out of the trap and dives into the enemy, works best with Fire types.
Rock: A giant rock monster climbs out of the ground and punches the opponent, works best with Ice types
Ocean: A giant water-creature lunges down and squishes Invizimals with its belly, works best with Rock types.
Desert: A giant sand ghost comes out of the trap and turns into a cyclone making other Invizimals lose health, works best with Ocean types.
Jungle: A tree comes out fully grown from an acorn, bites the enemy and transforms back into an acorn, works best with Desert types.
Later on in the game when you reach Cairo Club, watch out: The opponents there use Elementals.
Invizimals
Throughout the game, the player has to capture Invizimals to move on to the next mission. Each Invizimal has its own, unique attacks which only they can use. Each attack has its own property (see Scope section). Also, each Invizimal has to be captured in a different way, even though some are the same. This can range from flying the Invizimal through a storm, or just scaring it out of its skin. Plus, while the player is "powering" the trap, the player can find really rare Mutant Invizimals. These can come in different colours and skills to their ordinary Invizimal counterparts.Awards and reception
The game received numerous awards, among which:- Special Achievement for Innovation, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, winner.
- Special Achievement for Technological Excellence, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, winner.
- Game of the Show, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, runner-up, lost to Little Big Planet.
- Best New Gameplay Mechanic, Kotaku Best of E3 2009, runner-up, lost to Scribblenauts.
- Best PSP Game, Kotaku Best of E3 2010, runner-up, lost to God of War: Ghost of Sparta.
- Ciutat de Barcelona Award 2009 in the category of Technical Innovation, awarded from the city's Mayor Office to individuals and companies with outstanding contributions to the culture of the city of Barcelona.
- El Duende cultural magazine award. Category: Technology and Video games.
- Spanish National Videogame Awards 2010. Best Technology.
- Spanish National Videogame Awards 2010. Best Overall Game.
Merchandising
Invizimals spawned a variety of derived products in several countries, including:- Sticker albums in Spain, Italy and Portugal, by Panini.
- Plastic toys by Comansi.
Sequels
Due to the success of the game it has received two sequels, 2010's Invizimals: Shadow ZoneInvizimals: Shadow Zone
Invizimals: Shadow Zone is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2009's Invizimals. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and requires the PSP's camera attachment for play...
, and 2011's Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game currently in development by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2010's Invizimals, and 2011's Invizimals: Shadow Zone. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and...
.
See also
- The Eye of JudgmentThe Eye of JudgmentThe Eye of Judgment is a turn-based card battle video game for the PlayStation 3 platform, which utilizes the PlayStation Eye camera peripheral...
, a PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video trading cardTrading cardA trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
game which uses the PlayStation EyePlayStation EyeThe PlayStation Eye is a digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 3. The technology uses computer vision and gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera. This allows players to interact with games using motion and color detection as well as sound through its...
for similar augmented reality effects - Start the Party!, a PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
party game using the PlayStation Move and Eye for augmented reality mini-games