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Review: Orbu – delightful ARKit game full of puzzles

Apple’s ARKit is put to great use in Orbu, an excellent augmented reality game

Developer: Dream Reality Interactive
Price: $2/£2
Size: 205 MB
Version: 1.0.3
Platform: iPhone & iPad

Get Orbu

Apple’s ARKit has seen a flurry of augmented reality (AR) games launch on the App Store, and some are better than others. Orbu, a recent release, is a stunning example of how developers can get AR right. If you’ve been looking for a decent game that shows off what ARKit is capable of, take Orbu for a spin.

The worlds in Orbu are beautifully crafted and detailed

The idea behind Orbu is simple. Players are presented with various creatures – Orbus – who need guiding back to their homes. Clever physics, like pulling back on one of the creatures to catapult it over a bridge, allow players to send Orbus homeward bound. You’re then rewarded for the efficiency of your maneuvers at the end of each round.

You’re graded for your performance at the end of each level

Extra elements, like fish which can be fed by knocking objects, bowls-style, into different bodies of water make the game even more fun and enjoyable. And graphically, Orbu is simply delightful: the garden-like landscapes you play through are beautifully designed and packed with detail.

Of course, you get to really appreciate the graphical design of Orbu through AR. Because in Orbu, those garden landscapes can be placed upon any flat surface you can find. Simply point your iPhone or iPad camera at a tabletop, floor, or even outside on the grass, and one of Orbu’s levels will appear as if by magic. You can then point your device in different directions to look around the landscape before you, zooming in and out by either moving your handset or pinching on the screen.

ARKit lets users play anywhere they like

Best of all, Orbu doesn’t struggle at all when it comes to playing the game in more extraordinary environments. Lakeside patches of grass and even tree stumps are all fair game when it comes to finding an AR-compatible surface, as you can see.

Tree stump? No – a gaming surface!

Usefully, players can revisit levels in order to perfect their scores, which is a nice feature since Orbu isn’t a huge game – it won’t take you long to complete it in full. It’s perhaps better suited to a younger audience in this respect. Children will really love it.

But that shouldn’t stop grown-ups from taking Orbu for a spin, either. This delightful app can be yours for just $2/£2, and it’s worth every penny.