If you thought Pokémon Go was the very first monster-catching augmented reality game (ARG) for mobile phones, then you’re in for a surprise. Monster Buster: World Invasion, a monster battling ARG, was launched two years ago, in October 2014, for Windows Phones. Though the game never became a worldwide sensation, mainly due to its platform restriction and the lack of “Pokémon” in its title, Monster Buster: World Invasion is still one of the best-rated, updated games for Windows Phones today.
Monster Buster: World Invasion features a lot of similar gameplay systems as Pokémon Go. It’s location driven, as you use your GPS to go around town and search for monsters to battle with. When you encounter a monster, you use your Windows Phone camera to engage it in a turn-based combat screen. The battle system plays out like Pokémon Go’s, with each monster having flashy special abilities for combat use. Progression is also level-based, with victorious battles granting the most experience points for your monster. When you defeat a new monster, the game unlocks it for use via the game’s currency system. In essence, Monster Buster is mostly the same as Pokémon Go, but without the familiar, trademarked critters and the Pokéballs.
Monster Buster: World Invasion is a worthy substitute if you’re really itching to play Pokémon Go right now. Get some practice walking around before Pokémon Go launches locally. You’ll need a Windows Phone to play this game, though.
