Parallel Kingdom - Location Based Game

If you have had your Android for any amount of time, you've probably downloaded a game or two to play when you're bored. You can only play so many Bust a Move knock-offs and word games before the whole phone game thing starts to seem a bit lame, which it certainly had started to seem to me, but there are a few games out there that have some very interesting mechanics.

One such game, which I have been playing recently, is Parallel Kingdom. Parallel Kingdom is actually a rather simplistic role-playing game, with nothing incredible in the way of graphics or storyline, but it does have a saving grace. Parallel Kingdom is played in an alternate world that overlays our own. That is to say, the game uses your Android phones GPS to determine your location, and overlays the game on a map of the world.

You start the game in your location on the map, and you can move your character within a game-defined radius. When you go to the gas station you can choose to travel to your current location in the game and fight monsters or explore. You can also travel by building flags and using them as waypoints, or by using the dog that is provided to you by the game to "hunt", or explore new areas.

The graphics are actually rather reminiscent of a shareware game that I played on windows around fifteen years ago, at least in the appearance of your character and the enemy characters as unanimated sprites moving on a very plain background, and there are a few server issues that I have experienced in the two weeks that I have played it, but I have still enjoyed expanding my territory.

As I stated before, Parallel Kingdom is not going to win any awards based on its artwork or storyline, but it is strangely addicting to plant flags in remote areas and attempt to build your kingdom, or, of course, try to destroy your neighbors kingdom. Check it out if you have the time, and let me know what you think!