If you’re a gamer who loves augmented reality, there’s a new kid that will soon be hitting the App Store block: ARDefender, a defense game from developer Int13 which has a unique twist.

TouchArcade got a sneak peek at the forthcoming ARDefender game for the iPhone and iPod touch, courtesy of developer Int13. ARDefender is part of the emerging trend of augmented reality games, but this one has a twist -- it uses specially printed images placed in front of the camera, which the software then converts to a 3D model inside the game.

Before playing ARDefender, you’ll need to print out and cut down a PDF image from the Int13 website which will actually create the defense tower used in the game. Place the cutout on a flat surface where you intend to play, load up the game and get your augmented reality action on by hitting the play button. As soon as the software recognizes the cutout image from the PDF, it will instantly convert it to a defense tower -- just like magic.

To play ARDefender, you’ll use the weapon mounted atop of the tower and fend off the attacking enemies below. “Touching anywhere on the screen places an aiming reticule at that spot and holding down a button in the lower right corner fires your weapon,” explains TouchArcade. “There’s a regular cannon with unlimited ammunition, and limited missile or laser attacks at your disposal. Occasionally an airplane will drop off a crate full of ammunition for you to collect.”

Despite some “fairly simplistic game mechanics,” TouchArcade found a lot to like about ARDefender, particularly the magic involved in creating the 3D tower from the PDF cutout, which appears to work seamlessly as long as you place it on a level surface (they had trouble using it on an uneven surface with carpet, for instance).

Int13 reports that ARDefender has already been submitted to the App Store, and hopefully it should turn up within the next week or two. For now, have a look at TouchArcade’s hands-on video of the game in action!


(Video courtesy of TouchArcade)

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