Niantic’s New Monster-Collecting AR Game Peridot Is Now Live On Android and iOS

In case you missed the memo, Niantic, the studio behind Pokemon Go and Ingress, has just launched a new mobile game called Peridot. While it might look like just another Pokémon clone, there’s a little more to it than meets the eye.

In Peridot, players take care of and raise unique creatures called Dots. These adorable digital pets can be petted, played with, fed, taught tricks, and even dressed up in cute outfits. But the real magic of Peridot comes from its Perigenetics system, which generates each Dot’s 100% unique DNA, creating countless variations of creature looks. To put it into perspective, the number of variations is greater than the number of stars in the universe or grains of sand on Earth’s beaches.

But Peridot is not just a game about collecting cute creatures. The game encourages players to form deep bonds with their Dots, just like they would with real pets. Once Dots are old enough, players can work together to hatch a new generation of Dots and diversify the species.

It’s unclear how Peridot will fare in such a competitive market, especially since it’s also in competition with Pokémon GO. The promise of a virtually endless variations of creatures, however, may just give Peridot a leg up over other games in the genre. In any case, the game is now available for download on Google Play and the App Store.