Nostalgia meets technology.
You remember Twister, right? It’s that nostalgic family game in which players spin a multicolored wheel and place their hands and feet on the coordinating dots on the mat. It was originally developed way back in 1966, but regardless, many of us 90s babies share fond memories of contorting ourselves into painful and awkward shapes just for the sake of fun.
So you can imagine my surprise when Hasbro, one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world, announced a brand-new Twister experience that does away with the instantly-recognizable game mat in favor of augmented reality (AR) technology powered by your smartphone or tablet.
Available later this summer, Twister Air promises a fresh take on the classic game of Twister. As mentioned above, there’s no game mat. You instead download the Twister app on your Android or iOS device and point the camera at yourself using the adjustable stand provided.
The product also comes with 8 Twister Air Bands, stretchy wearables for your ankles and wrists, that track the positions of your hands and feet during the game, allowing you to interact with virtual elements using only your limbs.
After calibrating your device, you can hop into a variety of single-player and multiplayer game modes. Yes, that’s correct, you can now play Twister all on your own, if that floats your boat. At the moment there are 3 game modes to choose from: Solo, VS, and Teams Mode.
Each game mode will have you touching multicolored targets to the beat of 16 different songs. You can go for the high score on your own, take on your friends and family in head-to-head battles, or team up and combine forces in split-screen.
“For over 55 years, Twister has been a household name thanks to the iconic polka-dotted mat that puts you, family, and friends in unusual positions and hysterical situations,” said Adam Biehl, SVP & general manager of Hasbro Gaming, in an official release.
“This new version of Twister will implement augmented reality technology to bring classic Twister gameplay that originated in the 1960s to modern-day and will surely give players of all ages an exciting new, music-inspired experience to make memories from.”
Twister Air will be available on August 1st, 2023 at major retailers. Those interested can pre-order now for $19.99 via Amazon. In celebration of the announcement, Hasbro today released a new track called “Twist in the Air,” that will be available to play in-game at launch.
Feature Image Credit: Hasbro
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