Snapchat's latest lens launches you into a ghost-filled mystery, and it's exactly what the social media platform needs for its paid tier.
Entitled Ghost Phone, this game on Snapchat is the platform's first AR adventure, extending its Snap Minis functionality beyond simpler meditation and study apps.
Like other hits in the found phone genre, Ghost Phone asks you to unravel the mysteries of a phone you just found. By using your apps, especially the camera that will launch you on the AR ghost hunt, you will regularly unlock previously hidden texts, photos, and videos that provide clues as to what happened to the previous owner of the device. .
We tested the game and based on our first impressions, we will definitely play more. While found phone games aren't for everyone, the AR elements provide a unique level of immersion, helping to sell the illusion that there really is a ghost hanging over your shoulder.
If you want to try Ghost Phone for yourself, it's very easy. Obviously, you'll need Snapchat installed and you'll need to be logged in. Next, you'll want to head to the Lens menu; just tap the camera icon at the bottom of the main screen and then tap the smiley face that will appear to the right of the record button.
Once in the Lens menu, you can use the Browse icon in the bottom right corner to find a much wider range of lenses. Finally, use the search bar at the top to search for Ghost Phone and you should see the lens created by the official Snapchat account.
Analysis: Could games save Snapchat Plus?
Ghost Phone is free, and it's certainly a good thing that Snap doesn't lock all the best features of its apps behind a paywall, but if AR gaming came to Snapchat Plus, we wouldn't be disappointed.
Plus, subscribers get access to a set of starter features and tools that aren't available to free members. So far, though, we've been pretty disappointed with the Snap Plus. Their update to Snap Maps terrified our software expert Daryl Baxter (causing him to leave the service), and Snapchat Web is currently just a disappointing Discord.
But if Snap announced that nifty new AR games were coming to the service, we'd probably sign up again to try them out.
Snap's ghost phone has shown us that his team has the ability to use augmented reality in exciting ways. Snapchat's paid tier is likely to provide even more resources for developing cool (or scary) AR games, giving paying customers even more amazing apps and new genres.
We'll have to wait and see if Snapchat expands its AR gaming efforts, but whether its next title is another giveaway or a paywall-locked game, we'll definitely give it a go.