Wonderbook is an augmented reality peripheral for the PlayStation 3 console. It’s a physical, book-like object that the PlayStation Move camera recognizes and brings to life with interactive content on the TV screen.
Wonderbook was released in 2012, along with the game Book of Spells. In 2013, three more games that use the PlayStation Wonderbook were released: Book of Potions, Walking with Dinosaurs, and Diggs Nightcrawler. The games were published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
The games are quite linear, but their features were advanced for their time, and interacting with the book by moving it around is a fun way to influence the game world.
Wonderbook’s short life may have been caused by the fast rise of virtual reality, which replaced augmented reality in popularity.
Book of Spells
The game is set in the Harry Potter universe created by J.K. Rowling. The player learns various spells that are needed to progress through the game.
Each chapter teaches the player a new spell, followed by a short story told by the book
The game was developed by London Studio.
Book of Potions
Book of Potions is very similar to Book of Spells. This time, the player’s task is to brew various magical potions.
The game consists of seven chapters, each focused on brewing a different magical potion. The player must collect various ingredients, such as plant leaves, slugs, or anything else the potion requires. The player adds the ingredients to a cauldron, stirs and heats the mixture. Between certain steps, the book tells short stories, just like in Book of Spells. The player also learns and uses different spells throughout the potion-making process.
Book of Potions is a broader and more refined version of Book of Spells.
Like its predecessor, the game was developed by London Studio.
Walking with Dinosaurs
In the game, the player explores and learns about fossils and dinosaurs.
The game consists of five chapters, in which players explore the world of dinosaurs through various stories. Players learn about dinosaur biology and fossils using an X-ray tool, and get to witness exciting battles between dinosaurs. At the end of each chapter, there are five questions related to the story.
The game was developed by Supermassive Games.
Diggs Nightcrawler
Diggs Nightcrawler focuses more on story than the other Wonderbook games. The player follows a detective named Diggs Nightcrawler, who is trying to solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty. To progress in the story, the player must move and rotate the book in various ways. The game features many characters and fun references to children’s stories and nursery rhymes.
The game was developed by London Studio, Exient Entertainment and Moonbot Studios.
Diggs Nightcrawler is the only video game Moonbot Studios has done. The studio focuses more on writing stories.
