Pokémon GO is now open to beta testers in the U.S. while the game is still in active development. The game, first announced last fall, uses an iPhone’s GPS to let users catch, trade and battle over Pokémon based on their location in the real world.
Phones will notify players when they are approaching a Pokémon “in the wild” and give them the chance to catch it by using the touch scree to throw a Poké Ball. Poké Balls and other special items can be collected at PokéStops, placed at “interesting places such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments.”
Players will be encouraged to join one of three teams and take part in Gym battles with other teams, with the Gyms also anchored to real-world locations. Calling up the Pokémon they’ve caught, users can attack and dodge incoming attacks by swiping left and right on the screen, defeating the defending Pokémon to reduce a Gym’s Prestige.
If the Gym’s Prestige reaches zero, the defending team loses control and the winning user can assign his or her own Pokémon to defend it. U.S. users can get more information about the beta test at Niantic’s site.
