Fans of the FXX series Archer can look forward to a whole new way to enjoy the show with the new Archer, P.I. app on Apple and Android.
Developed by Floyd County and FX Networks, the app brings viewers a unique experience: interactive television meets augmented reality gaming. Though Archer, P.I. is available for download now, most of the game won’t work until new episodes start airing in the coming week, as the idea is to “play along” while watching the show.
The adult animated series returns for its 8th season, titled Archer: Dreamland, on April 5 in the U.S. This time, Archer’s adventures are set in the 1940s, and while he and his team are out and about attempting to solve cases, viewers will be invited to do some investigating of their own.
The show has previously provided ‘Easter eggs’ galore for eagle-eyed viewers, leading them to online scavenger hunts. The most recent of these led dedicated fans to a printable 3D prop from the show if they managed to collect and solve all the clues dotted throughout episodes of Archer’s 7th season.
Archer, P.I. takes this idea one step further by allowing viewers to dive into the world of Archer, using augmented reality to explore various aspects of the show in more depth. While Archer and his fellow detectives are solving cases on screen, people playing along at home get to solve cases of their own in an “episode-within-an-episode” format.
While the show is on air, the player can open the app and use their device’s camera and the app’s AR feature to find on-screen clues and items that can be used in-game, bringing them to life before their very eyes. The AR feature can also be used outside of the television series, with various billboards and TV commercials that can be ‘scanned’ to provide extra clues, along with interactive features on Archer’s social media websites and FXNetworks.com.
Archer fans will be pleased to know that the app promises to keep the show’s distinct brand of humor throughout, with Archer himself offering his help with a dose of his usual sarcastic wit, and puzzles that fit in with the in-jokes and pop culture references that are rife in the series.
“We discovered that it was important that the puzzles had to be funny! We started by making them challenges, but they were so dry. We kept re-doing them over and over again to make them more resilient and fun.”
– Technical Director Bryan Fordney.
As with previous interactive elements of the series, there will be times when a printer can be used as part of the investigating, to print and assemble some of the clues offered, though this will not be a mandatory aspect of the game, and it can still be completed without doing these.
To learn more, check out the official trailer for Archer, P.I. below:
Archer, P.I. is available to download now on the App Store and Google Play. Archer: Dreamland airs Wednesdays, starting April 5, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FXX.
Published: Apr 2, 2017 05:43 am