CATAN: World Explorers

CATAN: World Explorers is a new AR game developed by Niantic -- the creators of Pokémon GO and Ingress, no less. This time (instead of capturing Pokémon outside on the street or fighting a territory war to capture portals) your whole city turns into one huge Catan board -- if you haven't heard of Settlers of Catan, it's one of the most popular board games in the world.

In order to play CATAN: World Explorers, you need to sign up for a user account via either your pre-existing Facebook account or via Google. Once you've set that up, it's time to make the biggest decision in the entire game -- picking a faction. There are three options available to you: the 'Golden Eagles' the 'Blue Bears' and the 'Red Wolves'. If you've already played a Niantic game before, this formula will definitely ring a bell. Once you've picked sides, it's time to customize your avatar.

Just like in the popular board game, Settlers of Catan, in CATAN: World Explorers, you're going to need to stockpile resources to trade them and gain improvements for your village. Wood, ore, brick, grain and wool -- these resources are key in allowing you to make purchases to level up your village. Of course, you're also going to need to go out on missions. And barter. Quite a bit, actually. That means that your negotiation skills are paramount to setting you up to win -- just like in the board game.

CATAN: World Explorers is an outstanding AR game. It's successfully ported the popular board game to a whole new heights on Android, completely reinventing the original concept. The cherry on top is its graphics -- a lush 'low poly' esthetic that fits this title like a glove.