See What it’s Like to be Spider-Man with Marvel Read’s New Augmented Reality Story App
By 
Spider-Man is back in the news, thanks to the newly rebooted movie release, which came out last Friday. The new version, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is a throwback to the original comic book version of the story.
If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you’ll want to check out Marvel Read’s new app – the companion story to the Amazing Spider-Man movie, with augmented reality.
Spider-Man AR Book HD lets you become a part of the Spider-Man story, with special interactive features that turn an ordinary tale into the extraordinary.
In this version of Spider-Man, Peter Parker is a bullied high school student with a crush on cheerleader Gwen Stacy, when he’s accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider after visiting his father’s lab.
After the bite, he transforms into Spider-Man, protecting New York City, with the ability to walk on walls, hang on ceilings, and leap great distances. This story follows the transformation of Peter Parker, from high school student to superhero.
The app is filled with interactive elements. As soon as you open it, you’ll be prompted to make your own Oscorp badge, with name, and photo ID. From there, you’ll be taken to a narrated version of the story.
The narration is simple and clearly done, making this the perfect app for younger kids to learn the Spider-Man story. Many pages have mini games to play. For example, the second page of the story introduces a Jar of Spiders mini game, where the goal is to tap swinging spiders into a barrel.
As an arachnophobe I found it to be a rather creepy game because it uses the front-facing camera to film you while you do it, so it looks like the spiders are right in front of your face. It’s a neat, but disturbing feature.
This app uses still scenes directly from the movie, rather than comic-style drawings. I appreciated the live scenes, but comic lovers might be a bit disappointed.
Spider-Man AR follows the entire story of Peter Parker’s transformation into Spider-Man, so it’s a long story and it has quite a bit of detail. I thought it was a super fun read and I loved the extras, so I imagine young Spider-Man fans will love the app even more.
When you’ve finished the story, you can go back and play each of the mini games. You can also take photos within the app, to share with all of your friends and family.
What I liked: The augmented reality extras are very cool. At one point, you put on Peter Parker’s glasses, and after lining up my face with the iPad, I was impressed to find that the glasses looked almost entirely realistic. Augmented reality isn’t often used in apps, so this story manages to feel entirely unique and fun.
What I didn’t like: The augmented reality features often require lining up the iPad with your face, which can be tricky to do. The app is very sensitive, and if it’s not exact, it doesn’t work. This app also does not work well with glasses.
To buy or not to buy: This app is a must have for any young Spider-Man fan. Kids will have a fantastic time reading through the story, playing the mini games, and using the augmented reality features.
- App Name: Spider-Man AR Book HD
- Version Reviewed: 1.1
- Category: Entertainment
- Developer: Disney Publishing Worldwide
- Price: $4.99
- Score:
