Image used with permission by copyright holderToys have really been playing a more important role in video games over the past few years — from Amiibo to Disney Infinity, it seems to be a trend to bring toys to life in an app or game. Normally, however, once you buy a character or item and unlock it in the game, the interaction between the two ends there. That is what Lightseekers, which was launched on Kickstarter, hopes to change.

　　Lightseekers is a mobile-first approach that allows players to play in multiplayer mode, solo, or even play offline. Not only that, but the more you play, the more your characters will evolve and gain experiences over time.

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　　In the basic game, you will pair your figures to discover their history then guide them through games — the figures, which are built by TOMY have built-in motion sensors, so in certain game modes, you can use them as game controllers.

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　　The characters are also intended to grow over time — you will be able to get different add-ons and weapons for each character to provide a new gaming experience. Characters were also designed to offer lasting relationships with the players; you can evolve one particular character over time without having collect a bunch of different ones.

　　The real goal for Lightseekers, however, is to bring growth to the toys-to-life market. Disney notably exited the industry earlier this year when it discontinued the Disney Infinity series. PlayFusion, the team behind Lightseekers, says this is because of a lack of innovation. Instead of releasing more toys that simply connect to a gaming device and then sit around, PlayFusion wants to bring new life to the concept.

　　PlayFusion is hoping to launch a beta for the app by the end of this year and is targeting full retail availability in spring of 2017. You can head to the Kickstarter campaign to back Lightseekers for yourself and to get the physical toys you will need to pledge $50 or more. Otherwise, you can get exclusive skins and in-game features for less.