Recap #178: Mobile game news of the week

In this week's recap #178, we take a look at the week's must-have mobile games releases, mobile news and pre-registrations/test phases not to be missed.

Sit back and relax as we round up all the week's mobile games news! On the agenda: the release of Age of Empires Mobile, the announcement of Destiny: Rising and the forthcoming launch of the Xbox Mobile App.

Mobile games releases of the week

This week has been rich in release announcements, with many games now available on stores:

• Age of Empires Mobile, developed by TiMi Studios, is an MMORTS where players choose from eight civilisations and compete in automatic battles with a gacha system. The game is available free on Play Store and App Store.
• Wizardry Variants Daphne is available on Play Store and App Store, with a PS2-style first-person view. This dark fantasy dungeon game features a mysterious atmosphere and battles against demons.
• Ben 10 Alien Run, supported by Cartoon Network, is a sidescrolling runner where players take on the roles of Ben Tennyson's creatures. This title, faithful to the cartoon, is available on Play Store and App Store.
• Climb Knight by AppSir Games is available on Play Store and App Store and is inspired by classics such as Doodle Jump. Players have to climb levels filled with obstacles in a 1-bit visual style.

Meanwhile, Resonance Solstice, the real-time card game, is out in Japan, offering a mix of deckbuilding and territory management. Another Japanese release, OpenSpace Overfield, is an adventure featuring chibis in miniature dioramas.

Pre-registrations, announcements, updates and testing phases

As well as the recent releases, we've got more test announcements and pre-registrations in stock this week:

• NetEase has made Destiny Rising official, a free-to-play RPG shooter inspired by Bungie's universe. The game offers an alternative timeline to the main Destiny episodes, with single-player and co-op gameplay and exclusive mobile modes. A closed alpha is scheduled for 1 November in North America.
• Riot Games unveils The Golden Spatula, a spin-off of TFT. This auto-battler is launching in South-East Asia, but no worldwide release has been confirmed.
• Marvel Mystic Mayhem is the new game resulting from a collaboration between NetEase and Marvel Games. The game is a tactical RPG where heroes battle Nightmare in the Dream Dimension. Pre-registration is now open on the official website.
• DC Heroes United is an interactive game where players influence the story through weekly polls. With gameplay elements reminiscent of Vampire Survivors, the game features top-down combat and is now open for pre-registration on Play Store and App Store for release this autumn.

The announcements continue with the narrative RPG Heaven Burns Red, featuring heroines battling alien creatures. Published by Yostar Games, the game will be released on 15 November and is already available for pre-registration on Play Store and App Store. Meanwhile, the much-anticipated gacha RPG Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade has reached 5 million pre-registrations ahead of its worldwide release on 7 November.

The sequel to the narrative puzzle game Rise of the Golden Idol arrives on 12 November via Netflix Games. As for Ubisoft, the studio is launching the closed beta for NFL Primetime Fantasy, a sports fantasy game based on the NFL. Supercell announces the second Project Rise pre-alpha for the first quarter of 2025.

Vinland Tales: Viking Saga, a survival game set in the Viking world, opens pre-registration on Play Store. The player takes on the role of Leif Eriksson in an open-world setting filled with battles, quests and village-building. And finally, fans of text-based RPGs can rejoice with the announcement of Eldrum Black Dust. The game is available to pre-register on Play Store and App Store for release on 4 December.

Other news and events from the mobile games industry

The mobile JV industry has more news in store for you this week:

• Microsoft is taking advantage of Epic's victory over Google to launch its Xbox Mobile App. This new mobile store will allow Android users to buy games without going through the Play Store, from November in the United States.
• Genshin Impact fans organised a huge party in Shanghai for Furina's birthday. A 7-storey building was rented out for the occasion, showing once again the community's impressive enthusiasm for their favourite characters.
• Sky: Children of the Light is collaborating with the Moomins series for a special season, available until 19 December.

See you next week for a round-up of mobile games news!