Recap #193: mobile games news of the week

In this recap #193, 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 enjoy our round-up of the week's mobile games news! On the programme: a look at Pokémon Champions, an exploration of Supercell's famous Boat Game, leaks of new Call of Duty mobile games and lots of other exciting news for the beginning of March.

Mobile games releases of the week

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

• As Far as the Eye, Unexpected's nomadic tribe management roguelike is now available on App Store and Play Store. With its survival mechanics and polished art direction, this game offers a demanding strategic experience for just €4.
• With Street Fighter IV Champion Edition, Netflix continues to expand its gaming offering. The cult fighting game is now available ad-free on mobile for subscribers to the service via Play Store and App Store.
• Tales of Wind: Radiant Rebirth revisits its gameplay with a 60 FPS MMORPG mode, underwater exploration and new customisation options. Available on Play Store, App Store and PC, it focuses on action and anime aesthetics.
• Tiny Dangerous Dungeons Remake on mobile returns in an improved version, with twice as many levels and five bosses to face. Available for around €4 on Play Store and App Store.

Then there's Draconia Saga, where dragons take centre stage. This free-to-play RPG lets you collect and evolve mythical creatures as you build your house on Play Store and App Store. For its part, A Perfect Day is a narrative game that plunges you into China in 1999, on the last day of school before the Lunar New Year, for €4, on Play Store and App Store.

We end this releases section with Lara Croft Guardian of Light, a twin stick shooter available on mobile for $7.5 on Play Store and $8.5 on App Store.

Pre-registration, announcements, updates and testing phases

• Pokémon Champions was unveiled at the latest Pokémon Presents. This arena battle game will offer strategic 1v1 or 2v2 battles on Switch and mobile, with ranked modes and private games.
• Supercell is launching pre-registrations for Boat Game, an action-adventure at sea. With battles on your ship and expeditions to islands, this cartoon-style game is already intriguing the community.
• In Sunset Hills, the adventure and puzzle game, you take on the role of a dog writer returning from war to find his companions. Sunset Hills promises an immersive experience and has opened pre-registration on Play Store and App Store.
• Astral Takers is now open for pre-registration on Play Store. This JRPG offers an adventure to protect Aurora, a young girl with amnesia, while improving her hero in a fantasy world.

We continue with Moonton, which is unveiling Silver and Scarlet, a gothic-inspired real-time strategy game currently in closed beta in China. Under Par Golf Architect invites you to build and manage your own golf course. Inspired by Planet Zoo-style simus, it will be released on mobile, PC and consoles.

Meanwhile, Crystal of Atlan, the MMORPG combining magic and technology, is opening pre-registration on Play Store and App Store in certain regions such as the Philippines.

The Electric State: Kid Cosmo, the prequel to the film, will be available on 18 March. This Netflix game on Play Store and App Store accompanies the film The Electric State. Then there's Racing Master from NetEase, the supercar racing game that will be arriving on the App Store in South-East Asia on 27 March.

Frozen War is the new title from the Lords Mobile team, a 4X strategy game set in a frozen world. Pre-registration is open on Play Store and App Store. And finally, Lokko, a game developed by Sony India, will feature player-created levels and an original AD. Playable on mobile, PC and PS5, it will offer a varied mix of platforming and racing gameplay.

Other news and events from the mobile games industry

There's more from the mobile JV industry this week:

• Activision is stirring up controversy with ads created by artificial intelligence for unannounced games such as Guitar Hero Mobile and Call of Duty: Zombie Defender. This advertising ploy is astonishing, and raises doubts as to whether these titles actually exist.
• With Suikoden Star Leap, Konami is preparing a new 2.5D opus for the Suikoden licence, somewhere between the first and fifth games in the saga.
• SEGA announces that it is reducing the number of new titles to focus more on Sonic, Atlus and Like a Dragon, in order to optimise its results in 2025.
• Gran Saga 4, the open-world MMORPG, will close its servers on 30 April. The developers are citing difficulties in maintaining the service, disappointing the community.

See you next week for a recap of mobile games news!