Recap #197: Mobile games news of the week

In this recap #197, 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 programme: the release date of Black Beacon, the arrival of Astral Takers and the success of mo.co.

Mobile games releases of the week

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

• Timelie is available in early access on Play Store, with an original time-manipulation mechanic for solving puzzles. You play as a little girl and her cat in a game combining infiltration, puzzles and anticipation of movement.
• Astral Takers is a freshly released JRPG where you play as a summoner protecting a mysterious young girl with amnesia. Form a team of heroes and anticipate enemy moves in turn-based combat on Play Store.
• MixMob Racer 1 mixes fast-paced racing and collectible card battles thanks to former FIFA, Halo and Battlefield devs. Take on other players with your customised Mixbots in 3-minute runs on Play Store and App Store.
• Magia Exedra: The New Puella Magi Madoka Magica RPG invites you to step back into the world of the cult licence with a new storyline and turn-based combat. Collect items, battle witches and form the ultimate magical girls team on Play Store and App Store.

We continue with Doggy Fame, a zany gacha RPG that lets you recruit over 200 dogs for PvE and PvP battles on Play Store. Apple Arcade, meanwhile, welcomes six new games, including RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic+, Space Invaders EVO and The Game of Life 2+. There's plenty of scope to rekindle nostalgia for the classics while having fun with the youngsters.

The Valley of Architects lets you follow Liz, an architecture writer, on an investigation in Africa through vertical dioramas. For $4 on the App Store, discover a superb narrative game. Finally, Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot turns you into a destructive slime in a bullet heaven inspired by Vampire Survivors, for $3 on Play Store.

Pre-registration, announcements, updates and testing phases

• Black Beacon will be officially released on 10 April on Play Store and App Store. This 3D RPG combines dungeon exploration, narrative choices and boss battles in a paranormal atmosphere.
• Tsukuyomi: The Divine Hunter is a card-creation roguelike coming to PC, Play Store and App Store this spring. Explore dungeons and build decks while losing cards with each run.
• ACE: Alice Card Episode is an upcoming deckbuilder inspired by Alice in Wonderland with over 130 jokers to collect. Pre-registration on Play Store and App Store is already open, pending a precise release date.
• Cats & Soup: Magic Recipe is a spin-off scheduled for soft launch on 24 April in the United States. Combine ingredients, adopt kawaii cats in 2.5D and relax with mini-games on Play Store and App Store.

Then there's Two Strikes, soon to join the Crunchyroll subscription, with its manga-style black and white and brutal 2D battles. City of Wars: Powered by Yakuza kicks off its soft launch in Asia on Play Store and App Store, with MMORTS gameplay like Rise of Kingdoms but with a mafia twist.

Meanwhile, the puzzle game Hidden Memories opens for pre-registration on Play Store and plunges you into a mysterious investigation alongside Lucian, a boy with amnesia. Pup Champs is a football puzzle game with football puppies scheduled for 19 May on Play Store and App Store.

Then there's Wex mobile, which is launching pre-registrations on Play Store for this Indian battle royale with a melting pot fantasy feel. Finally, the Chinese MMO Youxing Continent is starting its open beta on Play Store, with a visual style and gameplay strongly reminiscent of Genshin Impact.

Other news and events from the mobile games industry

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

• Mo.co has already exceeded $1.2 million in revenues in just two weeks of open beta. This monster-hunting online action game is proving very popular, despite its limited content.
• The Xbox Game Pass application is closing its doors on Play Store and App Store in favour of a merger with the main Xbox application. You'll still be able to take advantage of remote play and manage your games as before.

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