Mobile Games News Recap #94

Discover our weekly recap of the mobile games news on Android and iOS issue #94! On the agenda this week: the trailer of Indus (an indo-futuristic battle royale), news from Valorant mobile, the return of Everdale, the release of Devolver Tumble Time which parodies other mobile games, and much more to discover in this recap. We'll let you read it all below. ⬇️

Indus Battle Royale Trailer

Let's start this recap with the first trailer of Indus Battle Royale, the upcoming game from Indian studio SuperGaming on Android and iOS. The trailer of this Indo-futuristic battle royale quickly reveals characters and the Virlok map with several gunfight phases. The gameplay seems fluid and the graphics are very good, even if some textures could use a little more finishing.

The trailer of Indus Battle Royale leaves a taste of déjà vu because we immediately notice the inspiration of Apex Legends, whether in the design of the characters or the map. We hope that the game will have some surprises in store for us and that it will stand out at its release with new features, especially with its lore and atmosphere.

Pre-registration for Ice Scream United Multiplayer

Available for pre-registration on iOS and Android, Ice Scream United Multiplayer is the tenth game in the Ice Scream license, developed by Keplerians Horror Games. In this multiplayer game with asymmetrical gameplay, players, in teams of four, collaborate to solve puzzles and try to escape from the ice cream factory.

To complicate things a bit more, you also have to keep an eye on the surroundings at all times, as the monster Rod, played by another player, will be looking to capture all the participants. If you like games like Dead by Daylight Mobile, this game will probably be a good opportunity to spend some good evenings with friends. Don't forget to pre-register!

Registration for the last Honkai: Star Rail beta on January 24

After several phases of test, the release of Honkai: Star Rail is getting closer and closer, which will delight the fans of the creators of Genshin Impact. Hoyoverse has just announced the last beta phase of the game, which you can sign up for now on the official website.

During our test of Honkai: Star Rail at Gamescom last August, we had been able to discover this gacha RPG with fights in turn-based.

If we were pleasantly surprised by the fluidity of the animations and by the graphics which keep the same style as those of Genshin, the loading times were very long, in particular to enter and exit a fight. We hope to be able to test the full game in 2023 soon to know if this has been corrected.

Arrival of season 7 of Rocket League Sideswipe

Season 7 of Rocket League Sideswipe brings with it a new Rocket Pass, which unlocks new items and in-game currency. Season 7 also introduces a new store, Token Shop, where players will be able to purchase season gifts with new currency earned by progressing through the Rocket Pass and completing weekly challenges.

You'll also earn badge borders and stars to show your Sideswipe progress. Finally, the developers have added a collection tab to help players keep track of their item collection and earn additional rewards by completing specific collections.

Release of Takt op. Symphony on mobile in 2023

Takt op. Symphony is in the news this week, announcing its release in 2023. This title from DeNA Corporation Limited is a game based on the eponymous anime. This RPG with anime visuals mixes exploration, music and narrative dialogues. The idea is to offer a cross-media content very focused on classical music.

In the world of Takt op., music becomes a weapon thanks to the Musicarts able to prevent the destruction of the world. Despite a trailer without gameplay, we understand that the title takes the gacha RPG formula with a musical touch and a very narrative approach for its gameplay. We will have to wait for the release of the game in 2023 to make a definitive opinion!

Announcements of the Halfbrick Beyond 2023

On the occasion of Halfbrick Beyond 2023, the studio behind the Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride licenses has announced its plans for the future. The announcement we are mainly interested in concerns Dan the Man 2, the sequel to the colorful pixel-art beat 'em up, scheduled for summer 2023.

And the studio intends to play all the tables with remastered versions of Fish Out the Water and Age of Zombie, virtual reality game sequels with Fruit Ninja VR2 and Thrill of Fighting 2, but also two animated series from the Dan the Man and Jetpack Joyride worlds.

Punch Kick Duck release

If you follow mobile releases frequently, you've seen a lot of mobile games come and go over the last year, mostly re-releases of retro games from the ACA NeoGeo collection or more recently the Ninja Turtles game in side view for Netflix subscribers. This week, a new competitor arrives on mobile under the name of Punch Kick Duck.

In-game, you are a duck that swings punches and kicks between a few dodges. With a very simple gameplay, Punch Kick Duck offers you to play as different animals or cartoon elements with an increasing challenge. If you're looking for a recent and practical pocket game to try, it can be added to your list.

Patch 13.1c of TFT

While TFT players were waiting for the release of patch 13.2, Riot Games announced that this update will be replaced by patch 13.1c. This patch corrects imbalances in the meta in a hurry. Among the stat adjustments are buffs to Ashe and Zed for the second time in a row, and nerfs to Miss Fortune, Programs, and drones from the PROJECT trait.

Hopefully, this 13.1c patch, which is mainly aimed at champions and their optimizations, will allow Riot Games to get back on track with the next update. To see the full list of changes to traits, champions and augments, check out our detailed article on the changes in the TFT 13.1 patch for this set 8.

Release of Devolver Tumble Time

Devolver Digital is a studio and publisher that always surprises with its originality and satirical humor. And this is the case once again with the release of Devolver Tumble Time, a match-3 that parodies the abusive business model of mobile games, especially gacha. In the game, players must complete objectives in 60-second levels by chaining combos to score maximum points.

Search for your first characters in the trash before you have enough money to use the gachapon and get better ones. Behind its humor, Tumble Time offers a lot of content and a fast progression of difficulty to put you under pressure from the first levels.

Summoners War: Awakening, a SW comic series after the opening of the online shop

After the opening of the online shop Com2Us with Summoners War goodies, the Korean company continues the announcements around its flagship license. Declined in different formats, Summoners War returns for a second round of Awakening comics in partnership with Skybound Entertainment.

This second part will be released on April 19, 2023, so you'll have to keep yourself busy with mobile games or the MMORPG Chronicles on PC. At Mobi.gg, we find that Com2Us is throwing itself in all directions to bring in money, with its shop, its hasty moves towards the blockchain and the metaverse which mostly participate in creating completely hollow games lately.

ColoPL unveils a trailer for PRINCIPLES

The ColoPL studio has been in the news frequently in recent months. After the release of its successful arcade game Neko Golf on mobile, the Japanese company is re-launching its community with the trailer of its upcoming game Principles.

This exploration RPG takes you on an expedition led by an adventurer after a fall into a large fissure. Deep in the Earth's depths lie signs of human presence and strange artifacts to be discovered soon on Android and iOS.

Everdale is back in development with Metacore

First launched under a codename and then abandoned by Supercell, the farm game and community city builder Everdale will finally continue its journey on mobile. With the help of another studio, Metacore, Everdale is resuming its development, which was halted in October because the game apparently did not meet the quality standards required for Supercell games.

It will be a while before we get our hands on it, but it should only be a matter of time before Metacore, the studio behind Merge Mansion, brings its own version of Everdale to the mobile gaming community.

Various Daylife released on iOS and Android for 24,99 € (Thanks Square Enix)

Released on the Apple Arcade in 2019, Various Daylife was entitled to its declinations on Switch, PC and PS4 before being removed from Apple's subscription catalog. The game made its return this week on the Android and iOS stores, priced at 24.99 euros.

Even if it is becoming a habit for Square Enix to offer premium games at indecent prices on mobile, we regret that this title is not accessible to the greatest number.

It must be said that this RPG won over players at the time of its release with its 20 types of professions influencing the stats of the characters in addition to its advanced food and weather management system during expeditions in the dungeons.

Volzerk: monsters and Lands Unknown released in Japan

We talked about it in one of our previous reviews: Volzerk: Monsters & Lands Unknown is one of the new productions of ColoPL. This title of collection and breeding of monsters on a lost island gathers features known by the players of Genshin for example, with switches in combat and a maximum of grind.

This game is currently only available in Japanese on mobile stores, under the name Monster Universe, and on Steam where it appears under the name Volzerk. We'll keep you posted about a possible translation of this monstrously colorful title.

Pre-registration for Losing Cats Way

I'm going to tell you about cats on mobile. And it's not about the cult music of Adibou or the incredible success of Cats and Soup. Maybe to counteract the rise of dogs on mobile with the leak of the potential arrival of Nintendogs on smartphones, cats are advancing their pawns one by one. This week, it's Losing Cats Way that opens its pre-registrations.

Befriend different cats, get to know them and take care of them while learning about animal welfare. Decorate your home in this game with fully hand-painted graphics and relax with lots of little cats in this title soon to be available on Android and iOS.

Hearthstone season 10 in esport competitive

The esport 2023 season of Hearthstone has been announced to celebrate ten years of competitive play, but many pro players are unhappy with the changes. Compared to previous years' seasons, the 2023 season offers them fewer opportunities to compete and therefore win money.

The only cash-prize events are the Lobby Legends tournaments, with a $50,000 prize, and the World Championships, which offer a $500,000 prize to be shared among eight players. We'll just have to see how this season plays out, but there's no doubt that this will make it even more difficult to get intoesport pro Hearthstone and may decrease interest in the competitions.

The development of Valorant mobile is falling behind

Expected by all fans of FPS on mobile, Valorant Mobile, the mobile port of the tactical FPS from Riot Games, is unfortunately not close to being released. Ana Donlon, the game's executive producer, recently stated that the game's development was slower than expected and that Riot Games would rather take the time to do things right than release a half-finished game.

Although leaks have been circulating on the Internet lately, there is still no official confirmation on the release date of the game, which will probably not arrive this year according to the developers.

Release of Narcos Cartel Wars Unlimited on Netflix

At the beginning of October 2022, our first recap talked about the collaboration between Netflix and the studio Tilting Point to offer subscribers of the SVOD service a mobile game in the universe of Narcos. Almost 4 months later, here we are with the release of Narcos Cartel Wars Unlimited for Netflix subscribers.

In this management title, take control of your own cartel, keep the corrupt authorities in your pocket and don't hesitate to take down the deadbeats. Manage your profits, expand your base, recruit agents, ally with other players and reign in your cartel in this game that follows all the classic codes of mobile strategy games like Rise of Kingdoms or State of Survival.

Brawlhalla launches its season esport with $1 million in cash prizes

Like Blizzard with Hearthstone, Ubisoft has announced the esport 2023 season of Brawlhalla. With online and local events, players from around the world will be able to compete for a global cash prize of $1 million.

The competition will begin on February 3 with the Winter Championship, where fighters will compete in four seasonal online championships. The best players from North America, South America and Europe will then compete in physical competition at the Seasonal Royale in Atlanta, USA.

At the end of the year, the BCX, the Brawhalla World Championship, will return to pit the season's most powerful players against each other to determine who will win the ultimate solo or duo title.

Release of Youtubers Life 2

This week, the publisher Raiser Games publishes Youtubers Life 2, a small premium game available for 7 euros, which promises you a virtual star life in the city of NewTube.

In-game, meet various NPCs on whom you can rely to make your channel rise to the top of the algo, diversify your content with unboxing, reaction videos or even streaming and become the ultimate Youtuber in this cartoon world where everything is a pretext to popularity.

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai closed and Argent Twilight abandoned

We conclude this recap with some game closures. Square Enix Onoma has shut down many titles, but the list of games stopped in the beginning of 2023 is already long. On top of that, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai will also close its doors on April 26, 2023.

For its part, Argent Twilight, stops its development at Nexon. Other news caught our attention, but to avoid extending this format, we could not talk about the new Alyss simulacrum in Tower of Fantasy scheduled for February, nor about the foreign releases or the Undecember Episode III Ortemis update.

Thank you all for reading this far, and see you next week for more mobile gaming news! If you missed last week's news, our previous recap #93 was about the release of NBA All-World, the announcement of Dragon Quest Champions on mobile and much more in our news.