In the .biz realm, we often find ourselves wrapped up in the investments, deals and stats of the gaming world (and rightly so), but it’s also important to highlight the games themselves - the fruits of the labour that can only appear after years of research, funding and, of course, development.
So here are the most exciting new mobile games right now, the developers and publishers behind them, and why, exactly, they've made the cut.
Money Heist: Ultimate Choice
Exclusive to Netflix members, Money Heist mobile spinoff Money Heist: Ultimate Choice is available now with an all-new story set as a prequel to Season 1. Building upon Netflix’s IP via gaming - as the streaming giant is becoming increasingly known to do - this title shows fans of the crime series how the "practice run" of the Professor’s crew’s first heist played out.
And being a game rather than a passive watching experience, Ultimate Choice also offers player freedom to either avenge the protagonist’s family or become a team player within the criminal crew, participating in theft, drama and romance.
As the title implies, there are plenty of choices to make in this simulation RPG, developed by Boss Fight, the Netflix Game Studio behind Love is Blind and Dungeon Boss Respawned.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy: A New Beginning
The Legend of Sword and Fairy: A New Beginning is the latest adventure in the Sword and Fairy series, bringing turn-based RPG gameplay to mobile. Provided you’re in China, of course: this game’s sole soft launch location.
The game offers fans of the series the chance to reexperience the plots of Sword and Fairy 1 through 6, while newcomers will naturally experience them for the first time. But whoever’s playing, they’re in for a twist ending - with the story’s conclusion dictated by the player’s actions.
Developer Shangrao Jialan Network Technology has reunited classic characters and protagonists from across the main series, and with gameplay mechanics like time reversal included, players are able to open up more endings with the "art of dream", enabling exploration of alternate timelines and possibilities all in one adventure.
It's A Small RomanTick World
One available to the non-Netflix members and non-Chinese nationals, It's A Small RomanTick World offers adventure, time travel, customisation and more to any iOS or Android owner interested in handsome 2D men.
Landing firmly in the otome genre, this debut game from Mirai Roman is aimed at the often overlooked but highly prevalent female gamer audience, with a unique story helping it stand out against the competition. Each male lead has a unique design and personality, with voice acting adding an extra layer of nuance towards reaching a player’s preferences.
With dating sims having first been popularised by Japan, its only natural to see another new Japanese developer trying its hand at the genre, but by targeting women over men, Mirai Roman is certainly breaking away from the norm.
Three Minutes To Eight
Checks watch. Three minutes? What could you possibly do with three minutes?
Chaosmonger Studio’s answer is simple: do everything in your power to survive beyond those three minutes, in a point-and-click randomised adventure game. With pixel art providing a clear style that fits the tone, Three Minutes To Eight sees players aim for escape in a futuristic world where "everything is possible".
And, once again, this is a title offering players multiple endings depending on their actions - offering plenty of replayability that only scales with the randomised nature of the game. It’s quite the distinct vibe from Chaosmonger’s Clunky Hero, though does continue to show the studio’s evolution in pixel art graphics.
Workplace Girl Fighting!
Currently in soft launch in Japan, Workplace Girl Fighting! combines RPG and idle gameplay with a modern workplace setting, plus a sprinkling of supernatural women looking for a psychic, because…why not?
Of course, that psychic turns out to be the player, chosen as the next president of Japan’s largest stock company because of their abilities. Thus the setting is established: players gain experience as the president of a large corporation full of chibi anime women - who can be trained in the office by day and fight in another world by night.
With levels, skills, weapons and equipment making this title true to RPG form, developer Singapore Just Game Technology has of course included a classic "evil" to conquer too - the mark of any good RPG.
