Author: Brock Jensen

League of Legends is an IP that everyone and their grandmother knows. Ten champions battling on Summoners Rift in 5v5 battles to take down the enemy Nexus. While the game still has its fair share of issues from throwers and toxic players, none of that has taken from my full enjoyment of this game and my journey trying to get out of the Emerald rank in League of Legends: Wild Rift. I, fortunately, had a bit of a head start compared to some other players. Playing League of Legends on PC for years has given me a general understanding of…

Rhythm gachas can’t seem to go wrong. As long as they can supply memorable tracks and offer some variety in their tapping modes, fans will gather. Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! doesn’t have a problem with either of these as the game even threw in a Meta-style universe before it was cool. https://youtu.be/Up5qrgQG4hg The story of a rhythm game is typically light-hearted, such as friends getting together to make an awesome band with a few unnecessary obstacles. However, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage gives us a pretty charming narrative. Each band within Colorful Stage has something they’ve lost within their passion for the…

George Lucas, the mastermind behind Star Wars, frequently spoke about how he loved Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 samurai classic “The Hidden Fortress.” He loved it so much that he borrowed some ideas to inspire the events you see in Star Wars. Naturally, it’s only suitable in this age of anime that we get some of the biggest anime studios working on the Disney+ Star Wars spin-off series, Star Wars: Visions. Each episode takes place in different timelines and parts of the galaxy, all of which have their beautiful style, thanks to the studios who worked on each episode. The stories take…

We’re back on our quest to help bring you some random iPhone games that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen for whatever reason. I’ve been having fun with some of these obscure iPhone games, and we think you will too. Remember, yes, we do all have phones, and yes, there are games for everyone on them. My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge Devolver Digital has released a mobile version of your favorite banana in My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge. Take part in 37 crazy levels of action-packed slow-mo bullet-time action to take down a bunch of bad guys and save…

Gacha games have improved significantly over the years in terms of quality. Companies push themselves to meet that demand, and while sometimes it fells in the design, Kuro Games’ Punishing Gray Raven seems to be doing it right. The in-game systems carry a significant familiarity to them if you’re an avid mobile player, but a few features make it extremely tough to put down.  Punishing Gray Raven presents the Earth in ruins and mankind close to extinction. Earth has been overrun by a robotic army—the Corrupted—twisted and warped by a biomechanical virus known as The Punishing. With the remaining…

I’ve always said there needs to be some anime strictly focused on electronic dance music, and Bushiroad heard my call. Developed by Donuts, D4DJ Groovy Mix presents a rhythm gacha game with some banging songs that should honestly be played at major music festivals. And the best part is, no pay-to-win mechanics. https://youtu.be/wORQ2ZadNWQ The story of D4DJ Groovy Mix is spread out among various DJ units that all have their own journey to make it toward the D4 FES. Think of it as the Electric Daisy Carnival, but in the D4DJ universe. There’s not too much to write home about, but…

Knowing what recently happened to Arc the Lad R, developed by AltPlus, it’s almost a sad story to know this game’s potential future already. The Japanese servers closed in June 2021 only after 3 years. While it’s not set in stone, we essentially might only see those three years of content on global servers and nothing beyond that, unless publisher Boltrend Games has something up their sleeve. It’s not the greatest way to start your global launch, but there’s at least something here for Arc the Lad fans while it lasts. https://youtu.be/7lSt2lF-H9Y Arc the Lad R takes place ten years after Arc the…

The JRPGs that I’ve enjoyed from the past have always had a strong focus on presentation and world-building, which I tend to enjoy more when compared to western RPGs. Right when I thought we’d really surpassed classic systems for more modern gameplay features, Mistwalker, led by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, managed to completely flip conventional ideas of art in Fantasian. https://youtu.be/9kfu54xoiWU I’ve never been so intrigued to play a game based on visuals alone, especially its environments. The developer used a visual technique that involved creating more than 150 dioramas (just like those you made in middle school) that…

Finally living up to their namesake, Riot Games has released a mobile version of their MOBA League of Legends: Wild Rift. After playing for hours, this is the premier competitive MOBA on mobile devices that you should be playing. Still, there are some launch bugs and balance issues present, but there’s a lot here that I’ve been craving. https://youtu.be/Z4XEMn5pw4s League of Legends initially launched in 2009. However, I would play it until 2013 due to its complicated design. For the uninitiated, League of Legends pits players in 5 vs. 5 matches in a map with three separate lanes and a jungle.…

Netmarble had the difficult task of bringing Blade & Soul to mobile devices in Blade & Soul: Revolution. While this new iteration meets the basic auto MMORPG needs, the PC version still stands out as a better experience. A larger conversation needs to be had about major PC or console titles successfully making mobile versions since there have only been a few to accomplish that. Regardless, this mobile port doesn’t drop out of the fight too easily. https://youtu.be/a6WE7g4xSzI Blade & Soul: Revolution’s main campaign is practically identical in the mobile version. So if you haven’t played the original all the…

With the massive iOS gaming library, there are definitely quite a few hidden gems I haven’t been aware of in the past. From a recent game with little to no PR around it, all the way to games that came out five or six years ago, here is a list of random iOS games that I think you should at least give a try. AdventureQuest 3D I fully understand the auto MMORPG appeal on mobile devices, and for a time, I enjoyed it myself. Over time though, I just wanted to actually play without the massive handholding. AdventureQuest 3D provides…

Have you ever had a fine wine with a nice book near the beach or been on a relaxing camping trip just enjoying the company of your good friends? That very niche yet wonderful feeling is precisely what Princess Connect! Re: Dive, developed by Cygames and published by Crunchyroll Games, provides players with their long-awaited global launch. If you’re a mobile game and/or anime fan, you’ll know the level of quality Cygames always brings to the table regarding presentation, story, and gameplay. While massively enjoyable, Princess Connect! Re: Dive will require a bit more of a specific “gamer palette” to…

Waifu collectors are aplenty in today’s mobile marketplace, so I get how it can be difficult to determine which of them are actually worth the time and effort. In a genre that heavily pushes autoplay, I still want some variation or interactivity with my gachas. Thankfully, Illusion Connect, from Super Prism Games, fits that aspect to a tee.  Honestly, I don’t know whether to hate or love Illusion Connect’s story being as nonsensical and fragmented as it is. The translation isn’t great, but I can generally understand what’s going on. From what I gather, you’re basically a captain of these…

2020 has been an insane time for all of us, but gaming has really helped shine a light in what’s been such a drag of a year. While many development teams had to slow down a bit, that didn’t stop a few key launches from gracing players all over. 5. Legends of Runeterra I’ve never been any good at card games. As much as I love Shadowverse, I’m pretty awful at it. Suddenly, Riot Games turned what we knew about CCG’s on our heads and made one of the most accessible card games ever with Legends of Runeterra. They were touting…

MMORPGs can either be an amazingly fresh experience or more of the same with little to no innovation. However, there hasn’t been much that could bring me back to the days of enjoyment I had with the genre in the mid-2000s. Netmarble’s mobile MMORPG, A3: Still Alive, brings back elements of the genre missed in modern titles and seamlessly threw in a game mode I never thought would work – a battle royale.  A3: Still Alive takes place in a dark fantasy setting where you’re on a quest to stop an evil deity that’s practically destroyed the world. Just…

Crunchyroll Games hasn’t been putting out too many notable games since they’ve been focusing on the mobile market. Their most recent publishing venture, Grand Alliance, is the closest thing to beating my expectations, but not by much. Still, it’s nice to see an original IP in the sea of anime licenses available. https://youtu.be/Kq1DQjEpecs Grand Alliance is set in an industrial-steam punk style world where a war rages over a powerful magic source known as Spires. It all began when Amelia’s father and kingdom were betrayed. The actual intro was pretty impactful and helped set the gravity of the situation for…

In the past year, we’ve seen the concept of VTubers blow up to where there is now a company in Japan represents some high profile ones. If you’re unfamiliar, a VTuber is basically just a YouTuber (or streamer on any platform), but what you see is a customized anime-style avatar in place of where you’d normally see a person there. It’s really taken over the streamer space because, let’s face it, people are really into anime, whether they’re open about it or not. Personally, I’m all for our new streamer friends as they do tend to come off more genuine…

Growing up, the only RPGs I only ever really cared about were Final Fantasy and Pokemon. Occasionally, friends would tell me about an RPG named Phantasy Star, but I was too hyped about the next Nintendo exclusive to care. Now, the series has come to mobile devices with Idola: Phantasy Star Saga, and I have no excuses not to play it. However, I can’t say it’s tempted me to play the main series, even with some of its more unique elements. https://youtu.be/RPkVngoD39w Even if the name has Idol in it, this isn’t a Love Live game; instead, Idola: Phantasy Star Saga follows…

PUBG Mobile has been making quite a few moves to draw in some new and old players. This week, PUBG Mobile has announced two major partnerships with Mountain Dew and K-pop group BLACKPINK. Mountain Dew, which has always been a staple when it comes to drinks for gamers (whether it’s through memes or creative marketing), will be showcased throughout PUBG Mobile. Players will find Mountain Dew “Fuel Stations,” available across the game’s newest updated map (Erangel) for a limited time that provides loot during gameplay. And the next time you decide to pick up a Mountain Dew to drink, be…

Catalyst Black has been itching the competitive scratch I’ve had for a while when it comes to mobile games. It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest mobile games to keep an eye on over the next few months. If you’ve been wanting to know what the team at Super Evil Megacorp has been up to, we spoke with the Catalyst Black’s Live Design Director, Kevin Michael Johnson, about their plans with their upcoming shooter. Brock Jensen: With what’s currently offered in the beta, your team seems to have set the foundation for additional modes. Do you have any…