Mobile and Browser MMORPGs

Although mobile MMORPGs will never be quite the same as PC MMOs, the gap in quality and functionality has been shrinking over the years. While I’ve long enjoyed playing PC like MMOs on mobile like the Asobimo titles, but even auto-play mobile MMOs like Epic Seven and Grand ChaseMobile are fun titles. Just look at Epic Seven from SmileGate Megaport. It plays a lot like most other mobile MMOs in that it features auto-play and gacha hero elements, similar to games like Dragalia Lost and Knights Chronicle, but stands out because of its fantastic production value. In fact, I would argue that the interface and graphical quality of Epic Seven is far superior to that of most PC MMORPGs, especially older titles.

Continue reading Mobile MMOs Are Getting Significantly Better

The early blockbuster mobile games that made millions of dollars included such hits like Candy Crush and Cut the Rope. But over the years the quality of mobile games have improved significantly. Games like Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and Dofus Touch have proved that mobile gaming can go above and beyond simple arcade like games. In fact, arcade style games like Candy Crush are quickly becoming niche while more sophisticated games are starting to dominate the most played apps charts. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius was the first mega successful mobile game in the long running Final Fantasy franchise. It proved to Square Enix that mobile gaming was serious business and they quickly expanded their mobile games portfolio. Just look at Mobius Final Fantasy – it has console quality graphics and a great story. It’s not just giant traditional game companies taking notice of the increased demand for sophisticated mobile games either. Companies like GTArcade are embracing mobile with games like Legacy of Discord which plays a lot like a traditional PC MMORPG (albeit a browser based one). Continue reading Mobile MMOs are Replacing PC MMOs

I haven’t had the chance to try any new mobile MMOs lately because a game I’ve been looking forward to for some time finally launched – Tree of Savior. I’ve been looking forward to Tree of Savior ever since Gravity Interactive / Warportal disappointed me with the lackluster release of Ragnarok Online 2. In fact, now that I look back at Warportal, the company doesn’t have a SINGLE good game besides the original Ragnarok. Rose Online is generic and offers zero innovation. I don’t think the game offered any innovation the day it came out, which makes me wonder how it survived this long without being shut down. I suspect Gravity will shut down their older games sooner or later as games like Rose Online and Requiem don’t have the playerbases to support them. At least that’s my speculation. Continue reading Tree of Savior Finally Launches. I’m excited!

So SuperDataResearch released their numbers for digital game sales for 2015. According to the data, League of Legends from Riot Games was the #1 grossing game in the world at $1.6 billion, but I don’t think anyone should find that surprising. The game has experienced explosive growth since its initial launch in October, 2009. The data was broken down into 3 categories showing off the top 10 digital games for console, PC, and, mobile. Given that I play mostly mobile games, I found some of the data points intriguing. The only big surprise on the list was Rune Story from Colopl, because it launched on October 21, 2015 in the West and still made it to the top 10. Continue reading The Numbers are in Supercell’s Mobile Games Dominate the World

I recently got around to playing a little known game called Game of Dice from a company called JoyCity. I say “little known” not because no one plays it, but mostly because it’s not a mainstream title like Marvel: Contest of Champions or Mobile Strike. Game of Dice is unlike any other mobile game I’ve ever played. It wasn’t yet another generic MMORPG or yet another pay to win strategy game. Instead, Game of Dice is a strategic board game that sort of plays a bit like monopoly with some card elements. I’ve never played a board game on my phone before and even though I thought the gameplay was solid, what really sold me on it was the gorgeous anime inspired art. Joycity spared no expense, as the production value of the game is incredible. It has its faults, but if you’ve played a lot of mobile Mmos in the past and generally like the genre, give Game of Dice a try. It’s not an “MMO” but it appeals to the same type of gamer.

Continue reading Unique Mobiles Games Worth Trying

A great migration is afoot. More and more studios are putting their mobile game development efforts first. This trend doesn’t just apply to new studios and new projects, but also many of the existing names in the MMO and MMORPG industry. Genre veterans like Lineage 2, Final Fantasy 11, and MapleStory are getting mobile versions. Big name MMO studios like NCsoft and Nexon are designing new mobile only games like the open world survival game Durango and the turn based tactical RPG Master of Eternity. Continue reading MMOs Going Mobile

So one of my favorite MMORPGs of all time, MapleStory, finally announced the global launch of their mobile version, called Pocket MapleStory. Nexon has been a bit slow on the mobile bandwagon, as they only have a handful of titles on mobile at the moment, but having seen the gameplay trailer for Pocket MapleStory (see below), I don’t even mind that it took this long. The gameplay looks a lot like the desktop version, which is exactly what I was hoping for. There are a lot of good mobile MMORPGs out there, but given the graphical limitations of mobile, I think a lot of 3D mobile games like Order and Chaos 2 and Marvel Future FIght actually don’t look that great. I mean the games are solid, but the visuals just don’t do it for me because they’re 3D, but they’re not great. The problem with 3D graphics is that unless they’re gorgeous, ie Black Desert Online or Tera, they aren’t that exciting. 2D on the other hand, has a huge advantage, because no matter how long a 2D game has been out, it’ll always look sharp. 2D games simply age better than 3D ones, which is why Maplestory, which is over 10 years old today, still looks great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hBaR9NCfFA

The gameplay video above sold me on Pocket MapleStory because Nexon basically made a mobile port of their game that looks and feels like the PC version. They did a pretty solid job with Legion of Heroes too, but the problem with Legion of Heroes is that it doesn’t look and feel nearly as complete as its desktop counterpart, which is Atlantica Online. There’s a big trend going on now for game developers to focus their efforts on mobile, and it’s really starting to show solid results. I don’t think any mobile MMORPG is super successful yet, but there are a handful of excellent mobile games that I play regularly. One of my favorites, and one of the most successful ones out there today is a MOBA called Vainglory. Another, also a MOBA, is Call of Champions. Despite enjoying these games, I hope the mobile landscape isn’t taken over by MOBAs, because these games are already popular enough as-is on the PC with games like League of Legends. I mean, I enjoy playing MOBAs and all, but I’m more of an MMORPG gamer, so I’m looking forward to trying out MapleStory on my S6. I’d play it right now if I could, but it’s only available in a select few countries right now during its “soft launch”, and the U.S. isn’t one of those countries. It’s expected to launch later this year though, so i’m pumped!

I’ve been following the progression of mobile MMORPGs for some time now and It’s awesome to see the quality of games increasing.  Back in 2010, the only real mobile MMORPG was Pocket Legends and despite the game being revolutionary for the time, it didn’t feel like a good alternative to more traditional client based MMORPGs on the PC like World of Warcraft or Tera. Yes,  Pocket Legends had a persistent world, but the game’s visuals were lackluster and the game felt too basic. This isn’t the case anymore though, as newer mobile MMORPGs are catching up to their PC counterparts.

Games like Order and Chaos 2 for example from Gameloft are quite in-depth and can easily hold its own against PC MMORPGs. Order and Chaos 2 has a huge open world, 5 races, and 5 unique classes. The game’s visuals are quite gorgeous too. The original Order and Chaos game was great, but Order and Chaos 2 is even better. The game also has an in-depth crafting system, something most MMOs on mobile don’t have.

Another excellent mobile MMORPG is Blade: Sword of Elysion from 4:33 Creative Labs. Oddly, it’s only available on iOS, whereas most mobile games are available on both iOS and Android. Blade: Sword of Elysion is a hack-n-slash MMORPG that feels fast paced and fluid. The game actually plays a lot like Vindictus and Dragon Nest, so if you’re a fan of those games, give Blade: Sword of Elysion a try.

Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that the quality of mobile MMORPGs has increased dramatically over the years. In the past, we had countless generic strategy games like Vikings: war of Clans and DomiNations, but now we have high quality titles like Eternity Warriors 4 and Dawn of the Immortals. The gap between mobile and PC has definitely shrunk. Mobile MMOs aren’t just cheap time sinks anymore, they can actually hold their own against desktop games. Sure, there’s no game as massive as World of Warcraft just yet, but I suspect we’ll see a mobile MMO be even BIGGER than WoW in the next few years.