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Spotify is at its wit's end dealing with Apple and shifting IAP policies
Audiobooks shouldn’t be so hard to buy
Spotify is one of the best streaming apps for music available on mobile today. The service already offers podcasts, but you can now also buy and listen to audiobooks on it. Audiobooks became a part of the app in late September, though Spotify isn't happy with the user experience of purchasing this content when it comes to convenience and user-friendliness. The company pins the blame on all the hoop-jumping required to meet Apple’s ever-changing in-app purchase (IAP) policies. Matters aren't much better on Android, either.
Puzzle Quest goes free-to-play, ruining what made the original match-3 RPGs great
Puzzle Quest 3 is finally here, too bad it stinks
The Puzzle Quest match-3 series started strong on the Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable in 2007. It's an enjoyable match-3 game that combines casual matching gameplay with RPG mechanics, with the game eventually finding its way to a multitude of platforms in the years following. With that success, a sequel was released on Android as well as consoles in 2010, but that Android version is now long gone, leaving fans hungry for a new title in the series.
Pre-registration opens for Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent closed beta
Testing begins on March 22nd
Octopath Traveler is a popular Square Enix RPG that made waves on the Nintendo Switch back in 2018, later ported to Stadia, PC, and Xbox One in the following years. It's a game that pulls on the old nostalgia strings thanks to its scrumptious HD-2D art that mimics the look of Square's '90s RPGs, all while still offering modern 3D graphics. Seeing that Octopath Traveler was a success across multiple platforms, Square decided to capitalize on the brand's polarity with a mobile game. This mobile game has been exclusive to Japan since its release in 2020, known as Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. Well, during a recent streaming event in Japan, Square has announced that Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is coming to the US and Europe this summer, with a beta planned for spring.
Sparklite is a gorgeous Zelda-inspired roguelike, and it's 30% off in celebration of its mobile launch
An enjoyable adventure game that's perfect for mobile play
Sparklite is an adventure game from 2019 that's often compared to the original Zelda titles, thanks to its top-down view and puzzle-filled dungeons. A similar whimsical style permeates the game, though it's a roguelike, where you'll make incremental advancement through the game's procedurally generated world. Death (called feinting in this game) is a constant, but the penalties aren't very harsh. This is what makes Sparklite an exceptional port that suits mobile play very well, and in celebration of the game's launch on Android, you can snag a copy for 30% off the retail price.
Google should be worried about Epic's injunction against Apple
If the App Store is forced to allow non-Apple payment options, Google might need to reassess its own rules that kick in soon
The Apple vs. Epic drama probably isn't over yet, but the courts have come to one conclusion. While it's far from the victory Epic may have hoped for, the court has issued an injunction against Apple that should at least allow developers to point customers to non-Apple payment options. It's a small bit of good news for iOS developers, but it leaves us in Android land wondering: How might this affect Google's Play Store billing enforcement changes, which are set to kick in at the end of this very month?
Google's Family Link accounts aren't as restrictive as they used to be — but they still kind of suck
I locked myself into a Google child account for a week — these are the limitations and workarounds I discovered
Children under the age of 13 can't create an unsupervised Google account for themselves. Instead, parents have to set up the accounts for them using Family Link, which is supposed to give them a lot of control over what apps and games kids can get, how much screentime they're allowed, and which websites they can visit. Parents can even get a streamlined overview of their kids' app usage à la Digital Wellbeing. But what does it feel like to sit on the receiving end of the system? Needless to say, kids seem to hate the service, and they're vocal about it; the Family Link for kids app has a staggering average rating of 1.4 stars on the Play Store.
Apple tries to wiggle out of in-app billing lawsuit by making the smallest changes possible
Let them send emails
Yesterday, Apple issued a press release that stated the company was willing to make a handful of changes to the App Store to try to wiggle out of a lawsuit regarding the App Store's billing policies. While many are positioning these changes as some long-awaited reversal of the App Store's anticompetitive practices, the strict facts of the concession are much milder. Apple has merely agreed that developers can tell users they can make purchases outside the iOS app. That's it.
Marvel Future Revolution looks so premium that you can almost excuse the F2P nonsense
Until you're asked to pay, of course
At the end of last month, it was revealed that Marvel Future Revolution would land on mobile on August 25th. That day is today, and so Marvel's latest free-to-play RPG is finally available on both Android and iOS. Much like how Genshin Impact, NieR Re[in]carnation, and Sky: Children of the Light raised the bar for the quality of mobile games, Marvel Future Revolution is a highly polished release, at least as far as the presentation goes. At its core, Future Revolution is a brawler, though RPG mechanics are included, which is where all those pesky free-to-play mechanics rear their ugly heads. In the end, Marvel Future Revolution looks like a AAA game, but it plays more like a mobile live service title filled to the brim with disgusting monetization.
Northgard update brings online multiplayer support to Android and iOS, complete with cross-play
2v2, 3v3, and 2v2v2 modes supported
Back in June, the release date for the Android port of Northgard was revealed in a YouTube trailer. This popular indie strategy game had already made its way to iOS in April but is only just now landing on Android. Despite the late arrival, the Android port is pretty good, offering acceptable performance, a reworked UI for touchscreen play, and there's even optional DLC available for those looking to extend Northgard's RTS gameplay. It's an acceptable port that should offer hours of fun, and it's currently on sale for 30% off.
Contra blasts its way onto mobile as a side-scrolling shooter, and so far fans aren't happy
It's called Contra Returns, and we'd all be better off if it hadn't
Contra is a classic run and gun shooter from Konami that has seen many followups since its debut in 1987 as an arcade game. It would seem Konami saw fit to lend the license to Tencent, so TiMi Studio developed a free-to-play interpretation of the classic sidescrolling shooter. It's called Contra Returns, and it's now available on the Play Store. As you can guess, this is a gacha game that's packed with in-app purchases, as well as a VIP system, and worse yet, user reviews are pretty negative thanks to the game's aggressive permissions.
Gotta Kill 'Em All: The Witcher's take on Pokémon Go is now available on Android
Currently under maintenance, because of course it is
The Witcher: Monster Slayer was announced back in August 2020, a free-to-play augmented reality collection game à la Pokémon GO. While we've heard little about the title, it did enter into early access sometime after April. Well, as of today, the game is finally available on the Play Store for pre-registration in preparation for its newly-announced release date, July 21st. That's right, The Witcher: Monster Slayer will be officially released later this month, which means fans don't have much longer to wait.
Punishing: Gray Raven is a gacha action RPG with graphics that actually impressed me
Sure it looks fancy, but is it any good?
We learned last week that the latest high-profile gacha game Punishing: Gray Raven would be coming to Android in North America, Europe, South-East Asia, and Australia on July 16th. Well, after a brief pre-load period over the last 24-hours, the game's servers are now live, which means the game is officially available. This is an action RPG, somewhat similar to miHoYo Limited's titles. Essentially the game offers Genshin Impact's graphical polish paired with Honkai Impact's gameplay. It's a sight to behold, though this is still a gacha game, so all of the downsides expected of the genre are here too.
Just Cause: Mobile delayed until 2022, possibly to add more crazy explosions
Polish, in a mobile game? Well, I never
Square Enix has announced that it will bring the Just Cause series to Android with the release of a free-to-play shooter titled Just Cause: Mobile. The game is slated for a 2021 release, though it will not be handled by Avalanche Studios (the devs behind the console and PC games) but will instead be developed by a new team led by Square Enix.
A new gacha game is coming to take down Genshin Impact
It's called Punishing: Gray Raven, and it arrives next week
Punishing: Gray Raven is the latest hotly-anticipated gacha for mobile, all thanks to its super flashy graphics. This is a hack-and-slash action RPG, just like Genshin Impact (and its predecessor Honkai Impact), and it will be released in North America, Europe, South-East Asia, and Australia on July 16th, which is next week. The game is already a success in China and Japan, and so it has amassed 300K pre-registrations for its upcoming global release.
There's a new 'Doom' game coming to Android, and it just entered early access
Mighty Doom doesn't actually look all that mighty
It looks like Bethesda has plans to cash in further on mobile (as if The Elder Scrolls: Blades wasn't bad enough), and so the studio is testing a top-down shooter called Mighty Doom. This game is currently in early access in New Zealand, though details are light since Bethesda has yet to announce the title officially. What we do know is that this is a free-to-play mobile game that will offer casual level-based gameplay that takes place in famous Doom locales.
The Walking Dead: Survivors meanders onto Android as a free-to-play release
Even for a branded cash grab this game stinks
The Play Store recently received a new title for pre-registration, and it's an upcoming Walking Dead game themed around strategic survival-based gameplay. It's called The Walking Dead: Survivors, and it would appear the game has been in the works since at least November 2020, judging by the official Facebook page. Well, as of this weekend, those in the US, Germany, and Russia can pre-register for the title in anticipation of the upcoming launch.
Hands-on with League of Legends: Wild Rift, possibly the best MOBA on mobile
Gameplay video included, two full matches
The build-up to the US open beta for League of Legends: Wild Rift has been a long one, but now that this beta is almost here, I've taken it for a spin ahead of time to report on my findings. Below I've detailed all of the critical bits, things like performance, controls, and monetization, and I've even taken the time to record a 48-minute gameplay video so that everybody can see exactly what this open beta will have to offer when it's released on Monday. So if you're eager to learn all about the upcoming US beta for Wild Rift, this hands-on is for you.
Following Apple's lead, Google cuts Play Store fees in half for most developers
The first $1 million in revenue will get a lower 15% split
For half a year there's been a huge storm brewing over app store platforms, the money that they make, and who gets to keep how much of it. It all came to a head when Epic dared Apple and Google to kick Fortnite off of the App Store and Play Store for working around the usual in-app purchase revenue split. Long story short: Apple and Google did just that, and the legal battle is ongoing. But the fallout is affecting other parts of the industry.
Dadish 2 is the much-awaited sequel to 2020's hit platformer, out now
Radish-based platforming has never been better
Early last year, we saw Thomas Young's radish-based platformer Dadish hit it big on the Play Store, and it's easy to see why. The game is simply adorable thanks to its charming 2D graphics, and better yet, it's a quality platformer that offers the fun and simplicity of the classics. This is most likely why the game was a breakout success, so it's hardly a surprise to see that the follow-up has been released in quick succession. That's right, Dadish 2 is here, and much like the original title, it's a free ad-supported game where you can remove its advertisements through a single in-app purchase, making for a premium release.
Angry Birds Journey is a return to form for Rovio, now available in early access in select regions
USA, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Poland can get in on the fun starting today
Rovio's Angry Birds series has seen many forms over the years. It all kicked off with a fantastic slingshot game, but in recent years Rovio has been treading water with low-effort bubble poppers and match-3 titles, which is hardly worth writing home about. Surprisingly Rovio has just announced the soft launch of Angry Birds Journey, and to my amazement, it looks like Rovio has finally gone back to its roots with a new entry in the core slingshot series.