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Crystal of Atlan is an MMO with potential, but its monetization needs to get better
What Nuverse gets right and wrong in the latest tech test for Crystal of Atlan
Being a free-to-play (F2P) massively multiplayer online (MMO) game raises some questions. And if you don't ask the right questions, you risk getting trapped in an MMO driven by spendy practices. Crystal of Atlan, an upcoming Magipunk-themed action MMO, is no exception — which is why we are here to give you the cold, hard truth about Nuverse's upcoming MMO after experiencing the latest technical test.
Choosing a new MMORPG to play on your Android device is a difficult task. While our favorite Android RPGs can be enjoyed at any pace, MMOs require more commitment to keep up with your online compatriots. Of course, grinding for the sake of it isn't fun, so we've picked out MMOs that are fun to play for everyone.
Rebooting Tower of Fantasy could be a huge mistake
Please, Hotta, don't hit the delete key on my game data
Since its launch, I've been playing Tower of Fantasy and have yet to miss a day. Initially, I was drawn to the game's post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy themes and was enthralled with the idea of a casual open-world MMO that didn't contain a punishing gacha system.
Now that Tower of Fantasy is on version 3.2, is it worth playing in 2023?
Discover the truth behind this ambitious gacha MMO
Tower of Fantasy had survived the 1-year mark and only recently celebrated its first anniversary over the summer, which isn't surprising given the nature of the game. Tower of Fantasy is an ambitious open-world gacha MMO that most releases can't compare to in scale. The closest competitor in size is Genshin Impact. Both titles offer expansive worlds to explore but still offer gacha mechanics to pay the bills. Outside of that, Tower of Fantasy and Genshin Impact cater to different audiences (with some overlap).
Tower of Fantasy guide: Getting started on the planet of Aida
A beginner's guide covering Tower of Fantasy's gameplay: Acquiring Simulacrums, exploration, story progression, and character creation
Tower of Fantasy is an open-world MMO gacha game that aesthetically resembles Genshin Impact, considered one of Android's best games to date. But after taking a closer look, the ToF is fundamentally different. The game highlights an ever-evolving combat system while drawing players into its science fiction fantasy world, where you'll meet a unique cast of characters within an emotionally turbulent storyline. Tower of Fantasy hits a bit of everything. More importantly, the game's multiplayer focus allows you to play with your friends without requiring a high-end Android phone. But still, it's easy to get lost on where to start with the limited in-game resources, so we've created a detailed beginner's guide to help you manage resources optimally while still breaking down the basic gameplay in Tower of Fantasy.
Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim beginner's guide — Explore Ys VI like never before
You're not playing as Adol this time around
Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim is an action RPG MMO built around gacha mechanics, developed by Falcom and published by Zilong Game Limited, the same publishers responsible for Counter:Side, one of the best games on Android. This isn't the first MMO Ys game; CJ Internet (now Netmarble) released Ys Online — The Call of Solum in 2007. But this time around, Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim will follow the story events of Ys VI.
Blizzard's Diablo Immortal beta has apparently been quite the learning experience
Turns out more fixes and balancing are needed
Last October, Blizzard launched Diablo Immortal on Android as a closed beta for testing purposes. Despite the fact the game was initially announced in 2018 to a jeering audience, the game is still somehow a work in progress, though this long development time may just pan out for eager ARPG gamers, as it does appear player feedback is setting the tone now that Diablo Immortal's closed beta is over. Or at least this is what the most recent Diablo Immortal blog post alludes to, which specifically shares what was learned during the closed beta and what changes will be implemented before launch. So let's dig in and see what's up.
Since April, we've known that the popular MMORPG RuneScape would arrive on Android this summer, and Jagex even announced at the beginning of this month that the game would arrive on June 17th. Well, the developer has stayed true to its word, and so RuneScape is finally available on the Google Play Store. This release has been a long time coming, seeing the Jagex originally announced the mobile version of RuneScape back in 2018. Sadly it would seem the wait wasn't worth it as the game is struggling with a host of issues where its Play Store rating has dropped from 4.9 all the way down to 2.6. Ouch.
It took its time, but Albion Online is finally available on the Google Play Store
This popular sandbox MMO no longer has to be sideloaded
Albion Online comes from many of the people that worked on EVE Online, and so it too is a sandbox MMO, and as you can see in the picture above, it offers a fantasy theme. Back when the game was crowdfunded through founders packs, it was promised that an Android and iOS version would be made. An Android APK has been available since 2017, but the iOS version is still missing. Well, as of today, Sandbox Interactive has announced that the MMO will be officially released on Android and iOS this summer, with cross-play in tow for all platforms.
Runescape is coming to Android, and you can get some freebies if you pre-register now
After several years in beta, this popular MMORPG is coming to the Play Store this summer
It's been a while since we've heard about the upcoming release for RuneScape on mobile, three years in fact. Until now, members who have been actively paying for a RuneScape subscription have been able to test the mobile beta, but now it would appear that Jagex is finally ready to release the game to the masses. As of this afternoon, interested parties can pre-register for the MMO on the Google Play Store. Depending on how many people register, there will be varying exclusive in-game rewards.
Interview: Diablo Immortal lead designer Wyatt Cheng details what's next for the hotly-anticipated MMO
Plus the latest BlizzCon coverage
Ever since Diablo Immortal was announced at BlizzCon 2018, it has had a cloud around its development. This announcement was poorly received at the time, and in the years following, Blizzard fell silent. Then out of nowhere, a technical alpha was launched last year while Blizzard simultaneously released a plethora of content that detailed the game's design, gameplay, and monetization plans. This was a reassuring maneuver to assuage fears of a blatant cash grab, and the lead designer Wyatt Cheng has detailed further at BlizzCon 2021 what we can expect from the upcoming mobile MMO. This reveal was followed up with an interview with Wyatt Cheng as well as the combat designer Julian Love to dig even deeper, so if you've been wondering about the game's current direction, we have tons of tidbits to share.
Warhammer: Odyssey is an anticipated MMORPG for mobile — watch the first gameplay trailer here
The graphics look impressive
Back in August of 2019, Virtual Realms announced the development for Warhammer: Odyssey, an upcoming MMORPG that looked promising despite a lack of details. Well, over the last year, development of the title has been moving along, with Virtual Realms sharing a few snippets of the game along with a way to pre-register on the official website, though gameplay videos were pretty much absent. This changes today with the official release of the first gameplay video for Warhammer: Odyssey, and while this is mainly a cinematic trailer, there's a few seconds of gameplay that shows off some of the game's characters, so this video indeed offers the first look at Warhammer: Odyssey in action.
EVE Echoes is a full-fledged sci-fi MMO, and it's finally available on the Play Store
It's still spreadsheets in space, but now you can play on your phone
Read update
EVE Echoes has been a long time coming, thanks to COVID, but we are finally nearing the official release. This title will exist as a mobile version of the mainline sandbox MMO, and we've known since July that the game would be officially launched on the Play Store on August 13th. Lo and behold EVE Echoes is available for download a day early, you simply won't be able to play until tomorrow (8/13) when the game's servers go live at 4:00 AM EST.
EVE Echoes is finally coming to Android on August 13
After a lengthy delay, EVE Echoes will launch soon
It would appear that many people are greatly anticipating the release of Eve Echoes, and even though we still haven't heard word-one about an official release date for the sandbox MMO, development is now delayed thanks to the coronavirus. As of this morning, the official Eve Echoes account on Twitter has stipulated that the COVID-19 epidemic has "hindered the developer's schedule," and while an official release date has yet to be decided, the game is expected to be launched at the end of 2020.
Today signals the official release of the English version of Black Desert Mobile in the West, just as promised. We've known for a while now that the mobile MMORPG would arrive sometime this year, though it was only last month that the developer Pearl Abyss revealed the game would officially arrive today. Now that it's here, I'm pleased to say the game is very enjoyable, though there is no denying that the monetization isn't the best. Still, Black Desert Mobile is easily the most satisfying MMO on the Play Store to date thanks to its excellent customization, superb graphics, and a quality control scheme where players can choose between manual controls or auto-play on the fly.
Black Desert Mobile is an MMORPG that's already available on Android, though you can only download it off the Play Store if you live in Korea or Japan. Now that the developer Pearl Abyss has had some time to iron out a few kinks and find some success in the regions the game was launched, the studio has announced on Facebook that a global release will happen this year, which means an English version is expected to land on the Play Store sometime in the next eight months.
At the end of October, we learned that EVE Echoes would enter into an open beta phase in December, and CCP Games has indeed kept its word since EVE Echoes has officially entered into this testing phase today in select regions. Those that previously played during the alpha will be able to carry over their saves, but once the newly-launched beta is finished, the servers will be wiped, so make sure to keep this in mind if you plan on jumping into the beta to see how the development of the title is shaping up.
The development of the MMO crafting game Durango: Wild Lands was a lengthy one, with many delays and hiccups along the way. Back in May, the game finally arrived on Android as a finished product, but I guess things haven't been going well since the developers have announced that the title will be shut down on December 18th. Sometime today, all in-app purchases will be removed, and the final story for the game is currently in preparation, so it looks like development will continue until December despite the lack of IAPs.
Nexon's Durango: Wild Lands mashes together a bunch of different genres, so think of it as an open-world survival game that you can easily play with friends that also contains collection mechanics much like the Monster Hunter series, and it all exists in a free-roam sandbox. So in true mobile-gaming fashion, Durango: Wild Lands is an amalgamation of quite a few popular genres wrapped into an easily accessible multiplayer package, and as of today it's available worldwide on the Google Play Store.
Ragnarok M: Eternal Love is the latest mobile adaptation of the famous Korean MMORPG Ragnarok Online, and the English version just went live on the Play Store. This is a title that's been available in Asia for some time, and it's only just now making its way to the Play Store for Western users. The catch is that today's release isn't actually the official launch since the servers aren't live yet. So think of today's availability as an optional pre-load for those eager to download the 5.07GB install before the servers go live tomorrow.