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Lost Light beginner's guide: Tips and tricks for the latest survival shooter from Netease
Welcome to the Firefly task force, here's how to survive your first day on the job
Lost Light is NetEase's latest survival shooter. You'll join the Firefly force, a group of characters enduring a brutal post-apocalyptic world while uncovering the secrets behind the exclusion zone. It's a dog-eat-dog-world out there, and it's up to you to come out on top using your wits and survival skills. Lost Light focuses on realistic gameplay and detailed firearms customization, similar to what you'd find in PUBG Mobile and PUBG: New State.
Harry Potter is jumping on the collectible card game bandwagon
Developed by NetEase, soon coming West
It would seem the Harry Potter license is destined to be slapped on mediocre products for the rest of its life. We've already seen several Harry Potter games come to mobile, and so far, none of them have been any good. Heck, Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was shut down in less than two years, though Jam City's Hogwarts Mystery (best known for asking players to pay to stop a child from being choked) is still around, and Zynga's in-app-purchase-infested Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells is still managing to rake in cash since its 2020 release. This is quite the stable of mediocrity and greed, and a new entry is coming soon. It's known as Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. It's a collectible card game developed by NetEase, launched in late 2021, and has found wild success. So now it's coming West, and as of this morning, you can pre-register for the English version on the Google Play Store.
There's a new The Lord of the Rings game on the Play Store, and it takes place in the movie universe
IAPs are back on the menu, boys
At this point, you'd think free-to-play developers like NetEase would have run out of brands to slap on top of the typical free-to-play genres we're all familiar with, and then a new disappointing announcement comes rolling in. It would appear that NetEase is working on a licensed The Lord of the Rings game, which just popped up on the Play Store for pre-registration. It's called The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, and even though neither the Play Store trailer nor the screenshots show a lick of gameplay, we already know this title will land as a typical free-to-play kingdom builder.
Frostpunk's upcoming mobile interpretation is starting to sound promising
New details highlight a focus on cosmetic monetization
NetEase has just announced that it's partnered with 11 Bit Studios to bring the popular post-apocalyptic city-builder Frostpunk to Android and iOS, but thanks to today's nebulous PR, it's unclear if this is going to be a port or an offshoot mobile interpretation. Thankfully NetEase has confirmed to me that this will not be a separate title but will instead exist alongside the core game with a few changes for mobile play, much like the difference between EVE Echoes and EVE Online.
I got into the Diablo Immortal closed alpha — here's an hour of gameplay
So far the game is pretty good
Earlier this week Diablo Immortal entered into a closed alpha test in Australia, and I've managed to gain access to this alpha and so I've recorded an hour-long gameplay video at 1080p/60FPS so everyone can see how it currently plays. This video shows off all of the selectable characters, the game's settings, and offers plenty of gameplay as the Crusader. While Blizzard is adamant that Diablo Immortal is still a work in progress, since the current alpha is limited to Australia I figured those around the rest of the world might want to see how development is moving forward.
Diablo Immortal's closed alpha is getting a big update, but you probably still can't join the fun
Don't you have Australian phones?
Blizzard has announced that the latest alpha test for Diablo Immortal is underway. Much like the technical alpha that launched back in December, this new closed alpha is available primarily to those that live in Australia. Keep in mind this is a limited alpha, so only a select number of people will be able to get in. As expected, this limited alpha signals that development is continuing forward, especially now that there is some end-game content available along with new zones, dungeons, and a raised level cap.
Codemasters and NetEase will launch the first open beta for Racing Master tonight
Only a few more hours to go
A NetEase developer known as Dahua Studios has just announced that it's working on an upcoming racing game for mobile in conjunction with Codemasters, and it will enter into open beta this month. The game is called Racing Master. It's a real-time simulation racer that's utilizing the Unreal 4 engine as well as some proprietary Codemasters tech, who just so happens to be a developer with a slew of famous racers under its belt, such as DiRT, GRID, and F1.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night lands on Android for $10, but it's a sloppy port
Surprise, a platformer known for poor performance underperforms on Android
Back in October (2020), NetEase caught everyone by surprise by announcing that it would bring ArtPlay's indie Metroidvania title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to Android and iOS. In the following week, the game landed on the Play Store for pre-registration, with an iOS listing hinting at a December 4th release. Well, it would appear the game has arrived a little early, which means you can already grab Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from the Play Store for .99. Of course, I've taken the game for a spin to offer my thoughts, which you can read in full after the break. But for now, let's just say the game performs just about as well as expected.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is coming to Android, now available for pre-registration
It will be released worldwide as a premium game
In cooperation with ArtPlay Games, NetEase just announced that it will bring the popular Metroidvania title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to Android and iOS, and the game will be released worldwide as a premium title, just like on consoles and PC. Bloodstained was created by Koji Igarashi, the producer behind some of the more popular Castlevania titles such as Harmony of Dissonance. This is why the 2019 release for Bloodstained was hotly anticipated, which is why I'm sure more than a few people will be excited to see how the game stacks up on mobile.
Marvel Super War is a 5v5 MOBA from NetEase, now available in more regions
South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand can now play
Read update
Marvel Super War is a newly-announced MOBA from NetEase and Marvel Entertainment that's coming to Android and iOS, and it just entered into its first closed beta. The title will feature everyone's favorite heroes and villains from the Marvel universe, and each character will offer a variety of powers that players will be able to utilize in combat.
Tom and Jerry: Chase looks like an excellent homage to the classic cartoon, out now in select territories
After two years in China, Tom and Jerry: Chase has expanded across SEA
Tom and Jerry: Chase has existed in China for over two years and proved to be an exceptionally popular title with over 100 million registered users, and so NetEase has finally released the game in more territories. Specifically, this 1v4 asymmetric mobile game is now available in Southeast Asia, which could be a sign the game will eventually make its way West. While there's no word from NetEase or Warner Brothers that Tom and Jerry: Chase will see a wider release outside of SEA, the fact the title has finally left China is a good sign both companies are interested in a broader market.
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.
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.
We already know that EVE Echoes is being developed by NetEase, in conjunction with CCP Games, so it's probably safe to assume that the title will be filled with in-app purchases. The gameplay should offer a sandbox experience where you'll forge alliances with other pilots to shape the game's persistent universe. This means interstellar combat is expected, along with resource collection, industrial manufacturing, trade, and of course a hefty dose of space exploration. So while all of these features might sound precisely like what EVE Online has to offer, I'm still skeptical of NetEase's motivations. Hopefully, as we inch nearer to the closed alpha test for EVE Echoes, more details will come to light.
By now, you've probably heard all about Blizzard's blunder of an announcement for Diablo Immortal, an upcoming mobile MMORPG. Of all places, Blizzard chose to reveal this game at BlizzCon, which didn't go over too well with the hardcore fans that attend such an event. But now that the dust has settled a little, many of us are still left wondering if Diablo Immortal is actually a cheaply made mobile MMORPG or a rightful member of the franchise. If anything, Blizzard's refusal to comment on the monetization is somewhat worrying.
The battle royale genre has been getting a lot of attention with the recent mobile releases of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite. And with that popularity has come a slew of copycats and clones trying to beat their inspiration to the punch. So, of course, it was only a matter of time before lawsuits started flying, and apparently, Bluehole Studio has had enough as they have filed a suit against NetEase for copyright and trademark violations.