Social Game Info Lists Its 20 Titles to Look Out for in 2014

Posted 19:09 EST on 09JAN2014 by: indie navi news staff in features » 2014 preview, capcom, GREE, konami, square enix

With all of the titles being released in Japan for mobile platforms, it can be tough to know on what to keep tabs. Fortunately, Japanese mobile platform media outlet Social Game Info has compiled its annual list of titles to look out for in the coming year. With everything from a Golf RPG to a mystery social title from industry giant Square Enix, this is shaping up to be an interesting year for iOS and Android users.

Golf on Your Smartphone! Guruguru Eagle

Guruguru Eagle (loosely: Lucky Eagle Golf) comes from developer Aiming, known for its mobile action RPGs Valiant Legion, Logress of Swords and Sorcery (develped for MarvelousAQL), and Griffon: Record of the Phantom Tower (developed for Sega Networks).

The developer is taking what they know and applying it to a whole new genre: golf. Players can customize their avatars appearance to the Nth degree, and send them to the tee against opponents, or in modes like the relaxing “one hole, one minute” mode. By clearing a hole, players are rewarded with new clubs, outfits, and accessories, as well as in-game currency to spend on the same. “Golf RPG” probably wouldn’t be the first game a developer would think to put out for mobile platforms, making this one to look out for in 2014.

Images source: Guruguru Eagle official site

Sword of Knights

Another title by Aiming, although closer to the RPGs by which the developer made its name. What sets this title apart is its approach to dungeons: the look and function like a board game. Players move through the board game-like dungeon panels at a time, landing perhaps on battle panels, treasure panels, or uneventful Free Parking(-esque) spots. Lead illustrator is Alco Wada, known for a variety of manga works and game illustrations.

Image source: Sword of Knights official site

Furubokko Heroes

Loosely: Full-Power Kick heroes. Develped in collaboration between Drecom and CyberConnect2. Furubokko Heroes gained media attention when through aggressive media relations it gathered 100,000 pre-registrations, offering registrants a shot at its “Flying Get Gacha”, potentially earning a special unit for use upon release of the full title. Similar to Level 5′s WonderFlick, the draw is in the simple tactile pleasure of its flick-based combat.

Image source: Furubokko Heroes official site

Dragon Dice

Konami’s title further shortens the gap between mobile RPGs and full-on MMORPGs. Players log in and go about their tasks in a shared environment. When taking on tough baddies, players can call out for help and get other players to join in on the battle in real time, arranging attacks and setting up combos via text chat.

Ryusenkei Encounter

A “tactical RPG” by developer GMO Game Center, presented through the Android games application platform “G Gei”. Players select to be a member of one of four schools, gathering “astral spirits” to form their battle parties. The game’s main draw is its adrenaline-injected take on the strategy RPG formula: players have 3 turns to win or lose, strategically placing their astral spirits on a tiny 3 x 3 grid to make best use of the tiny window of opportunity. GMO promises the battles place no limit on the number of participants in battle. Players can move their “home bases” about the game world, collaborating with other players and aiming to gather as many points for their school.

Evangelion: Catharsis of the Soul

Not much is known about this title, but expectations are high given the combination of the pedigree of developer DeNA (owner of the popular mobile social networking site and games platform Mobage), and the high profile of the Evangelion name.

Image source: Evangelion: Catharsis of the Soul official site

Attack on Titan

You’ve got to hand it to DeNA: they know how to get their hands on hot properties. Like Evangelion: Catharsis of the Soul, this title was only recently announced, so little is known, but the Attack on Titan name alone makes it worth keeping an eye on.

Tower of Odin

Another title presented by DeNA, although this time a localization. Created by Korean developer Haiwan Entertainment, the tower defense title Tower of Odin has already been downloaded over a million times in its native land. Set in a land called Asgard, towers were built to protect the powerful crystals lying beneath them from marauding Valkyries. It’s the player’s job to make sure the Valkyries don’t get their claws on the crystals.

Starting on the lowest level where the crystal is located, players build one floor atop another, their tower reaching ever higher into the heavens. Players place various “gear” (weaponry) about the floors strategically, to stem the Valkyrie tide. Players also populate their towers with “heroes”, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, building for them floors littered with weaponry suited to their breed and battle style. Doing so draws out the heroes’ full skill, more effectively repelling the Valkyrie hordes.

Another mode allows players can also try to attack the towers their friends and other players have built, receiving in-game currency for their victories. The currency can be spent toward increasing and better equipping the floors of their own towers, encouraging competition among players.

Images source: Social Game Info

WonderFlick

Although the attention it’s been receiving has not been all positive, WonderFlick is still highly anticipated for the quality track record of its developer, Level 5. Battles are carried out by flicking medallions at foes, chaining them together for combos for extra damage, to heal the party, and to achieve a variety of useful effects. Level 5 is also touting its UniPlay system, whereby game data is saved to the cloud and shared between devices, with eventual releases to PlayStations 3, 4, and Vita as well as the Wii U and Xbox One announced.

Tokyo 7th Sisters

Developer Donuts made a splash with its motorcycle racer Tantora. The developer hopes to make lightning strike a second time with its take on the “raise an idol” genre, which it touts as a “idol-raising rhythm & adventure game”.

7th Sisters takes place in the year 2034 where, in stark contrast to present-day Japan, pop idols have all but disappeared. The music for the “rhythm” part of the title is made up of original tunes by up-and-coming “vocaloid artists” (composers using vocaloid software like that featuring the Äber-popular Hatsune Miku to provide the vocals for their tracks). The “adventure” unfolds in a take on the perennial “girl get” story formula, where players meet up with the girls that, with the player’s guidance, may go on to take the entertainment world by storm.

Uncommon for an iOS release, the game will also feature full voice acting and background music, and Donuts promises the how the story unfolds will be based on the player’s involvement.

Merc Storia

From Happy Elements, publisher of titles like Majoca Majoluna and Ensemble Girls, comes the “line strategy RPG” Merc Storia.

One of the title’s main draws are its real-time cooperative quests, which allow players to team up with friends and tackle quests together. The game also boasts an upward of 200 types of units, including gladiators, wizards, and monks, with high-quality animation altered to suit the weapon the individual unit is wielding. It’s said the graphic style and moving story line have been a hit in testing with younger players.

Celestial Craft Fleet

KLab’s latest is an “action battle game” that combines an easy-to-understand 3D battle system with simple but deep simulation elements in building your fleet. In these real-time “mission battles”, players attempt to swipe enemy crafts in connected strokes, taking them down this way. By clearing battles, players are rewarded with experience points, parts for their craft, and “crew points” to use in attempts to get extra powerful prizes from the in-game gacha machine. Similar to an RPG, as players succeed in battle, their strength and other stats rise, allowing them to tackle more powerful foes. Players can also participate in 20 on 20 multi-player battles, coordinating their strategy in real time via in-game messaging.

Already 100,000 people have pre-registered, placing it in the top spot for pre-registrations in both the App Store and GooglePlay, demonstrating keen gamer interest in the title.

GUNS ‘N SOULS

Billed as a “high-speed action RPG”, GUNS ‘N SOULS is a collaboration between games industry giant Square Enix and Shift, the developer of titles such as God Eater 2 and Freedom Wars. Among the developers are Gyoutoku Kitajima (participating as scenario writer, known for his work on Chaos Rings, Yuusuke Naora (overseeing character design, and known for his involvement in the Chaos Rings and Final Fantasy series), and Robert Ferrari (participating as lead creator, known for his work on MOON DIVER).

GUNS ‘N SOULS is being designed from the ground up to take advantage of touch controls and features voice acting by a talented and experienced cast, as well as the graphical flourishes for which Square Enix is renowned.

Images source: Social Game Info

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Shooters

Characters from the popular, long-running manga appear in the game as medallions used as projectiles to topple foes. Bandai Namco promises the medallions will include characters from series’ staples to the lesser-known. In anticipation of the upcoming second season of the anime, Stardust Shooters features characters which appear in the first two story arcs (covered in season 1 of the anime) as well as those who make their appearance in the “Stardust Crusaders” arc, which will be the focus of the second season. Bandai Namco also plans on releasing in-game events corresponding to the Stardust Crusaders arc will be released along with the release of the second season of the animated series.

Stardust Shooters is being developed by Drecom in collaboration with CyberConnect2.

Images source: Social Game Info

Tales of Link

Initially planned for release this past autumn, the latest title in the popular and long-running Tales of series has been delayed until spring of 2014. Players battle along side their party of adventurers, using finger strokes to “link” characters together and perform powerful combo attacks. Bandai Namco calls this the “Touch Link Battle” system, from title derives.

A first for the series, players can put together parties of up to 12, with 9 of these members able to battle alongside one another. (Bandai Namco has not clarified whether cooperative play will be enabled.) Little is known about this title, expectations are high on the basis of the series’ pedigree.

Hero and Thousand Satan

Another title from Orange Cube, developers of the aforementioned Sword of Knights, Hero and Thousand Satan is an action RPG with a retro feel planned for release this winter to iOS. In traditional fashion, players assemble a team and level its members up through battle as they scour the title’s many dungeons for treasure. Players can also challenge their friends to “duels” or link up to going dungeon delving together. As players are victorious in duels, their “duel rank” rises, for which the player receives various in-game rewards.

The battle is simple and automated, and even when the player’s character falls in battle, the items recovered from the dungeons remain in inventory, making Hero a title that will be accessible to anyone.

Nekketsu Taisen: Kunio-kun TD

Or, as the series is known to English speakers: River City Ransom. Kunio-kun TD is a unique take on the tower defense genre, with settings and mission goals influenced by the series’ heritage. Kunio-kun TD features a story mode and a player-on-player mode.

With its tower defense focus and player-on-player mode, Kunio-kun TD receives speculative comparisons to the extremely popular Battle Cats. BARF!, indeed.

Granblue Fantasy

Granblue is an RPG in development for the Mobage platform by Cygames and its subsidiary, CyDesignation. Character design is being handled by Hideo Minaba, who has been involved in numerous of CyDesignation’s previous RPG hits, and the characters are brought by veteran voice actors and actresses. Granblue is unique as a “browser game aimed at smartphones”, CyGames claiming the title will push the boundaries of what a browser-based title can do.

With Granblue originally slated for a 2013 release, CyGames has already begun to raise awareness through television ads and other venues. The heightened awareness will no doubt be a blessing when Granbluye is released in 2014.

Monster Hunter: Roar of Cards

Publisher Capcom and developer Grani (most well-known for its GREE title Valhalla’s Gate) will bring an installment in the long-running, incredibly popular Monster Hunter series to the GREE social platform early this year.

Capcom promises Roar of Cards will feature monsters and themes that will be familiar to the series’ fans, but the main draw is the battle system. Taking a cue from many MMORPGs, Roar of Cards encourages players to enlist in guilds, so they can team up in real time to topple powerful monsters. Players can also take on quests together, encouraging the cooperative play that has made the Monster Hunter series such a mainstay.

Mystery Collaboration Between Square Enix and gloops

Now revealed to be called Glorious Blaze. Beyond that, not much is known. Social Game Info includes this one in their list on the strength of the two companies behind it.

To readers versed in video games, Square Enix likely needs no introduction. gloops, on the other hand, remains relatively unknown in the West, despite being one of the most profitable social game developers in Japan, being named Mobage’s 2011 “Partner of the Year”. That Square Enix selected gloops as its collaborator suggests this will be a social game of some sort.

News and images source: Social Game Info