@oh_bibi is proud to present… BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team!

Welcome to the show!
Play exclusively on @AppleArcade starting February 1!https://t.co/o1M8ee5fxt pic.twitter.com/Z75ECcgSvN

— BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team (@BeastOBB) January 4, 2024

While not really my favorite genre, I’ll give BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team a shot when it launches. I’m more interested in Words in Progress to see how another developer tries to do something interesting with word games. The puzzler includes asynchronous multiplayer, multiple language support, an endless mode, and more when it launches. Apple has also announced updates for Crayola Create and Play+ coming January 12th, Jetpack Joyride 2 getting the Hamster Ball Vehicle, and other content updates planned for Cut the Rope 3, Snake.io+, Puzzle & Dragons Story, Cityscapes: Sim Builder, stitch., WHAT THE CAR?, Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go, and more coming.

You can sign up here for Beast Bio Exo Arena Suit Team and here for Words in Progress to be notified of when they are available to download or to have them downloaded when available depending on your setting. I hope we see more games added each month because this seems a bit less than expected. What do you think of today’s releases and the February 2024 announcement?

I’ll update this with our new forum threads when they go up.

The song is so good, it got me to re-download Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition on PS5 for a replay, and also the base game on Steam Deck to play on the go once again. Since you’re here, you may as well also listen to Bury the Light from Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition below:

Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat releases on January 10th, 2024 for iOS and Android. If you’d like to play it with a controller, watch the Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat video showcasing controller support here. You can pre-register for Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat on the official website here and pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here. Pre-registering will get you different rewards like gems, red orbs, potions, and more as detailed on the official website. Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat’s App Store page has a list of some of the different in app purchases like seasonal cards, gift packs, and different sets of devil gems included in the game. What do you think of today’s Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat theme song and are you motivated?

Grift: Scam Tycoon features more than 40 characters to interact with (read: try to scam) and tons of different items to outfit and customize your online bots as you try to scam your way to the top while also seeking out your mortal enemy Gwendolyn Goat. Yes, it’s kind of weird to be rooting for a character who is doing scumbag things, but I have a feeling there’s more to this story and that becoming the world’s best online scammer isn’t going to end up being the fulfilling life Henry Horns thinks it is. After all, the game description teases that “Maybe you’ll discover something new about yourself along the way?" which means there’s bound to be some moral lessons to be learned in all this online chicanery. Or perhaps not. We’ll find out for ourselves when Grift: Scam Tycoon launches on January 17th. You can pre-order it on iOS here or Android here, and if you’re in New Zealand the game is already launched there so you can get a jump start on your online scamming ahead of the rest of the world.

The best upcoming mobile games we want to play on iOS in 2024

Death Stranding Director’s Cut

This was set to release by the end of 2023, but was sadly delayed. Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding is a unique and incredible experience with its atmosphere, addictive gameplay loop, superb music, and stunning visuals. I can’t wait to see how it looks and runs on iPhone 15 Pro when it launches in early 2024, and hopefully I get to play it using the new Backbone controller.

Katana Zero

Katana Zero arrives soon via Netflix Games, and it will bring the stylish action platformer with excellent music and gameplay to mobile for the first time. I’ve played this multiple times, and will be replaying it on iOS to see how it feels with touch controls. It is a game I see myself coming back to for years, and I hope we get a release date for the game and DLC soon.

SaGa Emerald Beyond

I’m trying to avoid reading too much about SaGa Emerald Beyond, because I want to be surprised when I finally play it. I can’t believe we are getting a new mainline SaGa game this year, and one that ships on just about every console, PC, and mobile platform together. Hopefully it manages to reach the highs or surpass SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions which remains one of the most unique and interesting RPGs in years.

Art of Rally

Art of Rally was also set for 2023, but was pushed to early in January. It is an elegant, relaxing, and stylish racing game that is getting a mobile release through Noodlecake Games with the DLC included. This one potentially could be one of the best looking racing games on the platform, and I will be playing it as soon as possible.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage was announced for iPhone 15 Pro alongside Death Stranding and the Resident Evil games. After Ubisoft released super long RPGs, the team went back to the basics for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and it is a great take on the classic Assassin’s Creed formula by all accounts. I’m mostly curious about this one to see how Ubisoft’s engine scales on iPhone 15 Pro. Hopefully we get a release date soon and Ubisoft considers bringing Immortals Fenyx Rising to iOS as well.

Warframe

Digital Extreme’s Warframe keeps getting better with each update, and 2023 saw it finally get cross platform saves and more. This year, Warframe hits iOS, and I’m excited to play it with my progress carrying over, and also potentially having the best portable version to complement playing it on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Hopefully this ends up getting a good port.

Devil May Cry Peak of Combat

While I’m not sure how much I’ll play it, I’m curious to see how Devil May Cry Peak of Combat translates Devil May Cry’s stylish combat to a touchscreen, and also how it manages to bring over the characters I love from the series to a new game. I didn’t bother playing the betas so the final release in a few weeks will be the first time I play Devil May Cry Peak of Combat.

Hades

Supergiant Games’ amazing Hades comes to iOS through Netflix Games in 2024, and I’m excited to play it for dozens of hours once again. I already did almost everything the game has to offer on Switch and Steam Deck, and have been replaying it on PS5 and Xbox since those versions were released. Hades might be one of Netflix’s best additions if it is a good port.

Zenless Zone Zero

HoYoverse’s action RPG Zenless Zone Zero has been fun to play through its recent beta, but I’m looking forward to its full release so I can properly get into it on console and mobile together. I’m not sure how I’ll manage playing it, Honkai Star Rail, and Genshin together, but Zenless Zone Zero has a lot of potential. In a lot of ways Zenless Zone Zero reminds me of Bandai Namco’s Scarlet Nexus which I loved, and I hope this one delivers.

Braid Anniversary Edition

Braid was one of the early indie game successes, and it is going to be interesting to revisit it through this enhanced version on mobile via Netflix Games. There have been many puzzle games I’ve ended up rating higher than Braid, but I’m curious to see how this feels after all these years, and to check out the new content.

Bonus

No Man’s Sky

Come on Sean. Please just release No Man’s Sky on iOS this year. I’ve been waiting patiently since the announcement back in 2022. No Man’s Sky hit macOS already, and I’m hoping it comes not only to iPad, but also to iPhones this year. A date hasn’t been announced yet, but I feel like we will see it at an Apple event in the future with it also coming to iPhone. Let’s see if I’m right about that.

I can’t wait to see what else we get on mobile in 2024 through standalone releases, iPhone 15 Pro series games, potentially more ports, Apple Arcade releases, Netflix Games, Crunchyroll Game Vault releases, and more. What are you looking forward to playing on mobile in 2024?

/／
重大発表
＼
お待たせしました！たくさんのご要望をいただいておりました、#スイカゲーム のスマホ版アプリ（iOS版）を公式にリリースしました

家の中でも外でも気軽にスイカゲームをお楽しみいただくことができます

ダウンロードはこちらhttps://t.co/1s1xs9pBWU pic.twitter.com/6niMlpWeIU

— 【公式】スイカゲーム (@SuikaGame_jp) January 1, 2024

If you’d like to play Suika Game on iOS right now on the Japanese App Store, buy it here for 240 Yen. In addition to no word on an international release, there is no mention of Android yet. Suika Game originally released in Japan on Switch back in December 2021, and it finally saw an international release a few months ago for $2.99. Suika Game was the most downloaded game on the Japanese eShop for 2023 as well. Check out the official Japanese website for Suika Game here. If we do get word on an international release or plans for one, I’ll make sure to cover the news as soon as possible. I hope the wait isn’t too long. Have you been playing it on Switch?

Having already covered Resident Evil 4 Remake on Steam Deck and its DLC, I will not waste too much time discussing the game itself. After Capcom’s superb Resident Evil 2 Remake, many were disappointed in Resident Evil 3 Remake. Having never played the originals, I loved both of them, and my only complaint with Resident Evil 3 Remake is that it shouldn’t have been a full priced game. Resident Evil 4 is a legendary game that changed the industry, so remaking it was risky for Capcom. Thankfully, the developer and publisher pulled it off in spades delivering the best version of Resident Evil 4 by far. Resident Evil 4 Remake debuted on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and PC. It has not been ported to anything else yet, but is now on iPhone 15 Pro, iPad (M1 and later), and macOS (M1 and later) as a universal release. While I expected this port to be similar to Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro, it is different in quite a few ways, and I’m not sure if the final build releasing this week will be the same.

On first launching Resident Evil 4 Remake, you’re prompted to download about 12GB of data. If you don’t download this, the game closes. After this required download, you can sample the opening of the game for free. If you do end up buying the one time unlock for the full game or any DLC, there’s an additional download required. The final install size with everything downloaded and updated is about 31.3GB on iPhone 15 Pro. For comparison, the macOS version on my MacBook Air is about 65GB, the Steam Deck version is 69GB, and the PS5 version is about 78GB with all DLC installed. The screenshot below is with the DLC filter enabled.

On the graphics side, Resident Evil 4 Remake on iOS in the build I have, does not let you adjust anything of note barring HDR. I tried every menu both in and outside a loaded save file, and could not find any graphics options on iPhone 15 Pro like there were in Resident Evil Village. I’m not sure if this is Capcom tuning it for the device directly, or this build not having them yet. This is why I wanted to wait for the App Store build to play before putting a score on this review. On the PC version, there’s a tab in between Display and Language to adjust graphics. This is absent on iPhone 15 Pro in the build I have. I was curious to see if setting things low and trying out different upscaling would let me try out different frame rate targets, but it seems like you can’t right now. Performance isn’t perfect right now, but it looks very good on the phone’s screen with HDR enabled. I’ll be testing more of it and comparing it with the MacBook Air M1 version for the full review in the coming days. Right now, it is capped at 30fps on iPhone 15 Pro, and the frame rate is sadly not a perfect 30fps.

When it comes to the controls, the same issues as with Resident Evil Village apply here. I noticed Resident Evil 4 Remake defaults to showing PlayStation button prompts with the touchscreen controls and when an external controller is used. This is like the PC version. You can change it to display Xbox button prompts in the settings. One disappointing aspect is Capcom didn’t work on adding a similar haptic feedback or responsive vibrations like in the PS5 version on the iPhone 15 Pro version when using the DualSense controller. There is vibration, but it falls short of how awesome the experience is on PS5.

A lot has been said online for Resident Evil 4 Remake costing “$60" on mobile. The horror. I’m going to give some context to the pros and cons of this price. Capcom so far, has not been great at maintaining its older premium games on mobile. Some games have been broken until years later when they get fixed. While it is likely these new Resident Evil ports will be supported for a bit at least given Apple’s heavy advertising, I will not forgive Capcom for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on iOS going away. So far, I can see hesitation in supporting these releases. Back to the actual price of the full game unlock and DLC, Capcom is matching the current console and PC including discounts by offering a launch price for mobile bringing it down to $29.99 for a limited time. Over the years, we’ve seen some games hit premium prices or match other platforms, and I’m confident in saying Resident Evil 4 Remake is easily worth the asking price given its port compared to something like Civilization VI.

Since Resident Evil 4 Remake is a universal purchase supporting iPadOS, iOS, and macOS, it includes the ability to upload and download your data from iCloud Drive in the server tab of the menu. This didn’t seem to be a seamless sync like we have in Apple Arcade games. Also, while I could upload without issues from iPhone 15 Pro, macOS uploading never worked regardless of the three networks I tried.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a game you will likely replay. These remakes are great to replay, and it is one of the big reasons I try to keep both Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 4 Remake installed on my consoles. I just wish Capcom put in more effort into the touchscreen controls. A good recent example is Hitman: Blood Money which has an amazing conversion on mobile. Not only does it support controllers as you’d expect, but it also has superb touch controls and keyboard & mouse support. Resident Evil 4 Remake’s touch implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

In its current state, Resident Evil 4 Remake is an easy recommendation if you have a controller despite the visual cutbacks. The Backbone One or a DualSense controller for iPad and macOS are basically essential. Think of this like those Steam releases that have “controller required". Those don’t let you use keyboard and mouse, the default input options on PC, but force you to use a controller. Resident Evil 4 Remake on iOS does not force a controller with touchscreen controls available, but I would not recommend them right now. Capcom has done a fantastic job so far in bringing this masterpiece, and definitive version of Resident Evil 4, to Apple devices. I hope we see more RE Engine games arrive in the future, including Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake.

Just like Resident Evil Village, I recommend downloading Resident Evil 4 Remake for free if you have a supported device to see how you find it. I love Resident Evil 4 Remake, and it has been amazing re-experiencing it on iPhone 15 Pro. Capcom is also continuing the tradition of bringing Resident Evil 4 Remake, like the original game, to loads of platforms. Having already played Resident Evil 4 Remake on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam Deck, I’m very impressed with a lot of what I’ve played of the game and Separate Ways on iPhone 15 Pro, but hope Capcom improves it with updates.

Here at @505_Games and @KojiPro2015_EN, we are excited to launch #DeathStrandingDC on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. We just need a little more time!

Stay tuned for a new release date in early 2024.

We can't wait to welcome more Porters to DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT. pic.twitter.com/zCa9Tcecd4

— 505 Games (@505_Games) December 15, 2023

Death Stranding Director’s Cut pricing has not yet been revealed for iPhone and iPad, and it is unknown whether it will be free to try like the new Resident Evil releases. On Steam, this version is priced at $39.99 while it is $49.99 on PS5. I’m very curious to see what pricing it uses, but I expect it will match Steam with some launch discount. How this scales on iPhone 15 Pro since it uses Guerrilla Games’ Decima engine is also going to be interesting. Speaking of how it scales, I was impressed with it on Steam Deck, and I included Death Stranding Director’s Cut in last year’s best Steam Deck games article which you can read here as well. Have you played Death Stranding on any platform yet?

Resident Evil 4 Remake’s full game unlock will be 50% off and the DLC bundle (to upgrade to the Deluxe Edition on PC/console) will be 25% off. This brings the full game unlock to $29.99 for a limited time. An end date hasn’t been revealed yet. Resident Evil 4 Remake launches on Wednesday. I’ll be reviewing this and comparing it to the Steam Deck and console versions of the game soon. You can pre-order it here on the App Store for free. Resident Evil 4 Remake is a universal purchase including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS together with save syncing and more. The additional DLC is the Separate Ways, DLC bundle (weapons and cosmetics), and upgrade tickets just like on PC and consoles. Will you be trying out Resident Evil 4 Remake on Apple devices this week and what did you think of Resident Evil Village if you tried it on iPhone and iPad?

If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order or pre-register for it now. It is free to play with in app purchases, and the various pre-registration reward tiers are detailed on this page on the official website. You can pre-order One Punch Man: World on the App Store for iOS here, Google Play for Android here, and the official website for Windows PC here. The 3D online action game launches on January 31st, 2024 through Crunchyroll Games. What do you think of One Punch Man: World and will you be playing it next month?

If you missed the stream, you will be able to watch it featuring developers Masanori Ichikawa and Akitoshi Kawazu and also localization director Neil Broadley. It will go up on YouTube and Twitch. As of this writing, pre-orders and pre-registrations are not up on mobile, but you can wishlist SaGa Emerald Beyond on Steam here. Read Shaun’s reviews for Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered here, Romancing SaGa 2 here, Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend here, Romancing SaGa 3 here, SaGa Frontier Remastered here, and also SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions here if you’re curious about the mobile versions. Have you played a SaGa game before on any platform, and what do you think of SaGa Emerald Beyond so far?

If you’d like to try out the gorgeous top-down and stylish racing game, you can pre-order Art of Rally on the App Store for iOS here for $4.99. Pre-registrations are currently live on Google Play for Android here for it. Check out the official Art of Rally website here. You can grab it on Steam here as well. I’m looking forward to checking out the iOS version when Art of Rally hits mobile in about a month. Have you played Art of Rally on any platform yet?

Originally The Longing launched on PC in March of 2020, just about the time the global Covid-19 pandemic was kicking into full gear and shelter at home orders were being put in place. Kind of ironic that a game about being stuck at home trying to kill time would launch right as we were all being stuck at home trying to kill time. I’m not sure if it’s that correlation, the very unique premise, or a combination of both that made The Longing a big fan favorite when it launched a few years ago, but I know for sure that this feels like an experience that will be especially at home on a mobile device. Idle games where you periodically pop in to check on things are popular on mobile, and I myself have been playing (or “playing" as it were) Godville for 13 years and 4 months based on the in-game timer. I don’t check in every day, and sometimes not for months at a time, but the game is always ready for me whenever I do check in and in that way it’s become sort of a faithful companion for more than a decade now. Based on what I’ve seen of The Longing I can see getting a lot of the same sort of long-term satisfaction out of it when the mobile version arrives next week on December 18th. Ahead of that launch you can pre-order the game on the iOS App Store right now for $4.99.

As of this writing, Cygames says the distribution platform for the PC version hasn’t been decided. It will launch on iOS, Android, and PC in Summer 2024. Check out the new English website for Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond here. Until this new game launches, Shadowverse is available on iOS, Android, and PC. If you are on Switch, the Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle game is really good and worth trying. Cygames also announced a new Shadoverse World Tournament with a 10 million Yen prize for the winner. This tournament is set for early 2025. The current Shadowverse game will continue to run alongside this new one according to the official post. What do you think of Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond so far?

If you’d like to sign up for the Arknights: Endfield PC technical test, head over to the official website here. I’ve not played Arknights in a while now, but will be checking out Arknights: Endfield when it does launch on mobile. As of now, there is no release date or window for Arknights: Endfield. It is interesting seeing a lot of these free to play games initially planned for mobile and PC also now coming to PS5. We saw it with Honkai Star Rail, Tower of Fantasy, and more following the hugely popular Genshin Impact. Have you played Arknights recently and what do you think of Arknights: Endfield so far?

Watch the Honkai Star Rail TGA 2023 trailer below:

Honkai Star Rail also won The Game Award for best mobile game. I’m not too shocked at that since it is awesome and won Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year as well. With a 2024 release date confirmed, Zenless Zone Zero is set for iOS, Android, and PC with it also set to launch on unannounced consoles. Check out more about the game on the official website here. I’ve been enjoying the second closed beta on iPhone 15 Pro quite a bit. What do you think of it if you’ve been playing it and also did you end up watching The Game Awards?

Check out the official World of Goo 2 website here for more info including an FAQ with some vague answers about platforms. They also mention how this is the biggest game the team has made featuring the same folks who made the first one with a squad of talented friends. If you’d like to grab the first game’s remaster on iOS and Android and have an active Netflix subscription, get World of Goo Remastered on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out our new forum thread for it here. Have you played World of Goo before and are you looking forward to World of Goo 2?

If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-register for Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat on the official website here and pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here. Pre-registering will get you different rewards like gems, red orbs, potions, and more as detailed on the official website. The App Store page for Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat has a list of some of the different in app purchases like seasonal cards, gift packs, and different sets of devil gems. I’m looking forward to trying out Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat when it launches next month. This isn’t the first entry in the franchise to hit mobile either. We had a version of DMC 4 on the platform years ago. What do you think of today’s Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat and will you be trying it next month?

If you’d like to play NBA Infinite at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. The App Store has a February 29th, 2024 date listed which should be considered a placeholder date until we get an official announcement. The game is free to play, and the App Store lists in app purchases of different MVP passes and bundles of IC which likely is the in-game currency. What do you think of the NBA Infinite announcement trailer and will you be trying it when it releases on iOS and Android?

If you missed the prior trailers, watch the Billy Kid and Anby Demara character trailers below:

As of now, the game is confirmed for iOS, Android, and PC with it also set to launch on unannounced consoles. A release date or window is not available as of this writing. Check out more about the game on the official website here. I’m interested to see how Zenless Zone Zero is showcased next, and whether we get a new trailer for it at The Game Awards 2023 later this week. What do you think of Zenless Zone Zero so far, and do you play Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail from HoYoverse regularly?

The immersive adventure game Urban Legend Hunters 2: Double is available now on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here without English and Japanese support if you’d like to check out mobile screenshots and impressions from those who played the original release from last year. The English and Japanese localizations of Urban Legend Hunters 2: Double is due Spring 2024 / Q2 for iOS, Android, and Steam. Check out the Steam page here and official website here. A price point has not been announced for the Steam version, but the mobile versions will be $5.99. What do you think of Urban Legend Hunters 2: Double and did you play the first game?

Bop your head to one of the battle themes of #SaGaEmeraldBeyond with whatever is happening on screen, regardless if it is a simple punch or slicing an enemy in perhaps the rudest way possible! pic.twitter.com/4HLqWpHWD6

— SaGa Series (@SaGaGame) November 30, 2023

Immerse yourself in the Emerald Wave! Composed by the legendary Kenji Ito take a moment to listen to the title theme of #SaGaEmeraldBeyond! pic.twitter.com/gvIjpwOKCQ

— SaGa Series (@SaGaGame) November 29, 2023

(Update) Square Enix also announced the SaGa Glimmerfest 2023 Livestream set for December 15th featuring developers Masanori Ichikawa and Akitoshi Kawazu who will be present with localization director Neil Broadley and more. This event on YouTube and Twitch will take place from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM with new information on the game and Romancing SaGa Re;Universe revealed.

If you’re new to the series, the best entry point into SaGa remains SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions ($8.99) for me. If you’d rather get another game and want to know how the ports are, read Shaun’s reviews for Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered here, Romancing SaGa 2 here, Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend here, Romancing SaGa 3 here, SaGa Frontier Remastered here, and also SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions here. Have you played a SaGa game before on any platform and what do you think of the title them and the battle music?

Update: Added information on the SaGa Glimmerfest 2023 Livestream.

TouchArcade (TA): Tell us a little bit about yourself and SEGA HARDlight.

Dan Rossati (DR): I feel it’s best to start with the studio – HARDlight has been working with the Sonic IP for well over a decade, and in that time, we’ve gained a lot of experience with the brand. For instance, Sonic Dash is ten years old and still going strong today, and along with its sister game, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, we’ve had over a billion downloads of our games. In general, HARDlight is home to many classic SEGA fans, many of whom are long-time Sonic fans, including myself.

In 1991, I was six years old when Sonic first launched and already completely obsessed with physics and the beauty of motion. Seeing the speed, momentum, attitude, and pinball-inspired physics struck a chord that made me love the franchise ever since. Now, I find myself in the driver’s seat, crafting a Sonic game that fits pretty closely with the Sonic games I’d dreamt about as a kid. It’s not lost on me how lucky that makes me and how lucky I am to have found a home in a team that shares my vision and passion for Sonic.

TA: We’ve had quite a few Sonic releases in the last few months with Sonic Origins Plus in June, Sonic Frontiers’ updates, and Sonic Superstars. How long was the development time for Sonic Dream Team?

DR: It’s been a packed year for the franchise. On top of everything you listed, we had LEGO release their awesome Sonic kits, the brilliant April Fools’ surprise of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, Season 2 of Sonic Prime, and the outstanding Sonic Symphony World Tour.

As a Sonic fan, I feel like there’s a lot of choice for everyone to enjoy Sonic in multiple formats; it’s genuinely a cross-media brand, with something new happening all the time, which I love.

As for our development time, we made Sonic Dream Team in just under two years. The team worked exceptionally hard and put their all into it. It’s incredible what they were able to pull off in that time.

TA: When discussing Sonic Dream Team, a friend of mine brought up something interesting about the playable characters. I was wondering what led to Rouge and Cream being playable in the game, and whether the team also considered others like Shadow or Blaze at some point?

DR: All of us have been inspired by the positive reaction to the addition of Cream and Rouge; it’s exhilarating. A few narrative reasons for their inclusion will become clear once you play the game. They pair up nicely with the male counterparts of their skill set. Rouge climbs and glides the same as Knuckles, and Cream can fly just like Tails.

HARDlight is also home to a lot of Cream fans, so much so that in Dash and Forces, we did our version of Cream called Unicorn Cream, which turned out to be immensely popular with the fans. We’re all particularly proud of it, so we felt that everyone would appreciate her inclusion in a proper narrative adventure. For Dream Team, I was able to shape the story around Cream because I wanted it to feel natural to have such a young character in harm’s way, with the reason being circumstantial rather than due to poor or out-of-character choices. Similarly, Shadow and Blaze require more existential-level threats to turn up than the starting point for Dream Team allowed. Blaze must be pulled in from the Sol dimension, so the threat must be felt at that scale. My director brain likes things to make sense and stay in line with how you’d expect the characters to act. That said, Cream and Cheese’s involvement may have been overthought as we all joke in the fandom about how they’re the most powerful force in Sonic’s Universe. I say joke, but if you know, you know.

TA: I’ve seen people say Sonic Dream Team looks like a successor to Sonic Adventure. What are your thoughts on that and what Sonic games did the team treat as inspirations for Sonic Dream Team?

DR: I can understand the comparisons based on what little information is out there, but that is not our intention with Sonic Dream Team. The vision was to make a game that allowed players to get into an exhilarating flow state. Early on, I was waving my hands around, emulating rollercoasters and halfpipes, while enthusiastically trying to communicate what I meant by flow. On top of that, we knew that we’d be catering to both touchscreen and controller, so the controls had to be as accessible as possible while allowing the player maximum control at high speeds.

We did reference many of the past games, Adventure 1 and 2 included, but didn’t copy any of them directly, as we wanted Dream Team to become its own thing. We were also lucky to be able to work alongside Takashi Iizuka. He’s dedicated three decades of his life to Sonic, and there isn’t much he can’t answer regarding the franchise. He was an excellent guide for the entirety of the project.

From the outset, the goal was to allow players to get to grips with the controls and, with a little bit of practice, be able to do speed runs, expressing themselves through free-flowing movement without too many snagging points.

To achieve this, we considered skate parks and bobsled runs with rounded corners so you can easily transition from floor to wall, keeping your flow. We also added in the boost, which, if you find a good line through the levels, you should be able to chain them to get some amazingly fast run-throughs.

We’re looking forward to seeing what the speed run community can do with the gameplay on offer this time.

TA: Will there be any iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro 120hz support in Sonic Dream Team?

DR: Not in the initial launch, but it runs very smoothly at 60hz on the higher end devices. We do have an experimental branch with runs at 120hz but there’s still some bugs to work out to make sure the physics plays nicely at that speed. It does look amazing though, so if we get to it, we’ll try and add it in future. The team definitely wants it for sure.

TA: How was it working with Apple Arcade once again with Sonic Dream Team?

DR: Amazing. We’ve worked on Apple Arcade since the beginning of the service, and our team has loved it each time. The folks at Apple Arcade are great to work with and Arcade as a platform is set up to focus on quality, which is music to our ears for developers. In the studio, we felt trusted and respected, and the Arcade staff encouraged our ambition for the game.

TA: What led to Sonic Dream Team being an Apple Arcade exclusive rather than on all consoles PC?

DR: When Apple Arcade launched, we were delighted it brought about the conversation of getting a true 3D Sonic platformer into the lineup. Having worked with Apple and the Apple Arcade platform previously for Sonic Dash+ and Sonic Racing, we knew that Sonic Dream Team would be a great fit for our next game on iOS. We can’t wait to see fans, both new and old, hop into Dream Team and the franchise as a whole.

TA: Are there plans for post launch content updates like other Apple Arcade games?

DR: Yes definitely, we’re shaping said plans right now.

TA: What should players expect in terms of replay value or the post game in Sonic Dream Team?

DR: Packed around the main story and beyond, there are a lot of missions and some very cool collectibles to unlock via challenges. The levels were made for exploration, so players will only find some things in the first few passes. As you unlock the characters in the flow of the story, you’ll be able to get to new areas and find different routes, too. The game’s structure is designed with replay value in mind, so it should feel organic. We also plan to add and update the game as we go, keeping the game fresh.

If you happen to be a bit more hardcore in how you play, the game does have a pretty high skill ceiling in terms of fast-speed runs, so trying to find the most optimal routes through levels is where I think the most replay comes from for advanced players.

TA: I know Tee Lopes composed the theme for the trailer with Jonny Atma. What should we expect from the game’s soundtrack? Will it be by them as well?

DR: We were so lucky to have both Tee and Jonny alongside the legends of Tyson Hesse and Powerhouse Animation in one project. I think when fans get to experience everything in full, they’ll go wild. In my whole career, this project is something I’m most proud to be a part of. Everyone was effortless to work with, especially thanks to Yukio Kusumoto, the Senior Animation Director, and his team here at SEGA. All of the production was taken care of seamlessly, as I could write, say, or doodle what was in my head, and this group of insanely talented people made it a reality.

For the in-game music, we got to work with long-time HARDlight collaborator and incredible composer Michiel van den Bos, known for his groundbreaking work on Deus Ex and Unreal Tournament. Michiel understands what we’re trying to do, and I think players will appreciate how he crafted the music to fit each of the different mission types. I really feel he outdid himself for the final Boss music though, I think fans are going to love it!

TA: SEGA Hardlight has done many amazing projects for SEGA over the years. What are your favorites?

DR: I’ve only been at the studio for three and a half years, but before that, I was a studio fan for a while. In fact, outside of Sonic Dash, I was drawn to them for Crazy Taxi: City Rush, which I enjoyed, so that one is up there for me. I also love the version of ChuChu Rocket! HARDlight did; I played that a lot, so that’s up there, too. Honestly, I think Sonic Dream Team is a good contender for the best game from HARDlight, and most importantly, from a dev perspective, it’s given us an incredible leap forward in the complexity of games we can create due to our substantial code base. So, as cool as it is to look at our back catalog, I’ve got to say I’m incredibly excited for HARDlight’s future.

TA: Unrelated to Sonic Dream Team, I wanted to thank you for the superb Valkyria Chronicles 4 PC port. Are you interested in revisiting that franchise?

DR: That was a little before my time here, but the team that did work on it will be thrilled that you liked it. Generally speaking, I think most of SEGA’s IPs are exciting to us; a lot of the time, it comes down to opportunity cost as to what we go with next.

TA: Is there anything you’d like to say to the TouchArcade readers who know your work through mobile games?

DR: We appreciate everyone who takes the time to check out our games. There’s a lot of choice out there for what to play, so it’s heartwarming to see how large the audience is for our work. I hope everyone who plays Sonic Dream Team when it goes live on December 5th enjoys it. It was made with love, by fans, for fans.

We’d like to thank Dan Rossati, SEGA HARDLight, SEGA, and Jennifer Tam from Apple for their help and time here.

If you’d like to play Sonic Dream Team at launch, you can sign up here to be notified when it launches next week on Apple Arcade.

In the showcase, it was confirmed that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will support cross play and cross save on PS5, PS4, and Switch, but not on mobile. The slide at the end also mentioned a difference in specifications for the mobile version. We will have to wait and see what they meant by that. A lot of new features and story details were revealed. If you’d like to read more about it or learn about the characters, check out the official English website for Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road here. I was skeptical for the 2023 date, and it looks like everything has been delayed to 2024 or later from the announced games. Hopefully this one doesn’t go to 2025. Have you played an Inazuma Eleven game before and what do you think of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road so far?

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launched on November 11th, 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Rockstar Games Launcher). The iOS and Android versions were originally scheduled for the first half of 2022, but will now finally launch on December 14th (or December 15th depending on your timezone). The discounted bundle for the original releases is still up on iOS. Until then, read our reviews of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. You can pre-order the Netflix versions of Vice City here, GTA III here, and San Andreas here. It is unclear if the original releases will be delisted or not. What do you think of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition coming to mobile as a Netflix exclusive?

Atelier Resleriana will be a free to play release when it launches just like the Japanese release. If you missed the TGS 2023 news, Shaun wrote a bit about Atelier Resleriana and Koei Tecmo’s booth here. As of now, an Atelier Resleriana global release date hasn’t been announced. The App Store page has a January 31st date listed, but nothing has been officially announced yet. If you’d like to try Atelier Resleriana when it launches, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here, pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here, and wishlist it on Steam here. Check out the official English website here. What do you think of Atelier Resleriana and will you be trying the global version in 2024?

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal graphics and frame rate options

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal has a color correction toggle to change the tint and more. You can also adjust the field of view from 35 to 75. There are four graphics presets for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal. They are below:

• Battery Saver mode: This sets the game to use minimum graphics at 30fps
• Graphics: This sets the game to use good graphics at 30fps
• Performance: This sets the game to use lower graphics at 60fps
• Performance+: This sets the game to use lower graphics targeting 90fps

The Performance+ mode is not available on all devices. As an example, it is available on my iPhone 15 Pro, but not on my iPad Pro (2020 non M1 model). You can also toggle the preset override option to let you use an Advanced Graphics menu. This mode allows you to set whatever device preset, optimization preset, and choose different frame rate targets including 120fps. Feral Interactive tells me that this specific set of advanced options may be useful if players use something like a Razer cooling peripheral attached to their device allowing playing with higher graphics at 90fps. Feral Interactive also told me that it will not offer official support for any issues encountered outside of the prescribed presets.

I’ll have a full review of the game around launch day. If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. A Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Switch release date is yet to be announced. Check out the official website for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal here and the Steam page for the original game here. Have you played Hitman: Blood Money before on any platform or will you be trying it through this mobile or Switch release?

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Gameplay options:

Autoreload toggle (on/off) – When enabled, 47 will auto-reload when the weapon is out of ammo.
Out of ammo hot-swap toggle (on/off) – When enabled, the inventory will automatically open when the currently equipped gun is out of ammo, allowing the player to quickly select a new weapon.
Aim options – Aim Assist / Auto Aim / none
Instinct mode toggle (on/off) – Disabling the Instinct mode gives players the original game experience.
Minimap toggle (on/off) – Disabling the minimap brings back the original game UI featuring a compass.
Alerts toggle (on/off) – Disabling Alerts turns off the screen highlights that happen when guards are alerted, 47 is trespassing or is caught on camera. It will also hide the icons that are now part of the UI as a reminder. When disabled it matches the original game experience.
Highlight Interactable Objects toggle (on/off) – Disabling this will turn off the new highlights that appear when 47 is in close proximity to an intractable object.
View Reticle toggle (on/off) – Disabling this will remove the new interaction reticle, which makes it easy to understand what the action tooltips are referring to. Turning it off will not disable the gun reticles, it will simply only show the reticles when a gun is equipped (as per original game).

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Touch controls:

Touch controls in Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal include Enhanced and Classic camera options when aiming. The Enhanced camera is a new over-the-shoulder option while Classic retails the first-person camera. This is only included for touch controls. You can also use a Trackpad or Virtual Joystick style camera with trackpad acceleration and sensitivity options. Touch control customization options include the ability to tune
the Virtual Control Pad (but not map or weapon displays which are a part of the HUD), Scope and Binocular VCP, and more. Feral Interactive also has two default schemes available for left or right-handed play.

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal controller and gamepad support:

When playing with a controller, Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Modern Controls closely match the more recent games with a few changes since this is an older game. Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal also has the new over-the-shoulder camera when aiming weapons. If you opt for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Classic Controls, it is same as the original game with the original first-person camera when aiming weapons.

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal keyboard and mouse support (iPad only):

I couldn’t test this myself yet since my external keyboard isn’t with me right now, but I will try and do it for the full review. Feral Interactive told me the controls work with Modern and Classic control options. Modern keyboard and mouse controls aim to be close to the new games in the series with the over-the-shoulder camera while classic is the same as the original game with the first-person camera while aiming weapons. Customisation is not supported for keyboard and mouse gameplay.

Stay tuned for more Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal coverage tomorrow. If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. A Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Switch release date is yet to be announced. Check out the official website for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal here and the Steam page for the original game here. Have you played Hitman: Blood Money before on any platform or will you be trying it through this mobile or Switch release?

If you’d like to play Sonic Dream Team at launch, you can sign up here on the App Store to have it downloaded or to be notified when it is available. Head over to our forum thread for the game here ahead of its December 5th release date. The App Store description mentions completing missions, fighting bosses, and finding toys of Sonic characters for your collection. I’m curious to see how the game launches, and how it is handled post-launch since many games on the service get regular updates. What do you think of the Sonic Dream Team opening animation and will you be playing it on Apple Arcade next month?

SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake is out now for $39.99 on all platforms. The iOS pre-order is priced at $9.99. As of this writing, the port hasn’t been officially announced, but the trailer is live on both iOS and Android. You can pre-order SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake on the App Store for iOS here for $9.99 and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. I’m glad I waited because SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake will almost certainly be a better experience on modern iOS devices compared to Switch. I am curious to see how the game on mobile compares with the Steam Deck version though. Did you play SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake on any other platform or will you be playing it on mobile next month?

Hitman: Blood Money debuted back in 2006, and saw an HD Remaster for PS4 and Xbox One back in 2019. It has never been re-released barring that and being playable via Xbox backwards compatibility until now. After playing the opening hours of Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal, I went and downloaded both Hitman: Blood Money (Xbox 360) and Hitman: Blood Money HD on my Xbox Series X to see how they felt. The Xbox 360 version is super-dated as expected, but Hitman: Blood Money HD felt quite good. Neither are as nice to play as Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal though. The quality of life features, multiple control options, high frame rate support, and more add up to make this feel like the definitive version of Hitman: Blood Money just like how Feral Interactive’s Alien: Isolation is the best version of that game.

If you’ve already played Hitman: Blood Money, the opening hours of Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal feel like an enhanced remaster. The dialogue is in, visuals enhanced, frame rate improved, and it looks as it should with full screen support on both iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro (2020 11" model). The quality of life changes are optional as well. You can toggle stuff like auto reload, instinct mode (from the new games), the minimap, simplified strangle, and more here. You can also use the original aiming instead of the enhanced one for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal or toggle highlighting of objects you can interact with.

I mentioned how Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal felt modern, and that’s thanks to the controls. With the quality of life toggles on and using a controller like my DualSense (which has the game display correct button prompts), it feels like a new Hitman experience. The touch controls were what I was curious about the most though. You can customize the size and placement, and even adjust how the camera moves with speed options.

When it comes to graphics, I’ll go into more details about this in a future article, but it has battery saver, graphics priority, and performance priority options on my iPad Pro, and an additional performance+ option iPhone 15 Pro. I stuck with performance on both, but did try performance+ on iPhone 15 Pro which was a nice addition to run at above 60fps. A preset override option lets you tweak things manually as well. When comparing Reprisal to the old versions on console, it feels like the HD remaster has better texture filtering and anti-aliasing, but barring those areas, this new iOS version I’ve been playing is superb. I’ll have more to say with some comparisons in the near future.

While Feral Interactive does superb conversions, one aspect that I always think is worth highlighting, is how well the iCloud save support is in the developer’s releases. Almost every game I play that mentions cloud saves is rarely as reliable as these conversions. Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal even right now syncs correctly between my devices.

While I’ll save my full thoughts for my Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal iOS review closer to launch, it is shaping up to be special, and one heck of an amazing enhanced remaster. I almost hope Feral Interactive ends up bringing this to more platforms because the PC and Xbox versions of the game just feel lacking in comparison now. If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. It is priced at $14.99 on mobile.

Though details on the actual fighting mechanics are scarce, Frosty Pop does declare that Pillow Champ will have “The best mobile controls ever in a fighting game (as easy and natural as texting)." Hmmm, very intrigued by that. Also the game will feature a healthy story-driven single-player component with storylines written by Strange Scaffold’s Xalavier Nelson Jr. who is known for the critically acclaimed El Paso, Elsewhere as well as numerous other writing credits in and around the video game sphere. Pillow Champ will be heading to mobile by way of Netflix Games, and it’s planned for Steam and Nintendo Switch as well. It’s targeting a spring 2024 release and you can find out more over on the game’s website.

As of now, an Atelier Resleriana global release date hasn’t been announced. The Atelier Resleriana App Store page has a January 31st date listed, but this should be treated as a placeholder for now. The App Store page also lists lodestar gems as in app purchases right now. If you’d like to try Atelier Resleriana when it launches, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here, pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here, and wishlist it on Steam here. Check out the official English website here. What do you think of Atelier Resleriana and will you be trying the global version in 2024?

Rather than 3 different styles of puzzles built around abstract art, Please, Touch the Artwork 2 is more of a hidden object game and sees you accompanying a skeleton artist on a journey through the legendary real-life Belgian painter James Ensor’s library of work. As in the first title a narrative is woven into the game based on the often strange characters that inhabit Ensor’s lightly animated and interactive masterpieces. Ensor was controversial during his time, as well as extremely groundbreaking in the world of late 19th century and early 20th century art, and being that Thomas Waterzooi is also Belgian I’m guessing this was something of a passion project for the developer to create. The first game was award-winning but felt like it flew a bit under the radar on mobile, so feel free to check that one out in the meantime while we await the arrival of Please, Touch the Artwork 2 on mobile and PC in early 2024.

If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Feral Interactive confirmed that Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal will include fully customizable touch controls, controller support, and keyboard and mouse support. Expect some coverage from this mobile version in the near future. A Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal Switch release date is yet to be announced. Check out the official website for Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal here and the Steam page for the original game here. Have you played Hitman: Blood Money before on any platform or will you be trying it through this mobile or Switch release?

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone: Enter the Fold is also available now featuring untold stories between the first two seasons of the Netflix series in a narrative RPG. Watch the trailer for it below and check it out on the App Store here.

Netflix then did something really cool for Oxenfree fans with an interview featuring the voice actresses of Riley and Alex meeting for the first time discussing the awesome Oxenfree II. Read my review of it here and watch the interview below:

Barring those three, Netflix revealed a lot of games coming in 2024. There are no dates for any of them barring Braid, which I already covered here. Netflix also revealed mobile versions of three of the best indie games in years with Katana Zero, Death’s Door, and Hades (iOS only).

As for the other game announcements, Netflix revealed Money Heist, releasing alongside the spinoff series on Netflix. The Chicken Run makers are doing a top-down heist game titled Chicken Run: Eggstraction in 2024 for Netflix as well. The final announcement for 2024 (so far) is The Dragon Prince: Xadia, a hero-based co-op action RPG from Wonderstorm. This one is also coming to PC, but no console platforms have been mentioned. So far, Netflix is aiming to start out 2024 with a bang, and I definitely will be covering most of these games. What do you think of Netflix’s announcements and which was your favorite?

Hades is currently available on PC and Switch with cross platform save support. It is also on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A release date for Netflix hasn’t been announced, but I find it interesting that Netflix’s announcement only mentions iOS and not mobile (Android as well) like with other games. The Supergiant Games blog confirms that they have no plans for additional versions of Hades at this time to address whether it was coming to Android. I’m definitely excited to have an excuse to replay Hades on yet another platform and will be covering it on multiple iOS and iPadOS devices when I get access to it. Right now, Hades on Steam Deck is my favorite way to play it, and I’m curious to see how it plays on iOS since the Switch version doesn’t run as smoothly as I had hoped it would. Have you played Hades before or will you be trying it through Netflix?

Update: Added details on the port from the Supergiant Games blog and information about Android.

Devolver Digital is also bringing Askiisoft’s superb Katana Zero to mobile through Netflix Games. The thing about Katana Zero, is it delivered what I wanted from a sequel to Hotline Miami. Since we never got one of those, I’m glad Askiisoft’s Katana Zero exists, and it is a game I replay too often thanks to its sublime gameplay and amazing soundtrack. Katana Zero is coming soon to mobile, and sadly doesn’t have a date yet. Watch the Katana Zero Netflix trailer below:

Until both Death’s Door and Katana Zero hit mobile on Netflix for iOS and Android, you can check them out on Steam and Nintendo Switch. I can’t wait to see what Netflix announces next for mobile following today’s major reveals. What do you think of Devolver Digital’s new Netflix games releases coming soon and have you played Death’s Door and Katana Zero before?

The announcement from Thekla mentions Braid, Anniversary Edition for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Netflix for mobile with macOS and Linux following at a later date. There is no mention of Switch right now, but I hope it does come there eventually. I’m also hoping it does get a physical release. I haven’t replayed Braid in many years, but loved my time with it on Xbox 360 back in the day. A price point hasn’t been announced yet for PC and consoles. On mobile, you will be able to play it free if you have an active Netflix subscription. Check out the official Braid, Anniversary Edition website here. What do you think of the new trailer and did you play Braid back in the day?

I haven’t played much of Potion Permit yet, but will definitely be trying it on iOS when it launches on February 6th, 2024. Pre-orders are currently live on the App Store at $4.99. This is a discounted price and the game will be $6.99 at launch. Pre-registrations on Google Play include the same 30% off. If you’d like to grab it on mobile, you can pre-order Potion Permit on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check it out on Steam here (with a demo) and Switch here if you’d like to play it there. Have you played Potion Permit before or will you be trying it on mobile in February?

As you can see, this is an isometric action RPG that the developers describe as a “side-quel that exists within the same timeline as Risk of Rain 2 but focuses on a different part of the story." Speaking of developers, this one isn’t by Hopoo Games, as publisher Gearbox has partnered up with Canadian developer Frima Studio to develop Risk of Rain: Hostile Worlds. It sounds like the game will go through some form of regional testing on its way to a global launch, and if you want to find out some more information or sign up to possibly try out the game early when it hits your region you can do so over on the game’s website. You’ll also unlock Mercanary when the game launches just for signing up. I’m definitely curious to see how this mobile take on the Risk of Rain universe turns out whenever Risk of Rain: Hostile Worlds drops sometime in the hopefully not too distant future.

This latest test will kick off on November 16th and will be open to select iOS and Android players in Brazil and the US, as well as all players in Australia, and currently you can still sign up to get in on this latest round of testing over on the Ubisoft website. They’ve also detailed what you can expect from The Division Resurgence in this upcoming test over on their blog, and for the first time the game will allow players to play the main campaign up to Mission 8 either solo or in co-op, and that will include side missions and other open world activities. Testers will also be able to check out the Dark Zone, PVP Conflict mode, and the new Lone Wolf mode where “solo players take on a series of short, increasingly difficult levels and try to complete them as quickly as possible to earn a good rating, move up in the ranks, and unlock rewards." Look for more news on The Division Resurgence as development continues and be sure to sign up if you want to try to get in on the beta test.

Pre-orders are now live here for Resident Evil 4 Remake on Apple platforms. The current price point for the game unlock and DLC have been revealed, but it is unclear if Capcom has a launch discount planned or not. Since these are in app purchases, Capcom might reveal a discount closer to or at launch. The full Resident Evil 4 Remake game unlock is currently priced at $59.99 with the extra DLC pack (to upgrade to Deluxe) costing $19.99. A price point for Separate Ways on Apple platforms hasn’t been announced, but it is likely $9.99 like the other platforms. The current date on the App Store page is a placeholder. Will you be trying out Resident Evil 4 Remake on Apple devices next month and what did you think of Resident Evil Village if you tried it on iPhone and iPad?

While HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are available on PlayStation 5 in addition to mobile and PC, a console platform for Zenless Zone Zero is yet to be announced. If you’d like to sign up for the closed beta, sign-ups are now live on the official website here. which is confirmed for PC and iOS only as far as I’m aware. I’m interested to see how Zenless Zone Zero is showcased next, and whether it does launch later this year or early next year. Hopefully it arrives with controller support on iPad from the start. What do you think of Zenless Zone Zero so far, and do you play Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail from HoYoverse regularly?

Art of Rally is currently listed for December 14th release on the App Store. If you’d like to try out the top-down and stylish racing game, you can pre-order Art of Rally on the App Store for iOS here for $4.99. Pre-registrations are currently live on Google Play for Android here for it. Check out the official Art of Rally website here. You can grab it on Steam here as well. I’m very tempted to grab it on Steam and Switch for a nice comparison with the iOS version that I want to review. Either way, I’m looking forward to hopefully a great portable version of Art of Rally next month. Have you played Art of Rally on any platform yet?

Raw Fury’s announcement confirms that Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley features more than 50 characters with a soundtrack composed in collaboration with Sigur Ros. As of this writing, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley doesn’t have a confirmed release date, but it will launch in Q1 2024 for Nintendo Switch and PC. You can wishlist Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley on Steam now. The iOS and Android version will release at a later date. Check out the official website for the game here. What do you think of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley and will you be trying it on iOS, Android, Switch, or Steam next year?

If you’ve not played the game on any platform yet, it is a free to play kart racer with Disney and Pixar characters and worlds. If you’d like to try out the soft launch, here’s the Disney Speedstorm soft launch App Store link. You can pre-register for it on Google Play for Android worldwide here and pre-order it on the App Store here (same link as the soft launch). On Steam and consoles, Disney Speedstorm is available now. The mobile version is free to play with various in app purchase sets of tokens. An official release date is yet to be revealed for the mobile version, but there is a placeholder date on the App Store. Have you played Disney Speedstorm on any platform before and will you be trying it on mobile when it does release?

Ugly has been quite well-received on other platforms in the short time since its launch, with a lot of players comparing it to the classic Braid in terms of having to rewire your brain a bit in order to solve some of its challenging puzzles. The story, visuals, animations, and especially the boss fights have also received plenty of praise, so I’m quite excited to check this one out when it hits mobile. Right now you can pre-order the game on the iOS App Store or pre-register on the Google Play Store for Android. It’s listed at just $4.99 which is a fraction of what it sells for on other platforms, and the expected release date is January 9th, 2024. Until that time feel free to discuss this one with the community over in our forums.

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game will hit iOS, Android, and Steam on November 14th. It will be priced at $7.99 on Steam and $4.99 on iOS and Android as of now. Refind Self: The Personality Test Game will include English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean language support at launch. Check out the official Refind Self: The Personality Test Game website here. You can wishlist Refind Self: The Personality Test Game on Steam here. App Store pre-orders and Google Play pre-registrations are not live as of this writing. Will you be trying out Refind Self: The Personality Test Game on November 14th on mobile or PC?

Goat Simulator 3 is available to pre-order on the App Store for iOS here and is up for pre-registration on Google Play for Android here. It is priced at $12.99, and the placeholder date on the App Store is December 4th. An official Goat Simulator 3 mobile release date has not been announced so this should be treated as a placeholder date. I never ended up playing this on PS5 or Xbox, but will likely try it on iPhone and iPad when it releases. Have you played Goat Simulator 3 on any platform before or will you be trying it when it launches on iOS and Android?

If you’d like to try the closed beta for KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link, you can sign up for a chance to enter the closed beta test here. The KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link closed beta will be available in Austria and the United Kingdom. You can sign up from now until 19th November to get a chance to try the closed beta. As of now, a KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link release date is yet to be revealed, but it will release next year for iOS and Android. It has been a while since we had news around KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link, so this is welcome, although I know many were hoping to see the game launch this year. That ship had sailed given we are just two months away from 2024. What do you think of the 20th anniversary celebration announcements last year and what would you like to see in KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link?

The launch celebration discount is available until November 20th going by the App Store listing for the game. Check out the official website for Capcom’s upcoming Apple silicon ports here. Resident Evil 4 Remake is due this year for iPhone 15 Pro, iPad (M1 and later) models, and macOS. Resident Evil Village releases on October 30th for iOS and iPadOS with pre-orders available here. It will be a free download with a one time unlock for the base game and additional purchase for the Winters’ Expansion. Resident Evil Village will have cross progression on iPadOS and iOS. Will you be trying out Resident Evil Village next week on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or a newer iPad model?

Coromon boasts 120 different species to catch and tame, and in addition to a 30+ hour single-player story mode there’s also a randomizer and endless Battle Dome mode so you should never be lacking when the monster catching-taming-battling mood strikes. It also sounds like progression will carry over across platforms and the online multiplayer battling will also work cross platform. If that’s the case, that’s pretty awesome. Coromon on mobile will launch as a free to try game so you can check if it’s for you or not, and then there’s a $4.99 IAP to unlock the full game if you like what you see. Keep an eye out for this early next month.

Resident Evil Village has been available since 2021 on consoles and PC platforms, and I’ve played it on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam Deck. I ended up liking the game more than Resident Evil 7, but found it was a lot better with the DLC and updates that arrived post-launch. Capcom has pushed out one major update already fixing a crash on specific devices, and I also wanted to try out the public build of the game more. I bought the in-game unlock and all DLC available to make sure it works fine.

On launching Resident Evil Village, you are prompted to download about 7.92GB, and then can view the options like DLC and the full game unlock if you don’t want to just sample the game for free. In terms of DLC, the Winters’ Expansion, full game unlock, and the Extra Content Shop All Access Voucher are available. These are similar to the main PC and console version DLC. Before getting into a new game, I’d recommend going into the options and customizing the touch controls. While I’m not too pleased with how Resident Evil Village controls purely on touch, Capcom has done a good job with the customization options for the on-screen controls as shown in the screenshot below.

Beyond controls, I was surprised to find a full graphics options menu in Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro. This is like the PC version where it shows you how much graphics memory is being used as you adjust various settings. This menu also lets you enable Apple’s MetalFX upscaling, change the screen resolution, frame rate target (with support for frame rates above 60fps), and the other options found in the PC version of Resident Evil Village. I didn’t pay much attention to the pre-release coverage for Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad M1, but I am impressed with how it looks and runs after some tweaking so far on iPhone 15 Pro. It does however run better on iPad M1 than iPhone 15 Pro.

The load times and visuals are great after tweaking, and it even loads quicker than the Xbox Series X version. When comparing Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro with the Steam Deck version, the latter is definitely comfier unless you have a controller like the Backbone One or something for your iPhone 15 Pro. Load times are a lot better on iPhone 15 Pro though. I hope a future update for Resident Evil Village on Apple silicon eventually gets full DualSense feature support for triggers and haptic feedback like the PS5 version, because I love how Capcom uses that in its PS5 releases. Right now, it only displays Xbox button prompts which is disappointing.

After spending more time with Resident Evil Village post-launch, I remain convinced that the best version of the game is with the DLC included. This is sold as the Gold Edition on consoles and PC, and on iOS requires the base game and the Winters’ Expansion. This expansion adds in the third person mode, Shadows of Rose expansion which is as good as when I first played it on PS5. It feels wild that this is all running natively on an iPhone, but here we are. I didn’t spend too much time with it on iPad, but I was impressed with it using an external Xbox controller.

I hope Capcom can work on improving the touch controls for the game in future updates. Developers like Feral Interactive have been bringing console games to mobile with optimized touch interfaces while also providing great controller support. While they are the gold standard, this is a good first step for Capcom with its AAA games on iPhone and iPad.

In its current state, I absolutely recommend getting Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max if you have a controller like the Backbone One USB-C edition or use an external bluetooth controller and play on iPad. The touchscreen interface even with its customization options is not good. Capcom has done a fantastic job so far in bringing this AAA survival horror experience to Apple platforms, and I hope we see more RE Engine games make their way in the future after Resident Evil 4 Remake releases next month. Resident Evil Village is a free download with an in app purchase to unlock the full game, so I definitely recommend downloading it if you have a supported device to see how good the conversion is. Right now, it is a great start for Capcom on modern iOS devices, but I hope we see more optimized ports in the future.

Check out the official website for Capcom’s new Apple silicon ports here. Resident Evil Village releases on October 30th for iOS and iPadOS with pre-orders available here.

Resident Evil Village iPhone 15 Pro Review Score: 4/5

Update: Added review score after testing the game on iPhone 15 Pro after its first major update and also impressions from the M1 iPad Pro version.

For those not familiar with Wizard of Legend, it’s a roguelite action game where you play as a wizard trying to reach the bottom of a procedurally-generated dungeon. As wizards do. The wizard here is far from the squishy type that you might imagine, as they have access to a wide array of useful magic to fend off their foes with. The ultimate goal is to defeat all of the bosses and achieve the title of Wizard of Legend. Oh hey, that’s the title. Clever.

The game came out on consoles including the Switch (pictured below) and Steam back in 2018 and has garnered a generally good reputation since. I know I was rather fond of it for a while there. A sequel has been announced and I’d imagine that’s next on the agenda, but for mobile players we’ve got the whole first game to catch up on. We still don’t know all of the features it will support, but I’m hoping we’ve at least got controller support in the mix. I suppose we’ll know soon enough.

Anyway, that’s the news. Wizard of Legend Mobile, iOS and Android, tomorrow morning. The original game is a lot of fun, and as long as the port has been handled well I suspect we’ll all have a lovely time with this mobile version as well. Either Mikhail or I will be reviewing this one as soon as we can, so do look forward to that.

Poor Bunny! is a single screen game that controls like a platformer, and your job is to run and jump around the arena while all manner of different hazards pop up, with the goal of avoiding those hazards for as long as possible. Animal Arena is also a single screen game, and also has the core mechanics of platforming, but here your goal is to bop up to 3 other players in the field on the head and whichever one of you can bop the others the most wins the game.

The platforming is even more streamlined in Animal Arena, as your character runs on their own with only a single button for you to control. A single tap makes you jump, and a double-tap makes you switch directions. This might sound perhaps TOO streamlined but in reality it makes the game very enjoyably chaotic. The ability to change directions can be used very strategically and there are a ton of wacky power-ups that will pop up during play to keep things nice and spicy.

The levels themselves also feature unique elements and there are a ton of them to play on, and similarly there are a ton of different animal characters to unlock and play as too. The multiplayer is confined to same device only, which works great with the game’s one button controls, but it would definitely be fun to have some sort of online mode or even just local wireless to play against other humans using your own screen.

Still, Animal Arena is quite a bit of fun for anyone who has ever wished that Super Smash Bros, Super Crate Box, and Puzzle Bobble would all have a weird baby, and you can play that weird baby when it launches for free with ads (and an ad-removal IAP option, naturally) on November 9th. It’s available for pre-order right now on the iOS App Store and available for Android pre-registration on the Google Play Store.

Indeed, the game appears to be in soft launch already in a small handful of countries in Asia. For the rest of us, it simply shows up as a pre-order with a placeholder date of December 31st, 2023. Nexon says it’s coming this winter, so that all checks out well enough. So what can we look forward to with this one? Well, for starters, it’s free-to-play with IAPs. I suppose it is a Nexon game, after all.  The description talks about collecting officers, so I imagine the monetization will be linked in with that aspect. But we’ll see! At any rate, I’ll let the description from the App Store do the rest of the talking.

■ Experience the legendary Dynasty Warriors story in a whole new format!

– Collect and develop 50 Officers from 5 factions.

– Wield the spectacular Musou power unique to Dynasty Warriors!

 

■ Fight in strategic battles using special tactics!

– Turn the tide of battle with your Officer’s individual tactics.

– Maximize your weapon’s capabilities with endless combinations of tactics to crush your enemies!

 

■ Explore the vast world of the historic Three Kingdoms era.

– Travel a massive map composed of 13 regions and 520 stages!

– Capture castles in each region, gather loot, and grow your army!

 

■ Live the story of the Three Kingdoms in a cinematic adventure!

– Experience historic events like the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Battle of Luoyang!

That mostly sounds like a Warriors game, I would say. The screenshots don’t tell us too much so far, but it does look like it’s using assets from Dynasty Warriors 9. That’s a decent enough base to work from, but we’ll have to play it ourselves to find out whether this is the silk jacket experience or just another pleather coat. If you happen to have joined in on the soft launch, feel free to comment below with your experiences so far.

Watch a short gameplay trailer for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM U.C. ENGAGE below:

If you’d like to play MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM U.C. ENGAGE when servers go live tomorrow, you can pre-download it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out the official English website for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM U.C. ENGAGE here. MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM U.C. ENGAGE has in app purchases of different diamonds, tickets, material packs, and a paid Haro Pass as well as detailed on the App Store. What do you think of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM U.C. ENGAGE and will you be playing it tomorrow?

For those that don’t remember, Wrestle Jump actually predates Soccer Physics as it was released in 2012, and went on to achieve its own level of virality due to its same-device multiplayer and wacky physics shenanigans. Soccer Physics came along a couple year slater and ultimately became even more popular, but the original Wrestle Jump is not far behind it. This sequel keeps the core concept intact as you have two wrestlers who are squaring off and are connected at the arms for some reason. They also each only have one leg. Tapping the screen makes your character thrust his leg and you use that to try and launch yourself into the air, spinning and flipping about, and you score a “pinfall" by causing your opponent to hit their head before you hit yours. This is much harder than it sounds because, as mentioned, you guys are connected at the arms and your opponent is wildly thrusting his leg just as you are, trying to ensure that you’re the one to bash your head on the ground first. Making the whole situation that much sillier is that each level is different with different terrain and hazards to try and negotiate.

Despite seeming like it might be some shallow button-masher, Wrestle Jump was actually quite strategic once you learned how the physics system and your wrestler’s body worked. There was still always an air of unpredictability to the outcomes, but that’s also what made it such a riot to play with a friend, and the single button controls made it easy to play with another human being on the same device. All of this remains true for the sequel but Wrestle Jump 2 looks to bring a few new tricks to the squared circle, like a refined physics engine and slightly altered character models that seem much more… squishy, I guess. There’s also tons of new environmental elements at play, more outrageous names for the “moves" you pull off, voiced commentary, both 1 player and 2 player modes, and a level of polish that really outshines the original in every way, though to be fair the original is over a decade old by now. Overall Wrestle Jump 2 seems like it will be another winner and it’ll be heading our way completely for free next Monday October 16th.

It was in March of last year that Call of Duty: Warzone was officially announced as coming to mobile platforms following the strong hints that it would based on a job listing posted way back in 2020. In September of last year, during the previous Call of Duty: NEXT event, a new trailer and new details were revealed for the title, and a couple of months later the game went up on the iOS and Android app stores for pre-order with an expected release date of May 15th, 2023. That ended up being just a placeholder date though as when it approached the expected release date was bumped to November 1st, 2023 and Activision itself came out and said that it also was just a placeholder and the current actual release window is spring of 2024. The game is currently undergoing heavy testing in limited areas around the world.

You can read all about the latest Call of Duty: NEXT event over on the official Call of Duty blog, and if you aren’t among the 45 million+ who have already pre-registered for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile you can still do so over on the official website.

The second addition of the month is Dead Cells: Netflix Edition. Details on the DLC aren’t available yet, but I assume Dead Cells: Netflix Edition will include all paid DLC from the start like the Apple Arcade version. Speaking of Apple Arcade, with Dead Cells: Netflix Edition, we will have three different versions of Dead Cells on iOS platforms with the standalone premium game, Dead Cells: Netflix Edition, and Dead Cells+. Not confusing at all. Regardless, Dead Cells: Netflix Edition brings one of the best games in years as a great value add to Netflix on mobile devices. It is an essential if you have an active subscription. What do you think of today’s newly-announced games for Netflix and will you be playing any of them this month?

If you’d like to experience Silent Hill: Ascension from the launch date, you can pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here and on the App Store for iOS here. The store page mentions daily live story scenes where each day is different based on player actions and the audience’s decisions. There will be a way to catch up to the show on demand as well. The official Silent Hill: Ascension launch time is 9 PM ET on October 31st. Check out the official interactive series website here. What do you think of Silent Hill: Ascension and will you be trying it later this month?

Update: Added App Store pre-order link and more information.

In the same interview, Masachika Kawata, one of Resident Evil Village’smentioned that Capcom is not ready to commit to simultaneous releases of future games, because there are a lot of unknowns and the team will get feedback based on the current games scheduled to launch. They want to do better with each iteration. I don’t expect simultaneous releases, but I’m interested to see what Capcom brings next following these two releases. I doubt the team worked on supporting the RE Engine for Apple hardware just for two games. You can pre-order Resident Evil Village here for iPhone 15 Pro series and iPad (M1 and later). It is a free download with a one time unlock for the full game, and also extra DLC available like on PC and consoles. Will you be trying out Resident Evil 4 or Resident Evil Village on iPadOS or iPhone 15 Pro this year?