There’s a noticeable lack of MMOs and MMORPGs in the mobile space today, especially when compared to those in the social and casual genres, and those that are available are mostly ports from the browser space that lack the necessary control support to make an impact on the market, or just generally aren’t very good quality.
We sat down with publishing giant We Made Entertainment at E3 2012 yesterday to take a look at how they plan to change this forever, and from the short hands-on time we had, it’s looking like they just might.
Ranging from basic child-friendly social MMOs and turn-based RPGs to complex RTS, Tower Defence and MMORPG titles, We Made Entertainment have a line-up planned for 2012 that looks to cover all bases, and although we’ve never been huge supporters of the mobile MMO space ourselves, these titles have already made a serious impact in our perspective of just what is capable when the right developers are behind the wheel.
When we say ‘the right developers’, we’re talking about the ones that spend more than 2 months developing their games, and generally care about the quality of their product output. I’m no fanboy, but We Made Entertainment have been making MMOs for 12 years, so they’ve definitely got experience in the industry, and with over 1000 employees across the globe, an average development time of 2 years for each title and a reported $115.8 million in revenues in 2011 alone (a 6.4% increase over 2010), it’s clear that they’ve got the right idea.
But, in the end, what matters are the games. Fortunately, we had the chance to try them all, and we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results:
Chaos and Defense Online
Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS) / Tower Defense (TD)
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: June, 2012
Due for release this month, Chaos and Defense on combines a multitude of genres and game styles to create a unique, and surprisingly compelling entry into the mobile strategy realm. In essence, players are pitted against computer-controlled AI in the single-player campaign, and each other in online multiplayer, and asked to combine speed and tactics to build unit producing and enhancing structures that automatically begin attacking their opponent.
The concept behind the gameplay is fairly simple, but it’s definitely a refreshing break from the normal Tower Defense style. In C&DO, building units and structures requires gold that is obtained via the acquisition of mines littered across the battlefield. Upgrading these mines produces a higher yield; however, as the gold they produce must be collected manually by tapping on the coins that appear across the screen, players will need to be certain they can keep up with their own pace in order to win. Build too many mines and focus all your effort on collecting the coins and you’ll soon find your opponent’s units beating down your door.
We only had a small chance to play on a very basic level in single-player, but we’re already hooked. The potential for global multiplayer with thousands of players and an active leaderboard make this one a mobile competitor’s proverbial wet dream. Keep an eye on the iOS store next week (Android coming soon – with cross-platform multiplayer support!).
Viking Island
Genre: Role Playing Game (RPG) / Social Networking
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: July, 2012
Less than a month after the planned release of Chaos and Defense Online comes Viking Island, a child-friendly social networking fantasy MMO with heavy emphasis on RPG style character progression and team-based combat.
You’ll be given a choice of 5 standard class archetypes: the Warrior, Sorcerer, Archer, Beserker and Magician, and work together with other players to tackle dungeons and bosses, but also need to farm, craft and build, solo or alongside friends from anywhere in the world, on both iOS and Android.
There’s not a great deal of innovation here, in that most of Viking Island’s elements have been seen before, but the ingenuity lies in combining them all together, on mobile, in an MMO format – and the level of polish and graphical style gives it a lot of potential.
Project Dragon (Tentative Title)
Genre: MMORPG
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
Project Dragon was definitely the star of the lineup, with hundreds of players gathering around to take a look at what is being hailed as the first true, unique MMORPG title on a mobile platform – and from what I saw during our hands-on time, even I can’t disagree.
It’s a real MMORPG, there is no doubt about it. It still maintains an overly Asian flare in terms of graphics and gameplay, but the controls are smooth as butter and the skill system is awesome fun to play.
Casting spells and abilities is performed by pressing your finger on the screen to reveal your skill wheel, and then either tapping on your desired skill, or performing the appropriate slide pattern, which feels fluid and responsive. They’re also boasting 5000 players per server on release, that will be increased to 300,000 shortly after. The only real letdown is the limited class options, of which there are 4: Weapon Master, Sage, Magician and Assassin, though they do claim some interesting development and customisation.
Pet Island
Genre: Social / Casual
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
Though not a title I’m interested in personally, Pet Island appears to maintain the same standard of quality as the others, if a little light on innovation. Geared toward a younger audience, Pet Island boasts farmville style gameplay in an MMO environment with a heavy focus on social networking.
Hero Square
Genre: Social / Casual
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
Hero Square features a traditional fantasy MMORPG setting in which players can choose from an awesome 20 hero classes and an old-school turn-based combat system that has me really excited.
There’s a good focus on PvP combat, too, which is appreciated in this style, and also on building towns (Kingdoms) that feature some basic social networking elements. Again, this isn’t the pinnacle of innovation, but having it run so seamlessly on a mobile platform, and incorporate full-featured MMORPG gameplay is impressive to say the least.
Goblin Mobile (Tentative Title)
Genre: Action MORPG
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
Jumping headfirst into the Action MMO world, Goblin Mobile is a 2D side-scroller title with a beat-em-up feel that offers 5 classes with 80 skills, near-limitless item and character customisation and a large focus on quest-based gameplay in groups of 1-4 players.
Most impressively are the visuals, which look stunning and offer a genuine retro feel that perfectly suits the style. Like all other titles announced in this list, Goblin Mobile offers global multiplayer gameplay and cross platform mobile compatibility.
Friend Fighter
Genre: Fighting
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
Though not the best choice of title, Friend Fighter is shaping up to be an awesome fighting game for the mobile space that borrows heavily from the Tekken series both in terms of graphics and gameplay style.
It features full online play and takes it a step further, allowing your friends to ‘step into’ your game to assist you while playing against other players, making for a pretty unique social gaming experience that I’m really looking forward to trying.
Friend Fighter features character level progression that doubles as a method for unlocking new characters – the better you play, the more you unlock. There’s not a lot else to say about Friend Fighter just now, but it’s definitely shaping up to be a real contender in the undersaturated mobile fighter market.
Rhythm Scandal
Genre: Rhythm/ Dance/Tap
Platform: iOS/Android
Release Date: To Be Announced
We Made’s venture into the dance space, Rhythm Scandal combines typical dance-style touch gameplay with social networking, global online play, full customisable 3D avatars and location-based tracking to take the genre to a new level of portable, rhythm gaming.
Not much else is known at this point in time, though so far the level of polish is undeniable, and fans of the style should be prepared for Rhythm Scandal to offer a complete experience alongside some very interesting and innovative improvements.