Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Mobile

  • ‘Persona 5’ Gets a Mobile Spinoff from China

    ‘Persona 5’ Gets a Mobile Spinoff from China

    It almost feels like the wait has been endless for the next entry in the Persona franchise. There’s still no official confirmation for the official sixth entry even with Persona 5 having been released all the way back in 2016. It’s already been around four years since the Royal version was released on consoles. Yet, even the 25th anniversary of the franchise didn’t give a hint at the future but rather the return of two classics to modern consoles.

    In surprise drop, it seems that there’s actually a new game heading our way, but not the way many might be hoping for it too. Persona 5: The Phantom X or shortened as P5X has been unveiled on the Chinese social site Weibo. The game is officially licensed by Sega and is a free-to-play mobile RPG set for Chinese release sometime in the future. The spinoff is created by Perfect World Games’ Black Wings Game Studio.

    It seems the game is pretty much a mobile equivalent to the original with a whole new cast of characters but the return of the Metaverse. It seems there will be a “Sneak Test” on March 29th that’ll give players a chance to explore the world. The game also seemingly includes the original cast from the first Persona 5 but no word on Kasumi Yoshizawa also making an appearance from Persona 5 Royal.

    You can check out the story trailer here:

    The story will focus on a whole new cast of characters with the protagonist going by the code name Wonder, who attends Kiba Academy. We also know that his persona will have the name Jánošík, continuing the trend of Persona 5′ protagonists all featuring Personas inspired by folktale thieves and legends. Taking over Morgana’s role is the owl Luffy, who will go by the code name Cattle. He seemingly also shares the ability to turn into a vehicle, this time a van, and has the persona of Rob Roy. There’s also Closer, a Kiba Academy student by the name of Arai Suwa, who is the protagonist’s classmate and has the Persona of Awilda.

    Naturally, the Velvet Room and Igor make a return with a new assistant by the name of Merope. Interestingly enough, the room takes on the appearance of being underwater like an aquarium, though it’s unsure what the teeming of this spinoff is as of yet. The original game’s character designer Shigenori Soejima was personally involved with the new spinoff game and designed its leads.

    They’ve also released a gameplay trailer hinting at the similarity to the original Persona 5:

    Interestingly enough, the game will focus on the same mechanic as the original and isn’t taking a completely different direction like Persona 5 Scramble. Overall, it seems the game is going for a pretty similar aesthetic and gameplay loop as the original, which does make it a curious expansion of the franchise. We’ll see if there are any plans to release the game in the west, as it currently only has been revealed for the Chinese market. Originally, it was known as Code Name X and was first announced all the way back in April 2021. So, it’s been a long road for the project to finally be unveiled.

    Source: Persona Central

  • REVIEW: ‘Gibbon: Beyond the Trees’ is a Short Yet Important Experience

    REVIEW: ‘Gibbon: Beyond the Trees’ is a Short Yet Important Experience

    Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is quite a simple game at first glance. Most of the time, you’ll spend swinging from tree to tree, building up momentum so that you can cross some dangerous gaps and enjoy the visuals. There’s no dialogue or text to tell a grand story, but that is not necessary for what the game truly is about. It’s an interactive reminder of what humanity has done to nature and how it affects animals as a result. A soothing and relaxing experience transforms into a dark reminder of the dangers these animals face; all packaged in a memorable but brief experience.

    As a mobile game, there’s not much you can say about its gameplay. You press the screen to hold on to a branch or object, where your gibbon automatically climbs up. If you hold it with both fingers while ready to land, you’ll end up in a sliding motion. Later on, you get an additional move by flicking to the right that adds some extra momentum while swinging from one branch to the other. The only real consequence you face is a slowdown if you don’t keep a consistent flow from branch to branch. At worst, there are some bigger gaps that challenge you to stick to the higher point of a tree.

    The big focus point of this game is in the actual experience and seeing the environments change. What starts off with a beautiful forest, swiftly turns into a dark look at deforestation and the rise of humanity taking over the land. There are segments where it purposely takes away anything to swing off to force you to slowly make your way to a new point to start your climb once again. Especially in one section, there’s a sudden spark in danger that also has a thematic reason to exist. I just don’t want to give away what it is, because it caught me off-guard and reminded me what the game is truly about.

    It’s a very short experience that you can probably get through in one sitting. Yet, it’s quite a memorable one with the sound effects of the gibbon’s soft cries. There’s a soothing soundscape that adds to the experience throughout, may it be a waterfall in the background or even a lively populated area. Everything you witness is there to relax and take it in, especially as the earlier parts try to comfort you into this experience. It even purposefully has that section I mentioned previously to pull you out of it at a time you least expect it to highlight the connection of your experience with the gibbons.

    If you end up falling down a pit, the worst thing that’ll happen is that you respawn at an earlier point to build up the momentum you need to jump over that gap. I do believe it’s more of an interactive experience that has a very important cause behind it and it’s very admiring what Broken Rules have accomplished here. The game is currently available through Apple Arcade but is eyeing a release on Steam and Nintendo Switch. I highly recommend giving it a shot, it’s a short yet important experience that’ll surely pull at your heartstrings.

  • ‘Marvel Future Revolution’ Pricing Model Includes Loot Boxes and $50 MCU Skins

    ‘Marvel Future Revolution’ Pricing Model Includes Loot Boxes and $50 MCU Skins

    Marvel has been slowly expanding beyond its long-standing mobile offerings. We’ve seen Insomniac’s Spider-Man franchise reinvent the webhead for modern audiences. Crystal Dynamics tackled a challenging genre with Marvel’s Avengers, as they try to offer continuous free expansions with events and characters. Eidos is joining the fray with their new Guardians of the Galaxy game. This development didn’t mean they were completely leaving the lucrative mobile market behind, as they continue to support Contest of Champions, Realm of Champions, Future Fight, Strike Force, and Puzzle Quest. Now, they are expanding with a brand new open-world RPG offering in the form of Marvel Future Revolution.

    Information has been sparse outside a few animations, brief gameplay sequences, and the various character skins. As with most mobile games, there was the worry regarding the pay-to-win model embedded into its structure and how costly some offerings would end up being, as even Marvel’s Avengers skins can cost up to around $14. Well, it seems that Future Revolution might top that by quite a margin. @AssembleCast got early access and shared the first look during a stream of the game. In it, he uncovered that an Avengers: Endgame-inspired outfit for Captain America comes at a hefty $62 CAD, which is approximately $50.

    The game has a different approach with their skins, as you can buy different pieces. It seems that these are priced individually, and those prices can stack. You also have to consider that it’s a P2W model. So, the skins also offer an additional boost to your in-game stats. So, the game is following the typical mobile gaming model, as you can purchase various memberships that include daily log-in rewards with Gacha elements through loot boxes. The experience can end up quite pricey if you don’t want to invest the time to grind out various pieces, but the question is how long that will end up being.

    Source: Twitter, YouTube

  • ‘Nier Reincarnation’: New English Trailer Released Alongside Western Pre-Registration

    ‘Nier Reincarnation’: New English Trailer Released Alongside Western Pre-Registration

    Yoko Taro‘s remake of Nier Replicant has finally released, which offers those that missed out on the cult classics release a look at a world long before Nier Automata. He has also been busy working on the mobile addition titled Nier Reincarnation, which follows the story of a Girl in White, who is exploring the realm known only as Cage. Alongside the ghost Mama, she tries to unravel the mysteries of this place and uncovers hidden secrets of the franchise’s history.

    To kick off the game’s pre-order on iOS and Android, IGN revealed a new trailer showcasing the game with its English dubbing. While trying to pre-register the game via the iOs App store, it also includes the potential release date. It seems that the game might be available around November, which could change depending on how production is going.

     

     

    The mobile game includes many core members of the Nier development team, such as producer Yosuke Saito and composer Keiichi Okabe. As we can clearly hear from the latest trailer, Okabe‘s work remains as hypnotic as ever, as we enter a new era of the Nier franchise. It Is crazy to think how far the franchise has come considering it was a spin-off from Drakengard‘s joke ending. There was also the reveal that we can expect a Drakengard 3 event in the game, which will bring in its protagonist Zero. Reincarnation might be the game to tie together the loose threads weaved between the various franchises and unravel how it is all connected.

    Source: IGN, YouTube, Siliconera