It’s been a week of pleasant surprises, with sequels announced for PUBG Mobile and Final Fantasy VII, as well as a few upcoming releases that look promising.
We’ve got our usual dose of irresistible Funko Pop! The pop culture goodness of Blitz, too, this time with a poignant undertone and heartwarming story about the world’s most heartwarming game.
Plus, a report on a Stadia exclusive that no one seems to care about.
For the best new android games this week, check out the companion Saturday of this article.
Is this news? Not really. But we thought this exchange on Twitter was so positive and affirming it deserved to be shouted out. Basically, Stardew Valley is five years old. ConcernedApe tweeted about it, and was quickly buried under an avalanche of gratitude, which the developer threatened to return to its audience in a “snowball fight” of gratitude.
Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be here in a few weeks. To continue, publisher Playdigious posted a bit of gameplay footage via Pocket Gamer’s online Launchpad event. Sure, the game has been out for years, so it doesn’t reveal much new, but it’s still a welcome aperitif.
Huntdown may have arrived on PC and consoles last year, but here’s a little fun fact: it was first designed as a mobile game. This is a very good sign for the Android port that developer Easy Trigger has just announced. This radiant looking retro shooter is modeled after games like Contra and Robocop, and it’s absolutely awesome. The mobile version will be free with an IAP to unlock everything.
In fact, Square Enix is working on two separate mobile games based on Final Fantasy VII, but only one of them has made headlines. The other is a top-down conventional RPG, while Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is a sleek, modern battle royale. It happens later this year, with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis set to arrive in 2022.
PUBG gets a sequel. Dubbed New State, the follow-up will take place in 2051, after the company has collapsed and everyone is perpetually trying to kill everyone. The basics will remain the same – 100 players on a shrunken map – but the graphics and gameplay will be bloated. We don’t have a release date, but you can pre-register now.
Cookie Run: Kingdom has had one hell of a launch, racking up over 10 million downloads in its first month, but developer Devsisters already has its eyes on the new pastures. Project Mars is an accessible and colorful city builder where you can explore your creations after you put them together. We don’t know when it will be released, but more information is expected in March.
Damn, Funko Pop! Blitz. Despite being a pretty ordinary casual puzzle game, this collectible toy spinoff game reliably manages to grab headlines thanks to its eclectic array of pop culture partnerships. This week, he is saved by the bell – an event made poignant by the death earlier this month of Screech actor Dustin Diamond.
PixelJunk Raiders is the latest in the long PixelJunk series, and it’s coming first to Stadia. The game will see you explore an alien environment and catch the wildlife you find there. The status of a Stadia exclusive is indeed very low if our readers’ reaction is anything to say, but the game will likely come to other platforms later.
It’s hard to get excited about another big budget free-to-play RPG, but Blade & Soul: Revolution seems to be worth at least some noise. Already available in Korea, where it won a Google Play award, it is a highly cinematic and graphically splendid MMORPG steeped in martial arts tropes and fierce combat.