We've been dealt yet another radical, multiplying hand as a release date has been revealed for Balatro Mobile. The iOS and Android version of LocalThunk's widely-acclaimed poker roguelike launches via the?? App Store, Google Play, and Apple Arcade on September 26, 2024.

Watch as Jimb?o ominously introduces the new ?ports in the release date trailer: 

Already a hit on portable platforms like Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck â€?as well as PC and all other major consoles â€?taking Balatro on the go just makes sense. Balatro Mobile has been further tweaked t?o suit its new platforms, including the addition of ??remastered controls for touchscreen devices. 

Beyond that, the rest of Balatro Mobile appears to be exactly what it should be: Balatro. You've got an abundance of Jokers with special powers you can use with your decks, Campaign Mode and Challenge Mode, and th??e one-more-run card-dealing madness that remains an utter delight.

Jokers wild

If you're already well-versed in Balatro, or just want some further insight into where the whole thing came from, then boy, do I have a podcast for you. The excellent Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games podcast had LocalThunk on back in April, and it's absolutely worth a listen, whether you're into the game itself or just love game de??v chat. 

Balatro was already a brutal time v?ampire, doing its best to magically whittle away hours before our very eyes. With the game even more accessible to everyone, all I can recommend is that you all go ahead and kiss your free time goodbye. 

The post Balatro Mobile heads to? iOS and Android on Sept??ember 26 appeared first on Destructoid.

Naoya Matsumoto's Kaiju No. 8 has been a smash hit for the past few years, and that trajectory got white hot when the anime adaptation premiered back in April. Now it's getting a shot at video games with the newly-announced and tentatively-titled Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME. 

Akatsuki Games is in charge of development and distribution for the Kaiju No. 8 game. The studio is also behind Extreme Baseball action-RPG Tribe Nine, which was first announced in 2021 and finally has a closed beta test on the way this August. Neither that nor Kaiju No. 8 have release dates in place yet. 

Joining Akatsuki Games are TOHO Games and anime studio Production I.G, which handles animation production for the Kaiju No. 8 anime. Beyond that, all we know is that Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME is in the works ??for mobile devices and PC, and will be available via the App Store, Google Play, and Steam. You can see a quick cinematic tease in the de?but trailer below.

The original Kaiju No. 8 manga has been running in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2020. As of March 2023 i??t had 11 million copies in circulation around the world. Those numbers are sure to continue climbing following the anime, which is currently running with Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya directing. 

The story follows Kafka Hibino, who finds that his dreams of enlisting in the Defense Force have fallen to the wayside by th?e time he's in his thirties. Instead, he spends his days handling stomach-turning cleanup duties after the dust has settled on the latest colossal Kaiju battle. After meeting Reno Ichikawa, however, that ambitious spark is reunited, and he vows to join his childhood friend Mina Ashiro in the Defense Force rank??s and protect humanity from the encroaching Kaiju threat. Then, in an unexpected twist of fate, he ends up gaining the ability to turn into a Kaiju himself�

Yep, this is the good stuff. Both the Kaiju No. 8 manga and anime are worth your time if you haven't checked them out already. Hopefully the game will be able to follow suit with confidence whenever it a??rri??ves. 

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With two movies, a successful 3D outing, and a newly launched TV series, Sonic the Hedgehog has seen a much-needed resurgence. So, Google Play celebrating the Blue Blur with fun Sonic trivia sounds appropriate and good fun. Except tha??t everything the big, search company posted was bafflingly wrong?.

On April 27, Google Play took a shot at sharing some interesting Sonic factoids in a thread on X. It began with the somewhat odd message of "Sonic, but as you scroll he gets older and older." Maybe that should have been a warning. What followed was a fever dream of wildly incorrect facts, inviting even the official Sonic account to step ??in and ask what the hell was going on.

Sonic fans swiftly arrive to correct the king of search with their own fact-finding

It all fell apart with the first?? fact post. Unwarranted jabs at Sonic's potbelly notwithstanding, the company appropriately began with a fact about the original game.

"1991 Sonic," the message started. "The cover? Rotund. Husky. Still fast as lightning. The actual game? ?8-bit GLORY."

Right. Where do I start? In fairness, most of this fact is true; Sonic is quick and pudgy, and his outing began in 1991. But the game launched on the 16-bit Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, which left the 8-bit systems in the dust. The image paired with the words is also wrong. As X users quickly pointed out in the context window, the screenshot Google Play shared was from the 2013 mobile port of Sonic the Hedgehog 1.

At first blush, it's innocent enough of a mistake for casual researchers navigating unfamiliar zones. But ??this is an official Google account. Oh, and it gets worse. So much worse.

There are eight (EIGHT) posts much like the above, each one hilariously wrong. I mean, even the joke about MSCHF boots is dubious, especially if it's referring to the $350 Big Red Boot that would look more in line with wh?at Astro Boy rocks rather than Sonic's kicks.

Sonic fans rushed to add context to each image in Google's concerning experiment. But context be damned in the truly hopeless cases. Feel free to absorb this shot of Sonic Prime, mutilat??ed by what could be an AI tool in an attempt to force poor Big the Cat to shuck his mortal coil:

It didn't take long for the thread to draw the eyes of? even the official X ac??count for Sonic the Hedgehog, which appeared a bit worried.

As another X user pointed out, this isn't the first time Google Play has been mistaken about Sega's mascot. In 2020, the company shared a post that challenged users to guess the name of a game based on a blurry gif and a musical jingle. The game was obviously Sonic the Hedgehog, but it was paired with a pixel tune that had existed nowhere in the franchise. Someone later discovered where the song came from, and, no, it had nothing to do with Sonic.

I suggest you check out the thread in its entirety. It's utterl??y bonkers in all the right ways. This, friends, is art.

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Google offered developer Epic Games $147 million to put Fortnite on the Google Play Store, according to The Verge’s reporting of the ongoing legal battle between Epic?? an??d Google. 

Epic’s init??ial decision to release Fortnite via its own third-party launcher in 2018 seemed to have sent a chill down Google’s spine, and resulted in the $147 million deal being made and rejected by Epic. The?? deal would’ve seen the massive total being delivered over three years via "incremental funding."

By putting Fortnite on the Play Store directly, it’s being argued that Google aimed to prevent a loss of in-app fees that would stem from other developers following in Epic’s footsteps. The confirmation of this $147 million deal arrived amid the third day of the tech giants'?? court bout. 

This is but one revelation that’s come from ??the legal battle, which began in 2020. Epic Games is arguing Google’s app store is an unlawful monopoly that gets in the way of developers who use “third-party app stores, sideloaded apps, and non-Google payment processorsâ€?according to The Verge. But Google disagrees, saying its opponen??t’s demands would result in the Android OS being less secure. 

If you’re feeling a bit of deja vu, that’s to be expected. Epic had a similar legal battle with Apple back in 2021, where the Fortnite developer argued Apple’s iOS app store constituted a monopoly “on the distribution of software, on the monetization of software,�resulting in a split decision that sided with Apple in nine of ??te?n counts, including decrying the claim that Apple was a monopoly. It is strange that the company is insisting on doing this same song and dance two years later, but c’est la vie. 

Meanwhile, Epic recently launched Fortnite OG, marking a return to the game’s original map for the first time in years. The OG update resulted in the game’s most populous day ever, amassing a whopping total of 44.7 million players as of Saturday, November 4. It has been confirmed to last for about a month, ending on December 2 at 10PM ET.

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Epic Games is in court trying to prove that Google is running an illegal monopoly with their Google Play store. As part of the trial, Epic Games Store boss Steve Allison has admitted that the Epic Games Store is still not profitable, according to reporting by The Verge.

If this sounds extremely familiar, it’s because Epic tried to get a similar ruling against Apple. It went pretty poorly for them at that time. I guess all those layoffs the company performed freed up enough budget to pay their lawyers for another go. If at first you?? don’t su?cceed.

Speaking of not succeeding, the Epic Games Store doesn’t seem to be. We knew it wasn’t turning a profit from emails revealed in 2021. Part of this is because the company has been doling out money to try and secure exclusivity for certain titles and giving out others for free to try and drive adoption of the platform. More specifically, the leaked emails showed that Epic paid $146 million for Borderlands 3 to be exclusive to the platform.

To put it more into perspective, Epic thought if they gave out free games, secured exclusives, and gave developers a better share of the sales, they would be able to get people to adopt their platform and secure 50% of the PC market. They previously said they expected to start bringing in an annual profit by 2023. Four years later, that strategy still hasn’t worked. Meanwhile, this past September, they laid off 16% of their workforce. When that fails?, I suppose the next? logical step is to sue your way to success. We’ll see how that works out for them this time.

The Epic Games Store launched in December 2018. It is stil?l not profitabl?e.

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Submissions now open for game design competition

Google Play, in association with the Girls Make Games group, has opened submissions for this year's annual Change the Game Design Challenge. The initiative encourages girls and young women to put forward their own original game ideas, with the possibility of earning a spot in a series of upcoming gam??e desig??n workshops.

"Though women are playing mobile games at record numbers and make up 45% of gamers, they are heavily underrepresented in the gaming industry and as protagonists in video games." reads the initiative's website. "At Go??ogle Play, we have a mission to make mobile gaming truly for everyone by enabling women to be cel?ebrated and empowered as both players and creators. We’re calling on teens to become Game Changers by sharing an original game idea and a unique vision for the future of the gaming industry."

The Change the Game Design Challenge is open to girls and young women in the United States and Canada. Interested applicants should fill out an entry form on the official website, briefly describing the concept for ??their video game. Participants selected by a panel of judges will then receive access to a series of workshops - to be held this summer in an online capacity for social distancing reasons. No previous experience is necessary.

The four-session course will offer its students a taster in all aspects of game design, with an ey??e to having coded a fully playable game by the end of the program. Each participant attending the w?orkshop will receive some celebratory swag once the course ends, including a certificate of completion and a brand new Chromebook. The Change the Game program aims to provide young coders with encouragement, experience, and technical know-how, setting them on course to a brighter, more inclusive future in the gaming industry.

For more information on the Change the Game Design Challenge, please visit the official website. For further initiatives, workshops, and contests, check out Girls Make Games.com.

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Indie adventure still a few months out

Highly acclaimed 2018 roguelike Dead Cells took a full year to make the leap from PC and consoles to the iOS format, finally arriving in August 2019. Since then, the wait for Android players for their own port has been a little arduous, but publisher Playdigious has finally announced an official release dat?e of June 3.

Motion Twin's Dead Cells sees a blo??b of living matter take over the corpse of a deceased adventurer, before engaging on a (very challenging) dungeon-crawling quest. As players progress, they collect loot, equipment, and "cells," which can be exchanged for ?stat-boosts, weaponry, and other rewards.

Permadeath awaits around every corner in Dead Cells, particularly at the hands of the dungeon's six "Keepers," so smart character-building, inventory management, and pattern-recognition skills are key factors in defeating Dead Cells addictive and difficult campaign. For more info, be sure to check out Chris Carter's review right here.

Dead Cells is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and iOS devices, and will be available to purchase on the Android platform June 3.

Dead Cells gets June release on Android [Eurogamer]

The wait is almost over!#DeadCells will make its escape to Android devices on June 3rd!
Pre-register now to get notified at the release with a special -10% launch price: //t.co/CY6a1rpK9T#mobilegames #indiegames pic.twitter.com/YjRaeZV2Fp

— Playdigious (@Playdigious) April 7, 2020

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350 games and apps without ads or in-app purchases

Apple Arcade isn't the only mobile game subscription service in town. Google is launching its own initiative, Google Play Pass, for Android users. The promise is similar: a large, curated group of games without in-app p??urchases or ads for a small monthly fee. Is that something you'd ever be into?

Google Play Pass will roll out to Android devices this week in the United States??, with support for additional countries soon to follow. In terms of pricing, it's $4.99 per month for a sub, though Google has a 10-day free trial as well as a "$1.99 per month for?? your first twelve months" offer right now.

What about?? the games??? Unlike Apple Arcade, which has leaned heavily into "exclusives" (some titles are also available on PC or consoles but not Android), Google Play Pass is focusing on "well-known apps."

As shown in the highlight reel, some of the Android service's early selections include: Monument Valley 2, Stardew Valley, Old Man's Journey, Limbo, Terraria, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Reigns: Game of Thrones, Titan Quest, Bridge Constructor Portal, Evoland, The Bug Butcher, and Lumino City.

The idea is that Google will roll fresh games into the subscription each month – and, presumably, phase some of them out over ??time. The current running total is "more than 350 apps and games."

I know there's a reluctance to bring even more subscriptions into our lives, but as an iPhone user, I've gotta say, I'm genuine??ly digging Apple Arcade so far. Whether or not Apple can stay competitive enough to keep me subscribed long-term remains to be seen, and the same definitely goes for Google.

As it stands, it's so refreshing to play cool mobile games without the?? usual IAP or energy timer bullshit.

Google Play Pass: Enjoy ap??ps an??????????????????????????d games without ads or in-app purchases [Google]

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Poke-Mango!

While many of you may have given up on Pokemon Go, Niantic has continuously brought update after update out to expand the content of the game. After introducing mythical Pokemon Mew with the research update, it looks like Gold and Silver's mythical creature is up next. Starting next wee??k, players that finish the second round of research tasks will be able to add Celebi to their? collection.

This isn't the first time Celebi has been available, as the creature was available last month for fans that attended the Pokemon Go Fest i?n Chicago. If you happen to be one of the lucky few, completing this new series of tasks will reward you with candy to power up your Pokemon. Niantic is also saying that other Pokemon from the Johto region will be available in game, likely hinting at legendaries that will b?e hiding in raids.

Celebi will be available starting on August 20 along w??ith a free t-s?hirt you can dress your avatar in.

Track the Mythical Pokémon Celeb??i in New Special Research! [Pokemon Go Live]

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We should've seen this coming

Epic Games is making moves for the upcoming Android release of Fortnite. Instead of nabbing the battle royale title from the Google Play store like normal, Android users will need to manually download a file from Epic's official Fortnite website and install the ??game that wa??y. What could go wrong?

"The installer is downloaded as a standard APK file that, when run, prompts users to adjust their security settings (for that file only) in order to allow it to install the full game," reports Eurogamer. "There's a similar procedure in adjusting permissions when running Fortnite itself for the first time, but after that, the title sits on your smartphone and loads up exactly like any standard game you may have grabbed from Google Play."?? The outlet performed its pre-release test on a Samsung Galaxy S9+.

In a Q&A about the news, Epic's Tim Sweeney said "Avoiding the 30 percent 'store tax' is a part of Epic's motivation," and added that they would've taken the same appro??ach on iOS if it were possible.

"It's a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 pe?rcent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, ??and supporting their games," he said. "And it's disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service."

As for potential security risks or scams, Sweeney said "Open platforms are an expression of freedom: the freedom of users to install the software they choose, and the freedom of developers to release software as they wish. With that? freedom comes responsibility. You should look carefully at the source of software you're installing, and only install software from sources you trust."

The rumour?s are true - Fortnite on Android doesn't use Google Play [Eurogamer]

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Kirby's Kutz

Hal Laboratory, speaking on Twitter, have announced that three previously Japan-only Kirby soundtrack albums are n?ow available for download? worldwide.

The first of the three releases is Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert, a recording of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra playing arrangements of a multitude of classic Kirby tracks. The set list was performed at the titular concert,?? which took place just over one year ago.

The second album is the Kirby Memorial Arrangement, essentially a selection of tunes that were written for the aforementioned concert but were ultimately cut from the performance. The final release is the soundtrack album to 2016's Nintendo 3DS release Kirby: Planet Robobot.

Well, this is a real nice surprise for the legions of dedicated Kirby fans. If you want to chill out this afternoon, put on some tunes, inhale some food, then the three albums can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Spotify.

Three digital Kirby soundtrack albums go global [Twitter]

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Those HD cutscenes are worth it, alone

A scant few days after its announcement, Professor Layton and the Curious Village EXHD has received a trailer and it looks great. While the game perfectly mimics the Nintendo DS' dual screen setup on larger displays, I'm mostly in awe of the beautiful upconversion on those cutscenes. E??ven on the DS' pixelated screen, the cutscenes looked wonderful and were very reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. Now, in full HD, they look stunning.

I'm not sure if the trailer is revealing other information about the game (I can't read Japanese), but it does give us a glimpse at just how Layton will play on a smart device. Hopefully, Level-5 brings this to the West, because I'm game to replay Layton in HD.

【PV】『レイトン教授と不思議な町 EXHD for スマートフォン』 [Level5ch via YouTube]

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Woolen, even

_{[Header courtesy of PokeWalls]}

Pokemon Go is set to have another community day next month for a chance to catch a particularly rare creature. Not following any common theme, sheep Pokemon "Mareep" will be dotting maps on April 15 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm EDT. Along with finally being able to evolve the woolly wonder, Niantic?? is also g?iving trainers extra incentives to get out and walk.

All egg inc???ubators will work four times as fast, meaning 10 KM eggs will hatch in 2.5 KM, etc. Lures will also be active for three hours (basically the duration of the event) and any Flaaffy's that get evolved into Ampharos during the event will learn a special move for battle (which is currently not being disclosed). While that last bit isn't really that special, incubators working that much faster is definitely awesome. If only I had that last week on vacation...

Community Day [Pokemon Go Live]

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Mario mania swept the globe this year

Google Play have released lists of the year's biggest-selling and most downloaded books, games, movies, music and more. In the video game category, Nintendo's Super Mario Run has dashed headlong into first place.

The runner title originally launched on iOS late in 2016 and was an instant smash, bagging over 30 million downloads in ??its first week. The simple-but-addictive game was eventually ported to Android devices in March of this year, where it remained an incredibly popular download.

Super Mario Run beat out Bubble Witch 3 Saga and Magic Tiles 3 (me neither) to take the top slot of the charts. 2017 also saw the release of Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch, a game which received a stupendous amount of critical acclaim and shifted over two million copies in three days, becoming the fastest selling Super Mario title ever.

It's been a great year for Nintendo's iconic hero. It seems that age, technology, nor the ever-fickle taste of the ??audience, provide any obstacle for ??Mario's success.

Google Play 2017's Most Popular [Google Blog]

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Cute dungeon explorer to hype Season Two

Although Season Two of Stranger Things is still a ??few weeks away, fans can pass the time by exploring Hawkins in a fun new 16-bit-style game, based on the popular spooky series.

Developed by outfit BonusXP and published by Netflix themselves, Stranger Things: The Game is a dungeon explorer recalling SNES games of yore (or last week if you bought a SNES Classic). The retro adventure, which is free to download ??and features no in-app purchases, lets y??ou control one of seven characters to explore multiple dungeons within the sleepy town of Hawkins

There are also treasures to collect, secret characters to unlock and 30 quests to complete. Not only that, but the game will receive ??an update alongside the much-anticipated launch of Season Two, scheduled for October 27.

Stranger Things: The Game is av??ailable to download now on iOS and Google ?Play.

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Aka people with real phones

I'm really surprised an APK of Super Mario Run hasn't been crafted out of the iOS version and mass downloaded, but Android users hopefully won't have to wait too much longer to play. That's because you can now pre-register for the game on Google Play. Its release date is still unknown.

It's a given that it won't do as well as it did on iOS, even without the time delay and mediocre reception. I personally got enough from a quick let's play and am satisfied to move on. How do yo??u fellow Android users feel? Are you still interested?

Super Mario Run [Google Play]

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Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder

Remember Hatoful Boyfriend? The pigeon dating game? Thought that was weird? Almost as if it were a competition, now Usaya Co. has released a dating game where you play as a girl (oneigh-san, if you will) and suddenly meet a horse with a handsome human mans face, Uma no Purinsu-sama which is roughly The Horse Prince.

It shouldn't be too bad though, i?t is rated for anyone 12 years and older due to "moderate vi??olence." Considering the tagline is "Won't you be my horse trainer?" I can only assume that "violence" is whipping of some sort. This is starting to sound a little kinky. 

Download it yourself on iTunes and Google Play.

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Can't stop, won't stop

I remember the days when movie tie-in games were absolute trash. I'm not going to reminisce (since that has been done to death), but I will say that The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is one of the best movie-based games ever made. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is also top notch.

That being said, apparently a new Jack Reacher film is coming out. I'm not too big into cinema anymore (damn you, Hollywood!), but I honestly didn't even know the first film was a success. It didn't set the domestic box office on fire, but China has been a more important market than the US for awhile now.

Still, a tweet from the official Jack Reacher Twitter account has let loose a new tie-in game for the upcoming sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The subtitle for the game, Never Stop Punching, is apt since the only thing you can do is punch and jump-punch. The game is available through the film's official site and on the Google Play store.

Honestly, I got bored playing it after a few seconds, but I do like the retro aesthetics. This is also a far better game than something like Minority Report got. I don't know why I specifically?? remember that atrocity (or why I ever owned it), but it certainly sucked.

Jack Reacher [Twitter]

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Coming to San Francisco this September

Google has?? announced plans to host?? a new independent games festival in San Francisco.

The event, creatively dubbed the "Google Play Indie Games Festival,?" is set to take place at the Terra Gallery on September 24 and will be both free and open to the ?general public.

The team at Google Play is currently soliciting submissions from Android develope??rs for "high-quality games that are both innovative and fun," but is especially keen on augmented and vi?rtual reality games. 

Because "indie" is such a nebulous term, Google Play is only interested in games from development teams with 15 or fewer employees. The company also requires these games release somet??ime during this calendar year and come from either the United States or Canada.

Deepest apologies to all of the 16-man squads in Mexico with hot new Android? games out there!

Announcing?? the Google ?Play Indie Games Festival in San Francisco, Sept. 24 [Android Developers Blog]

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Taking a page from Lara Croft GO

I haven't played Uncharted 4: A Thief's End yet, but Steven's review convinced me to pick it up day one. Somehow I had prevented my stone heart from becoming excited at the prospect of crouching behind cover and making quips w??hile shooting faces, even though I loved? the first two games. It's going to be a long wait 'til Tuesday. Sony cleverly planned an early review embargo to increase anticipation, and even released a new mobile game today to help people get their Nathan Drake fix.

Uncharted: Fortune Hunter looks to be a turn-based puzzle game somewhat similar to Lara Croft GO. I'm downloading it now to give it a shot, but even if it ends up not being too great, there are unlockables that tie in to A Thief's End. New weapon skins and outfits (I definitely need a newsboy hat for Drake) for the multiplayer mode are earned through completing various challenges. You can find it on Google Play or the Apple Store.

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Your iPhone or Android will be filthy

Just a few weeks ago, Jordan "Eagle Eyes/Good Legs" Devore wrote about Bandai Namco filing a trademark for Tap My Katamari. Now we have confirmation that it'll be what kids call a "clicker,??"? and it's coming soon. You can find the wacky trailer, in which the King of All Cosmos showers so hard he breaks the stars, at the bottom.

I've never played a clicker, but I might break that streak for some Katamari Damacy go??odness. Toilet gaming takes up most of time anyway.

The post Tap My Katamari is coming soon so you can cli??ck click click while you poop poop poo?p appeared first on Destructoid.

La Parca en tu bolsillo

After almost 20 years, LucasArts' Grim Fandango was remastered by Double Fine Productions. It released in January on the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, PC, Mac, and Linux to mostly positive reception. Starting today, it will also be available on the App Store and Google Play for $9.99. 

I'll make no bones about it: Steven found it tibia "well-written, rich, heartfelt, funny" adventure. I'm patellin' you ?now, you'll probably have a good time with this one.

The post Grim Fandango Remaster now on App Store an?d Google Play appeared first on Destructoid.

Amazing item ahead

You know those helpful messages scattered on the ground in Dark Souls games, such as "Illusory wall ahead" or "Try jumping," which are never misleading? Well, now you can leave your own cryptic messages in real life with the Soapstone app for iOS and Andr?oid.

The free app lets you leave messages on a map, selecting words an?d phrases from a limited pool of options. There are different lexicons you can choose from in the settings (Earth, Lordran, Drangleic, and Yharnam), so all your favorite words and phrases from the gam??es are there, as well as some more practical words if you choose Earth.

You can warn people to "Be wary of danger zone" near a suspicious alleyway, let them know there's a "Gorgeous view ahead" near a landmark, or to "Try backstepping" away ??from a pricey store. Or you can just leave "I did it!" messages all over the place, like everyone else does!

Unfortunately, the app seems to be rather sluggish for some people (myself included),?? but at least it's free to?? try it out. It's a terrific idea for an app, so I hope the developers keep working on optimizing it.

Praise the sun: the real world now ha?s Dark Souls soapstone messages [PC Gamer]

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Is it safe to go outside yet?

Little known fact: My Steam account has been locked for a few months now because someone from Ch?ina or Russia attempted to get into my account. Sadly, they keep trying, so I've kept the thing on lock while I focus on my console endeavors.

Thanks to Valve, it appears I may finally be able to play again as they have added the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator to their app for Android users. More safety options are always a good thing, especiall?y with the ongoing wrath of data bre??aches.

Play safe, kids.

[Via Twitter]

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Neato burrito!

Videogames based on television shows can be pretty hit or miss, but usually they miss. The same can also be said for mobile games in general. This makes something like Attack the Light, a mobile game based on the popular cartoon series Steven Universe, a very tough sell.

Luckily for Steven Universe, the developers of Attack the Light did everything they could to keep it loyal to the show while creating a brand new adventure for the Crystal Gems. A big part of this surely had to do with Rebecca Sugar's involvement in the game's development. Sugar, the show's creator, had a hand in writing the story of Attack the Light as well as helping with some of the design ?choices, and ??it really shows.

Attack the Light: Steven Universe (iOS, Android [reviewed])
Developer: Grumpyface Studios
Publisher: Cartoon Network Games
Released: April 2, 2015
MSRP: $2.99

Attack the Light's story could easily have been its own episode in the television show. The game takes the Crystal Gems on an adventure to bring down an army of light creatures, which Steven accidentally created by touching a prismatic gem artifact. Pretty standard for a Steven Universe episode, and it works really well as a videogame with each col??or of light being represented by a different world.

The game never strays from the established canon of the Steven Universe universe (heh). There's plenty of references which only the fans of the show will understand, but the story itself is simple enough that pla??yers new to the franchise won't be too confused. Many of the items, at??tacks, and locations are taken directly from the show, such as the Cookie Cat items for healing, Amethyst's Purple Puma attack, and the strawberry field where an ancient gem battle took place. I loved how they even managed to naturally work in references for some of the more "videogame-y" aspects, like the loading screens which take place inside the warp streams.

Attack the Light is an RPG featuring turn-based combat and light puzzle-solving segments. It takes a lot of inspiration from games like Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. Things like timed hits and badges should sound very familiar to people who have played the Mario RPGs, and these are the main mechanics which make the combat in Attack the Light so interesting.

Timed hits, or action commands, are crucial to winning a battle. While attacking or defending, a star will briefly appear around the enemy or character, indicating when the player should tap the screen. Tapping at the right moment will allow the Crystal Gems to follow up with an additional attack, or take significantly less damage from an enemy's attack. There are also certain moves which require special actions to perform, like pulling back and aiming Pearl's spear or tapping as many times as possible to charge up Amethyst's rolling attack. Stuff like this should be all too familiar to Paper Mario fans, and it works particularly wel??l for an RPG on mobile devices.

??The actions taken durin?g the player's turn are determined by the amount of star points available. Each turn grants five star points, which can go towards Crystal Gem attacks or Steven actions. Players can distribute these points any way they want; for example, a turn can consist entirely of Garnet's attacks, or be spread evenly between each of the Crystal Gems so that every character takes an action that turn. Players can also end their turns whenever they choose, and unused star points will be carried over into their next turn. Additional star points can also be obtained by using items or defeating enemies.

While Steven himself ??can't actually attack, he still holds a very important role on the team as a healer-type character. He can give the Crystal Gems some words of encouragement to heal them, use his shield bubbles to block attacks, play songs on his ukulele to provide stat bonuses, and he also has access to a plethora of items hidden inside his hamburger backpack. He is the backbone of the team, ?so it's wise to take advantage of his abilities often.

Leveling up grants the Crystal Gems new abilities and stronger stats. Each of the Crystal Gems starts at level 9000, except for Steven who?? starts at level 1 (this doesn't actually mean anything in regards to gameplay, but I thought it was funny). The Gems can gain experience through fights and also through dialogue. At certain points, Steven will be given dialogue options, and each choice will give a certain Gem an experience boost, depending on ??who was the most pleased with Steven's words. In addition to leveling up, badges can also be equipped to increase the Crystal Gems' stats or give them other bonuses, like immunity to status effects or bonus defense against specific enemy types.

Overall, I felt the combat in Attack the Light was very well implemented. It provides just the right amount of challenge and variety. Skill with the action commands is necessary for success, different tactics will need to be employed for different enemy types, and each character has their own unique qualities to add to t?he team. Garnet is the powerhouse who breaks defenses and dishes out damage, Amethyst is great at dealing damage to multiple targets, Pearl is best at focused attacks usually aimed at single enemies, and of course, Steven provides the backup. The combat offers complexity without bein??g confusing, and I feel any type of gamer, whether casual or hardcore, will be comfortable with it.

Outside of battl?e, the team will be navigating short maps. Play??ers swipe left, right, up, or down to move to the next section of the map, where they might encounter enemies, find treasure chests, or run into a puzzle. The puzzles are all very simple; usually they involve finding a key to continue forward, or tapping a string of symbols in the correct order to open a door, with clues scattered around the map. Hidden rooms can also be discovered by swiping in the direction of special walls, which will shimmer slightly to alert players of a possible secret.

Map exploration is straightforward, so levels can be completed relatively quickly. Being on mobile devices, I think this works in the game's favor. Players should be able to easily complete a level in a short period of time, making it perfect for quick play sessions while you're riding the bu??s or waiting in the lobby, and it's easy to pick back up again where you left off.

The problems I encountered were very few, and most may have been due to my phone. Certain touch screen movements were a little difficult to get right at times. In particular, the swipe motion for Pearl's spear-throwing attack often took a while to register, and once it registered, it would sometimes be difficult to aim it correctly without moving my finger off of the phone itself. (I used this attack frequently??, since I found it to be quite powerful, so this one stood out to me the most.) I also found it slightly annoying when all of the characters would clump together on the map, mostly because this made it difficult to select the right character to give healing items to without movi??ng to a new section of the map, which could trigger an enemy attack. It would have been preferable if they automatically spread out. But aside from these few small issues, I didn't notice anything major. For the most part, controls were very accurate and responsive.

Attack the Light's strongest quality is its personality. Part of this comes from the voice cast, featuring the same actors from the show, and part of it comes from the writing. The Crystal Gems behave in their usual ways, with Pearl being the voice of reason, Amethyst goofing off and getting pumped, and Garnet remaining mysterious yet reassuring. Steve??n, in particular, is great in this game. His unwavering optimism is truly infectious; hearing him encourage the Crystal Gem??s and express his excitement about their adventure brings a smile to my face. He's just so nice and happy all the time!

There's no doubt in my mind that fans of Steven Universe will be pleased with Attack the Light. It stays true to the show and gives players a chance to explore and fight alongside these great characters, all while offering a fun, if at times simple, gameplay experience. Even for non-fans, it's still a solid mobile RPG. And if you're not a fan of Steven Universe yet, then I bet you will be after playing Attack the Light.  

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Attack the Light: Steven Universe appeared first on Destructoid.

We are the Crystal Gems~

If you're like me and you've been obsessing over Steven Universe for the past month, this news should excite you! Cartoon Network Games is set to release a Steven Universe RPG for mobile devices on April 2.

Developed by Grumpyface Studios, Attack the Light features an original story by the show's creator, Rebecca Sugar, and puzzle-solving, turn-based gameplay inspired by games such as Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. Sounds amazing so far!

The trailer is from earlier this year, but it still looks pretty great. Steven appears to be the healer of the group, which is appropriate, and there are some neat references to specific episodes? with things like the Together Breakfast item. I'm just excited to play a game featuring the Crystal Gems!

Attack the Light can be found ??on the iOS App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store, but there's no word on the price just yet.

The post Attack the Light: Steven Universe RPG launches th?is week appeared first on Destructoid.

Parents relieved that they can continue to be irresponsible

In the latest in-ap??p purchase settlement, the Federal Trade Commission is tasking Google with paying back $19 million to those whose children, against their parents' wishes, spent money on in-app purchases in apps downloaded from the Google Pla?y store. The suit leveled against Google was filed for violation of the FTC Act's prohibition of practices that charge customers for purchases made by childen. The $19 million will reimburse customers for in-app purchases all the way back to 2011.

Google's violation of FTC policy stems from the fact that there was no requirement fora password or authorization for in-app purchases back in 2011. Although ??Google did add a notification asking for the account holder's password in mid-2012, it still did not include the monetary value of the purchase, or that a 30-mi??nute window when the user would not have to enter their password for purchases was taking effect.

This suit comes on the tail of a $32.5 million dollar settlement by Apple in January for the same in-app purchasing violations. In addition, the FTC filed suit against Amazon for the same thing in July. In short, you may be expecting some mo??ney in the near future if your children went off gallivanting to the Google Play store and spent your hard-earned cash.

Google to refund $19m in microtransactions [GamesIndustry International]

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Google Play to be the focus of keynote

Tokyo Game Show has announced its Keynote sessions for this year's event. Google will take the stage for t??he very first time at TGS on Thursday, September 18? to speak to business attendees about the new gaming world, with a focus on Google Play. "New Game World Trail Blazed by Google" will be presented by Chris Yerga, regional director at Google Play.

The other keynote for the day has top mobile game industry execs coming together to discuss going global and using the cloud. Harkuki Satomi, CEO of Sega Networks, an??d Makoto Asanuma, board member at Bandai Namco, are among the panelists.

Destructoid will be at Tokyo Game Show 2014 in full force, though we probably won't be focusing on mobile games as much as we will things like Persona 5.

The post Google to keynote Tokyo Game Show 2014 appeared first on Destructoid.

A fun, simple little game in the Hitman universe

Square hasn’t been afraid to use the Hitman IP in fun and creative ways. Hitman GO was a critical success for doing something unique, and while Hitman Sniper isn&r??squo;t on that same scale, it is still at least a ton of fun.

Your objective in the game is to take out a target on any given level. In the one I was playing, I was able to take my target out the second th??e sniper scope came up to my face at the start of the level. Sure you can just shoot your target right there and then, but you’d be missing the point.

Really what you’re trying to do is kill as many bad guys as possible in creative ways to score as many points as you can. Hitman Sniper is emphasizing competitive play through a leaderboard system. You’ll see in real time as you’ve scored more points/money than your friends, and you’ll also see ?as they pass you up.&nbs??p;

So you’ll need to get creative with how you kill others, as the more creative the kill the more points you get. Thankfully creative killing is something that Hitman has always been good at. One example involved me shooting at ?the front of a parked car. This set off the car alarm, which caused two nearby guards to come investigate the noise. One was near the car already, and another guard was a couple of stories above in the house, look??ing down to see the fuss. As soon as that guard leaned over the railing, I shot out the glass that was a part of the railing, and this caused him to fall over and land right on top of the guard on the ground. Double kill! 

What you’ll have to be careful of is that the main target will eventually start to notice that his guards are going missing. Plus, other guards can potentially find the dead bodies if they’re simply just taken out where they stand. Eventually this will scare the main target, causing him to flee the scene and you’ll fail the mission. It starts off with how much do you really want to risk, but as you replay scenarios and understand the layouts better you’ll find yourself really cleaning up house. There will be multiple goals and missions you can take on a level too, so it’s not always going to be same thing if you don’t want it to be. ?;

Along with your main sniper you’ll be able to?? equip perks and the like. A couple I saw included a super sonic round which removed the need for lead time, and another that made my bolt-action rifle fire rounds off like a semi-automatic. You’ll be able to earn a variety of perks, plus improvements and additions to the rifle itself. And that in turn will help in scoring more points in the game. 

The developers behind are looking to have a variety of locations available for players, and they’re looking to develop the game along with the communit??y. If there’s a demand for classic hits, or say certain places fr??om around the world the team will work something out. 

Hitman Sniper will be out? this fall, and it will be a free-to-play title. Players will be able to unlock everyth?ing without ever having to pay, but those that just want to get to the good stuff as fast as possible will have the option to put some money down. 

Nothing too complicated, but it’s easily going to be one o??f those games I will enjoy playing while on a flight or looking to pass the time. 

The post Go on a sniping rampage in Hitman Sniper appeared first on Destructoid.

Also Dennis Rodman will help you!

Finally, a videogame where you can play as Kim Jong Un?? and and fight back against America as it inv?ades North Korea. Wait, what?

Yeah that's the premise of developer Moneyhorse's Glorious Leader! The game will offer seven levels where you fight back against the invaders, take on over-the-top bosses (like the Statue of Liberty), and at some parts you can ride aro?und on ?a unicorn that's on fire! There's also two-player co-op with Dennis Rodman

No release date was given, but we can expect Glorious Leader! on PC and mobile devices soon.

The post Fight back America a??s Kim Jong Un on a unicorn ??in Glorious Leader! appeared first on Destructoid.