If you’re anything like us you’ll be constantly scouring the net for information on new releases for mobile MMORPGs or just looking for updates on a global release date that’ll mean you won’t have to jump through hoops to play on Korean servers.
Luckily 2019 is looking above average for RPG games on iOS and Android, from the exciting English release of Black Desert Mobile, Alliance v Empire (AXE) to Blade & Soul Revolution and TeraM.
We’ve compiled a roundup of 8 of the most anticipated and interesting looking games either newly released or due out this year.
Black Desert Mobile
It’s no exaggeration to say the Black Desert Mobile is one of the most popular MMORPG games out in Korea at the moment, and its Japan, Europe and North American release this year is hotly anticipated by fans of the genre.
Pearl Abyss’ PC MMO, Black Desert Online, has a massive loyal fan base since it’s launch in 2015.
The company capitalised on this success last year with a mobile title, Black Desert Mobile, released in Korea last year, and due for release in the rest of the world in the first half of this year. Many Western die-hard fans are already playing on Korean servers, although translation issues make this a less than ideal experience.
The game features one of the most advanced character creation systems seen on mobile, and closely follows the gameplay and mechanics on the PC version, optimised for more casual players and the restraints of mobile devices.
Classes include Warrior, Witch, Ranger, Giant and Valkyrie, with a range of skills seen in the PC version, plus a few new skills (including the unique Black Spirit skill) that will only be used in Black Desert Mobile.
In line with the aim to appeal to a more “casual gamer” demographic, the gear enhancement will allow users to choose the way they improve their stuff, making it as enjoyable as possible and increasing the long-term playability.
The minimum specs required to play the game on your iOS or Android device are: 8 GB of internal memory, iOS 8 or Android KitKat, a Snapdragon 801 or Apple A8 chipset and 2 GB of RAM or 1 GB DDR3 for iOS.
Visit the Black Desert Mobile homepage.
TERA M
Filled with a huge amount of open world PVE exploration, real-time PVP battles and guild sieges, Tera M by Netmarble, is set in the vast world of the Tera PC game.
The game is filled with plenty of cosmetics and costumes which makes it visually appealing and fun to adapt your character to suit your particular preferences and tastes. Some players have commented that the UI and costume models look very similar to the very popular mobile RPG, Lineage 2 Revolution.
Early indicators suggest that there are some issues with the graphics with respect to constant frame drops and that could lead to lacklustre combat experience.
Weapons and armor are purchasable from the in-game cash shop, giving players who are willing to spend money on the game a much-needed boost. As you get past level 40, the game slows down for free-to-play (F2P) players and can become insanely difficult for them to progress without purchasing RNG gear loot boxes.
A global release has been confirmed for the second half of 2019 and will be cross-platform between Android and IOS users.
Blade & Soul Revolution
Set in the world of the existing and very popular MMORPG, Blade and Soul, Revolution takes players on a new journey allowing you to play with virtually all of the playable classes from the PC title.
There is an abundance of endgame Player-vs-Player (PVP) and Player-versus-Environment (PVE) content for players to enjoy alongside the massive 500 v 500 player faction battles.
The game runs on Unreal Engine 4 and looks and plays amazingly with very few graphical issues on newer devices being reported by players who already have access to the game via the launch in Korea.
The game is set for a late 2019 global release and the team developing the game have plans to introduce cross-platform play between Android and iOS devices by the game’s full release, stating that they want it to be “a unified, cross-platform social experience.”
Ragnarok M: Eternal Love
Ragnarok M is based on the massively popular MMORPG for the PC named Ragnarok Online.
The game features many of the same elements of the PC version such as the classes and the associated systems, as well as the serious amount of grinding need to help optimise builds.
The studio working on the game was originally founded by a group of Ragnarok Online players from the mid-late 2000s and they are trying to stay true to the PC Ragnarok experience and name.
One great feature that is being baked into many mobile MMORPGs now is crossplay and Ragnarok M has this available today. Not only does it offer crossplay, but you can also access your accounts on both Android and iOS devices.
The graphics and performance hold up well considering the size and complexity of maintaining such a large, persistent world.
Similarly, the combat and movement mechanics feel fluid and not clunky at all, which is a credit to the developers.
The game features auto-combat that will be useful for the early stages of the game and for most endgame grinding, but for the harder endgame content, it is almost a requirement that the player has full control over their character to survive.
The game is set for a global release sometime in 2019.
Visit the Ragnarok M: Eternal Love homepage.
Rangers of Oblivion
If you enjoy games such as Monster Hunter World and Dauntless but want to play them on mobile, then it’s very likely that you’re going to love Rangers of Oblivion.
Featuring no auto-combat and weapons and movement that feel great to play with, the game eases players into the hardcore monster hunting aspects by first teaching them basic combat and evasion methods before adding more variety and complexity to hunting methods.
After completing the tutorial, the player can align themselves with one of five, Wild Souls, that give the player more skills to use in the field.
Overall, the game has a very clean UI feel without unnecessary clutter and it shows that the developers have spent time polishing the overall user experience.
Rangers of Oblivion is out now on iOS and Android and features crossplay.
Visit the Rangers of Oblivion homepage.
Alliance v Empire (AXE)
There is no doubt that Korean game company Nexon produce highly polished PC and mobile games, and they’ve become synonymous with addictive gaming with titles such as Heroes Of Incredible Tales (HIT) and Darkness Rises.
Many would argue that they’re also a brand that’s known for Pay-to-Win (P2W) mechanics and autoplay.
Balancing the needs of casual gamers on mobile who find autoplay options a godsend awith hardcore RPG fans who want a more involved challenge will always be difficult and has really yet to be done successfully by any of the mobile MMORPG titles released in the past few years.
Alliance v Empire (AxE) was originally released in South Korea in September 2017, but has just been released globally for Android and IOS.
AxE is a classic mobile MMORPG and similar to Lineage Revolution in both looks and gameplay. AxE features 6 different class types to choose from and has customisable characters.
AxE has an absolutely gorgeous looking open world to explore (along with an open world PVP feature), daily conflicts between the two factions in the game, guilds, plenty of enhancing options, various questing opportunities, cross-platform play and co-operative (co-op) modes.
On the downside, there have been reports of the game crashing or being unplayable for some people.
The minimum specs for AxE are: iOS 9.0 or Android 4.4/Galaxy S7, Snapdragon 820/Samsung Exynos 8 Octa (8890) SoC, 3 GB of RAM.
Visit the Alliance v Empire homepage.
Perfect World Mobile
Chinese company, Tencent Games’ Perfect World Mobile, has just seen its release in China on March 6th, with a global western release on the cards but with a date not yet announced, this could be a fantasy mobile MMORPG to keep on your radar this year.
Based on the company’s original PC title, Perfect World, was initially released back in 2006 and has seen numerous sequels and built a massive, dedicated following.
With an in-depth character customisation system, 6 playable classes, PVE dungeons and towers, PVP modes, aerial and underwater combat, a party system, mounts and pets, this mobile MMORPG promises all the expected features of the genre, within a more unique Chinese setting – much of the storyline is based on Chinese mythology which will set it apart from the usual high fantasy plots of similar games.
Rebirth M
Created by the Seoul based, mobile game startup, Caret Games, RebirthM is a high fantasy mobile MMORPG that was initially released globally in January this year.
The aim of this small, dedicated team was to bring the immersive and open world feel of a PC RPG to mobile phones, and so far it seems they’ve been mostly successful.
All the elements of an enjoyable mobile MMORPG are there, from its in-depth storyline, beautiful 3D graphics and diverse locations, to satisfying boss fights and enough cross-platform co-op modes to keep you and your friends happy.
The PVP side of the game consists of arena, 3v3 and 5v5 modes, guild wars and it also feature real-time open world Player Killing (pk’ing).
The PVE gameplay has auto-battle and auto-play modes that you can switch between, and sub-quests that can be run consecutively on auto for rapid experience (XP), gold and reputation gain.
RebirthM provides a tutorial as you progress along the main storyline, however, the sheer amount of information and content available is immense and may be overwhelming to anyone not familiar with the genre.
As with most of the mobile MMORPGs released recently, it will feel a little too P2W at times, but most experienced mobile gamers have come to expect that.
The only real gripe one might have would be the sometimes painful Korean to English translations of everything in the game, which can make even the simplest description feel like a code-breaking exercise.
Visit the RebirthM homepage.
What Do You Think Of Our List?
So, what do you think? Which mobile MMORPGs are you playing in 2019? Which games that are scheduled for release are you looking forward to the most?
Leave your thoughts and comments below and tell us if there is a game you think we should have included in the list and maybe missed out on.
