Korean mobile games we would love to see get a global launch

If you were to tell me that you can get diabetes through sight, you would be met with a gaze filled with significant delirium undertones. Well, I'm glad to be proven wrong hitherto the debut of TRICKCAL and its revolutionary 2D chibi cinnamon rolls.

The "Revive" part of its name bears a metaphorical and literal meaning. One for ushering in a resurrection of the 2D chibi sprites often seen as a cost-effective approach to art direction. All the while rebounding from a turbulent launch back in 2021. While the gameplay takes a backseat with its nature being auto-chess, the spotlight falls on its cast of cute characters, each meticulously animated with emotions loaded with impeccable voice acting. Best of all, there's a gamut of interactions you get to have with them, including squishing or pinching their cheeks to evoke a flustered response from them.

NIKKE could never be as brazen as Last Origin in mature content. All the while, it still remains in the grey as proven by its 16+ rating on Google Play. Perhaps its only crime is how it flew under the radar for a whopping five years since its conception in 2019. A forewarning though, turn away if the suggestive element is not your cup of tea.

Set in a distant future where monsters once again overrun the world. Battles happen in a turn-based, 3x3 grid fashion. The voluptuous characters are not the only good point of this game as digging further will unveil tons of F2P mechanics. This includes the rare crafting system inspired by Girls Frontline Doll where you allocate farmable resources to acquire characters at the cost of time. What’s more, some of the harder stages present you with slim chances to farm for rare characters.

Fun fact, it's also the first gacha to introduce a faction of playable robot characters. It doesn't fall short on quality of life features too, with auto-farming, stack farming, and skipping there to make your gameplay experience pleasant. Perhaps, other than its old-school UI, its downfall is the uncertain future considering the recent string of events that saw a change in ownership. Only time will tell if a rumoured global release will be freed from limbo.

As controversial as the term AI is, particularly its usage in the development of mobile games that got us riled up. But for mega-game corps like Com2US, threading this precarious line is an afterthought as demonstrated by the blurb of Starseed Asnia Trigger.

Marketing itself as an AI training urban fantasy game where Proxians - the AI humanoids who developed sophisticated empires after being left to their own devices for 700 years straight. With your sudden appearance as the last human, you work with them to build a future and vanquish a rogue AI called Redshift.

It’s a real-time auto-battle strategy RPG where your only input is deciding the queuing of character skills. Hence making it the sci-fi cousin to games like King's Raid and Eversoul. For me, I'm just here with popcorn in one hand to see how this concept of AI at each other's throats due to conflicting philosophies will unfold.

For the Gen Z who grew up playing MMORPGs as I did, games like Zenonia and Maple Story will flood you with nostalgia. Zenonia Chronobreak is a throwback to that wonderful decade. Only this time with a twist in the developers at the helm.

There's much to expect from this instalment that has its roots based on Zenonia 3 - a pixel-perfect MMORPG. If grinding is up your alley then you’ll welcome its addition to your ranks. It’s a feast for the eyes.