Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Shaun Walton'
Infinity Nikki celebrates upcoming Version 1.2 in explosive form with a host of free rewards
Since launching last month Infinity Nikki has done pretty well for itself, garnering a generally positive reception, gaining over 20 million downloads, and racking up over $15 million in its first month. Looking to build on this early success, Version 1.2 will be ushering in the Firework Season on January 23rd. Whilst they might have missed the boat a little bit on the New Year's fireworks displays, we can give Infold Games a pass because the trailer does look quite pretty. You can strike out to the Fireworks Isles from Flora Wharf, and explore the lands steeped in the legend of the Fireworks Sprite. You will be able to explore the picturesque views of Songbreeze Highland, relax in t…
Genshin Impacts settle FTC case with no admission of wrongdoing
After a long investigation, the Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with Genshin Impact in the case of violating children’s privacy and deceiving players. The key word here is settlement, the developer has not admitted or declined fault, they just want it to go away. Here is the fallout. HoYo will pay a $20 million fine. Genshin Impact itself, not the rest of the HoYo catalogue, made around $700 million last which was the first year it came in under $1 billion. So monetary value-wise, absolutely nothing. The changes they have to make are also negligible. Children under 16 won’t be able to buy the loot boxes without parental consent, good luck enforcing that.…
Registration for the 2025 PUBG Mobile Global Open are now available
Tencent has been in the news an awful lot lately, with those legal troubles in the US, rumblings of a deal involving Ubisoft, and the FFXIV Mobile development. That last one isn't that recent, but I wanted to mention it anyway. In happier more immediate news though, the PUBG Mobile Global Open is back! Whilst this won’t affect those of us who try to cower our way through battle royales, folk out there who can actually get eliminations should be very excited. Not only can you strut your stuff on a global stage, but the PMGO has a very mouth-watering $500,000 prize pool. You will need to consult your calendar and banish any fear of flying, as the Main Event will take place in Tashkent,…
Sky: Children of the Light explodes in colour in the Season of Radiance
The world of Sky: Children of the Light has always been quite a stunning place design-wise. Even the characters have their own sort of eerie beauty to them, despite those terrifyingly soulless eyes. Piercing stares aside, Sky is set to get even more joyously looking, thanks to the Season of Radiance. As the name invokes, things are about to get a lot more shiny primarily through the use of colour. As you travel throughout the world you will start to notice that a few new types of Dark Plants have begun to sprout. If you harvest them you will get different colours of Light which you can craft into dyes. Of course, we all know what to do with dyes; big colouring in pens. You can make a numbe…
Cassette Beasts launches on mobile and is truly a must-have
My entire decision to purchase an Xbox Series X was based on wanting to play Starfiel; a decision I do not regret, it is a great game. I subscribed to Game Pass, poked around a bit, and proceeded to spend a week playing one single game. Not Starfield no, but Cassette Beasts. Luckily, you no longer need to carry an Xbox and a TV around to play this phenomenal game, as Cassette Beasts is now available on mobile. Both Android and Apple wielders will be able to dive into New Wirral and explore one of the best Pokeclones there has been. Definitely better than the latest Pokemon outings at the least. If you never had the joy, Cassette Beasts is a monster-taming RPG where you wonder the wor…
Monster Hunter Now crosses over with Monster Hunter Wilds to form one monstrously giant mega-hunt
I am never sure how to feel when a company has a collaboration with itself, especially when it is the same series. On the one hand, it is great, free gear, but on the other, it just feels a little off somehow. Anyway, all that to see Monster Hunter Now will be hosting a collab event with Monster Hunter Wilds. This semi-crossover will be kicking off on February 3rd and will run right through until March 31st. Monster Hunter Wilds itself releases on February 28th on PC and console. This is important because the limited-times quest rewards in Now also include a gift code for Wilds. Simply slap around a few large monsters in Monster Hunter Now to complete a few limited quests and you wil…
Prepare for some humourous case solving with Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
Some days it is incredibly difficult to choose what news to cover; we have a lot of interesting games to discuss and I love to ramble. Once in a while though when you scan the press releases, you see a title such as Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, and the choice is so very obvious. The names just keep getting better, as Duck Detective is born from publishers Snapbreak Games, and indie studio Happy Broccoli Games. I don’t think we need to cover anything else about this. It is coming to mobile this year. Everybody, get out your cards and let's quack this case. I regret nothing. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami was originally released back in May 2024 on PC and consoles, but it soun…
Netmarble announces a global tournament for Solo Levelling: Arise in 2025
I have yet to personally play Solo Leveling: Arise, my mobile gaming time is taken up with mostly Wuthering Waves and Pokemon TCG Pocket. However, I do know about it, and I was pretty surprised to hear that Netmarble has announced its first global championship, which seemed strange for a single-player title. Last year Korea hosted two offline tournaments as evidenced by the video below, and the solution for how to compete in a game like this was, of course, time attacks. I am awful at these types of challenges, however, you can’t deny that the footage shows quite the electric atmosphere for these tournaments. The Solo Leveling: Arise Championship 2025 will pit competitors against one…
Swap your guns for Ninja shenanigans as Naruto enters Free Fire
If you ever watched any media featuring a ninja and thought to yourself, I wonder how they would cope with being shot at, Free Fire will soon offer the answer. The Garena smash hit will crossover with the legendary Naruto series from January 10th to February 9th. Booting up a battle royale match in Bermuda will spawn you in the Hidden Leaf Village, where Rim Nam Village is located. You will be able to explore a multitude of popular locations from the franchise, such as the Hokage Rock, Ichiraku Ramen Shop, and even Naruto’s house. After your tourism has ended, you will be shunted onto an aeroplane as the match starts. As you prepare to parachute, the mighty Nine Tails will appear and…
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links celebrates eight years of service with a landslide of shiny cards
I write this from a place of grand conflict; I enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links very much, however, this eighth-anniversary celebration has an unforgivable lack of Blue-Eyed White Dragons. Competitively they have dropped off, but the meta does not compete against nostalgic love for this cataclysmic monster. You know, unless you're trying to use it in a duel, then you're screwed. Dragon rant aside, although it’ll probably come up again later, Konami will commence its eighth year of Duel Links starting January 12th. That is an incredibly long time in mobile circles, and it speaks volumes that it is still as fun to play now as it has ever been. The speed duel format really suits handheld devic…
Torchlight: Infinities’ upcoming season launches this week with a new hero
XD Games has announced the impending arrival of Torchlight: Infitite's most dynamic season to date, set to launch on January 10th. Dubbed Arcana, it will bring us a fascinating hero to try out, Tarot Card-based mechanics, and the opportunity to face down a hoard of foes with your friends. Let’s start with the new hero; Iris, the Vigilant Breeze. In addition to having a beautiful name, Iris brings an interesting gameplay mechanic to battles. She merges with Spirit Magi to fire out obliterating elemental abilities, or be more supportive and heal. Having access to both choices will hopefully increase everyone's enjoyment. Appropriately, we will also get two new Spirit Magi arrivin…
Become a DigiDestined as Digimon comes to Puzzle & Dragons
I might be about to annoy a lot of people here, but I have always preferred Digimon to Pokemon. It wasn’t much of a rivalry, Pokemon was the obvious titan from the start, but I still preferred the Digimon anime and games. Happily, Gungho has announced a crossover with the unrated series and their hit title; Puzzle & Dragons. To kick things off correctly there is a login event to enjoy. You can grab a Digimon Adventure Egg Machine pull, a TAMADRA, King Diamond Dragon, and even a Seven-Star Digimon Egg Machine pull for showing up for ten days. Of course, there are also a plethora of dungeons to jump into. The Digimon Adventure-Novice and Expert Special Dungeons are available, each…
Dominate the seas with military might with Warpath's massive Naval update
I am no history or war buff but I do know one thing; even with all the evolutions of land and air combat, naval warfare is still vital. Lilith Games recognises this, with the introduction of a major Navy update to Warpath, alongside a brand-new Naval Force system. Nearly 100 replica ships from World War Two to modern times have been recreated, including the Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier, Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer, and Project 971 Class Submarines. They are split into six categories; Submarines, Aircraft Carriers, Guided Missile Destroyers, Anti-Submarine Frigates, Armored Destroyers, and Anti-Aircraft Destroyers. Each of these types has been balanced with its own strengths and weakness…
Honkai: Star Rail finally takes us to a new world with Version 3.0 this month
My biggest criticism of Honkai: Star Rail is that the writers keep revisiting the same old areas and locations. Version 3.0 aims to fix this with the introduction of a brand new world; Amphoreus. We will also be enjoying the longest story arc to date, spanning eight versions up until 3.7. The Astral Express is following Black Swan to Amphoreus in search of Trailblaze Fuel and, of course, adventure. The inhabitants are unaware of life outside their world, worshipping deities dubbed Titans instead of the Aeons. Three of these - Strife, Death, and Trickery - triggered a civil war among the gods, causing the deadly black tide to sweep over everything. There will be a lot of places and people t…
Marvel Rivals announces new years collaborations with three mobile games
In a time when the majority of superhero games are getting royally roasted - Gotham Knights, Marvel's Avengers, and Suicide Squad immediately jump to mind - it is nice to see one doing well. I of course refer to Marvel Rivals, the hero shooter that came in and immediately shook up the established players, and soon mobile gamers could get in on the fun. In a way. No, we are not hoarding any secret news of a mobile port prepared to pounce out of the gates. Instead, the developers have announced collaborations with three mobile titles. Marvel Snap, Marvel Puzzle Quest, and Marvel Future Fight have all gotten the nod, with content scheduled to drop on January 3rd. Personally, I am most happy t…
