This has been a week of pleasant surprises, with sequels announced for PUBG Mobile and Final Fantasy VII, as well as a few imminent releases that look promising.
We’ve got our customary dose of irresistable Funko Pop! Blitz pop culture goodness, too, this time with a poignant undertone, and a heartwarming story about the most heartwarming game in the world.
Plus, a news story about a Stadia exclusive, which nobody seems to care about.
For the best new Android games this week, check out the Saturday companion to this article.
ConcernedApe Celebrates 5 Years of Stardew Valley with “Snowball Fight” of Thank Yous
Is it news? Not really. But we thought this exchange on Twitter was so positive and life-affirming that it deserved a shout out. Basically, Stardew Valley is five. ConcernedApe tweeted about it, and promptly got buried under an avalanche of gratitude, which the developer threatened to hurl back at his audience in a “snowball fight” of gratitude.
Playdigious Releases a Gameplay Video for Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee
Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be here in a couple of weeks. To keep is going in the meantime, publisher Playdigious has released a bit of gameplay footage through Pocket Gamer’s online Launchpad event. Of course, the game has been out for years so it’s not revealing much that’s new, but it’s a welcome appetiser all the same.
Huntdown, the Acclaimed ’80s-inspired Arcade Shooter, Is Coming to Android
Huntdown may have arrived on PC and consoles last year, but here’s a neat bit of trivia: it was first conceived as a mobile game. That’s a very good sign for the Android port that developer Easy Trigger has just announced. This rad-looking retro shooter is modelled after games like Contra and Robocop, and it absolutely rocks. The mobile version will be free with an IAP to unlock the whole thing.
Square Enix Is Working on a Battle Royale Final Fantasy Game for Mobile
In fact, Square Enix is working on two distinct mobile games based on Final Fantasy VII, but only one of them made it into this headline. The other is a conventional top-down RPG, while Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is a modern, slick-looking battle royale. It’s coming later this year, with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis due to arrive in 2022.
PUBG: New State is the Follow-up to PUBG, Coming to Mobile This Year
PUBG is getting a sequel. Dubbed New State, the follow-up will take place in 2051, after society has collapsed and everybody is perpetually trying to kill everybody else. The basics will remain the same – 100 players on a shrinking map – but the visuals and gameplay will be souped up. We don’t have a release date, but you can pre-register for it now.
Project Mars Is a City Builder from the Studio Behind Cookie Run, Coming This Fall
Cookie Run: Kingdom has had a hell of a launch, racking up over 10 million downloads in its first month, but developer Devsisters already has its eyes on pastures new. Project Mars is an accessible, colorful city builder in which you’ll be able to explore your creations after putting them together. We don’t know when it’s coming out, but more info is due in March.
Funko Pop! Blitz’s Latest Crossover Event Is with ’90s Teen Sitcom Saved by the Bell
Damn you, Funko Pop! Blitz. Despite being a fairly ordinary casual puzzler, this collectible toy spinoff game reliably manages to earn headlines thanks to its eclectic range of pop culture partnerships. This week it’s Saved by the Bell – an event made poignant by the death earlier this month of Screech actor Dustin Diamond.
Roguelike Adventure PixelJunk Raiders Will Arrive Exclusively on Stadia Next Week
PixelJunk Raiders is the latest in the long-running PixelJunk series, and it’s coming to Stadia first. The game will see you exploring an alien environment and duffing up the fauna you find there. The status of a Stadia exclusive is very low indeed if the reaction of our readers is anything to go by, but the game will probably come to other platforms later.
Blade & Soul: Revolution, Netmarble’s Latest Open-World RPG, Is Coming on March 4th
It’s hard to get excited about yet another big budget free-to-play RPG, but Blade & Soul: Revolution looks like it might be worth at least a little bit of fuss. Already available in Korea, where it won a Google Play award, it’s a highly cinematic, graphically splendid MMORPG infused with martial arts tropes and badass fighting.
