Soft launch reporting by Matthew Forde, Pocketgamer.
1. Om Nom: Run
- Developer: ZeptoLab
- Where: The Philippines
- Platforms: Android
- Live since: January 20th, 2020
- Updates: (1) January 30th, 2020
ZeptoLab's Cut the Rope star Om Nom returns in the endless runner Om Nom: Run. Control Om Nom and Om Nelle on a race through the dangerous streets of Nomville, where players must avoid obstacles and use power-ups to clear the way and unlock new characters.
Locations include busy streets, messy rooftops, underground tunnels, the robot factory and other colourful levels.
2. Ivy: Stories We Play
- Developer: Pocket Gems
- Where: Australia and New Zealand
- Platforms: iOS
- Live since: November 20th, 2019
- Updates: (2) January 30th, 2020
The creators of the mobile game Episode return with Ivy: Stories We Play, a mature story-driven episodic adventure that is said to feature "drama" and "thrills".
Take control of protagonist Ivy across a number of stories, which introduces the character to new worlds with complex themes, fantasies and desires.
Players get to make all the choices for how the story unfolds, whether that's partying with singles in Miami or recovering from the death of your partner.
3. Battle Bouncers
- Developer: Gamehive
- Where: Australia and the UK
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: October 7th, 2019
- Updates: (12) January 30th, 2020
Vanquish evil monsters that terror your kingdom by banding together with a group of unlikely heroes in Battle Bouncers.
Battle through hundreds of RPG style levels, defeating enemies using your aim and ball bouncing abilities. Pull back and release to unleash an attack on the evil forces that progress towards you.
As you journey through different worlds, you'll release captive heroes from their shard prisons in order to unlock their powers. Unlock customisable characters and skill cards to assemble a team of your favourite heroes to battle hordes of enemies.
The 12th update improved the visuals for Normal and Heroic Mode, alongside adding updated UI panels, a new Tower Victory Banner to help clarify win conditions and several bug fixes.
4. Riddleside: Fading Legacy
- Developer: MyTona
- Where: Finland, Australia, Singapore and Russia
- Platforms: iOS
- Live since: February 20th, 2019
- Updates: (12) December 14th, 2019
Russian developer MyTona's new match-three title Riddleside: Fading Legacy sees a detective storyline set in the 80s play a backdrop to the puzzle aspect.
Set in the town of Nightfall, the player's uncle Henry Walker, a world-famous detective, has disappeared, so it's up to them to investigate and find out the mysteries of the town and what Walker was really investigating.
To reveal the story, players must collect clues, interrogate suspects, solve "the most unusual cases", and discover Nightfall's secret.
5. Forza Street
- Developer: Turn 10 Studios (Microsoft)
- Where: Mexico, Germany and the Phillippines
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: August 19th, 2019
- Updates: (3) December 20th, 2019
Initially set out as a premium game, Turn 10 Studios changed Forza Street to a free-to-play title before announcing that the racer would be making its way to mobile.
Drivers take part in races while upgrading and expanding their car collection. From classic muscle to modern sports to retro supercars, players can unlock iconic cars from across the decades.
Controls have been "streamlined" to help create the mobile experience, with a focus on timing your acceleration, braking and boosting to achieve victory. On launch, users can either jump into one-minute races for short bursts or dive into story-driven events.
The second update introduced a new tutorial section as well as improving upon the event map and readability of character dialogue.
The third update overhauled the map with a range of visual improvements to help drivers plan their strategy.
6. Phoenix Rangers: Puzzle RPG
- Developer: Rovio
- Where: Finland
- Platforms: Android
- Live since: November 26th, 2019
- Updates: (8) January 31st, 2020
Rovio has soft-launched a new monster collecting puzzler known as Phoenix Rangers: Puzzle RPG.
Build the perfect team and embark on a monster-collecting puzzle-solving adventure through different locales, defeating waves of enemies along the way.
Each monster has a special skill which is powered by matching gems, then unleash their special abilities for a devastating attack.
The fourth update added 50 new levels, daily missions, a secret vault feature to claim loot, and a 'Monsterpedia' to track monsters, as well as several bug fixes.
The fifth update introduced daily trials and 50 new levels, as well as expanding the Ranger Base. An inbox has also been implemented so players don't miss out on rewards as well as several "game improvements".
7. LEGO Star Wars Battles
- Developer: Playdemic
- Where: India, Phillippines, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: September 9th, 2019
- Updates: (7) November 25th, 2019
Collect, build and fight in Lego Star Wars Battles, with famous characters from the series going head-to-head.
Take part in real-time multiplayer PvP battles in arenas inspired by iconic locations, while collecting and upgrading your inventory of famous faces.
Build LEGO towers on the battlefield to strategically attack, defend, and capture territory as you push towards the enemy base to claim victory.
The sixth update added in the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk as well as several new characters including BB8, BB9E and Moroff.
8. Minecraft Earth
- Developer: Mojang
- Where: UK, US, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and large parts of Europe
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: October 18th, 2019
- Updates: (7) January 15th, 2020
Mojang has launched augmented reality title Minecraft Earth in several territories across the globe, including the UK and US.
Minecraft Earth is free-to-play and will allow players to build creations with friends and place them in the real world. On top of this, Minecraft mobs will battle users, putting their survival skills to the test.
The game was announced as part of Minecraft’s 10th anniversary, releasing a video showing a young girl traversing her neighbourhood while interacting with block elements and creatures from the universe.
9. Tetris Royale
- Developer: N3twork
- Where: New Zealand
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: March 25th, 2019
- Updates: (6) January 17th, 2020
In Tetris Royale, 100 players compete against one another in an endless game of the puzzler to be the last one standing.
Stack Tetrominos to clear lines and become the winner. The game looks to take inspiration from Tetris 99 on the Nintendo Switch.
Daily Score Tournaments take place to see who can become the Tetris Grand Master as well as a Solo Marathon mode to practice and themes to customise your experience.
The fourth update inputted a nightly Tetris game show, taking place at 19:30 each day, which pits players against thousands globally. Also, 50 portraits were added for customisation and two themes to celebrate New Zealand.
The sixth update fixed a bug with the video player on the home screen and another with the layout of the Primetime button.
10. LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
- Developer: Gameloft
- Where: Canada, Romania, Ukraine, Norway, Malaysia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Singapore, Sweden and Phillippines
- Platforms: iOS and Android
- Live since: October 31st, 2019
- Updates: (4) January 16th, 2020
Reunite with iconic LEGO heroes from all eras, such as Hot Dog Man, Captain Redbeard, Lloyd from Ninjago, Willa the Witch, classic Red Spaceman and more in LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed.
The turn-based battle RPG has players building teams of heroes from well-known LEGO themes and preparing them action-packed battles that will take you from the high seas to deep space.
Utilise each hero for their unique skills and battle and dismantle your RPG foes. Take your team to the next level with a winning turn-based strategy. Join forces with other players in asynchronous multiplayer battles via online team mode and PvP gameplay.
