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4 Pinoy-made mobile games to check out this 2019
Listed below are just four of the many Pinoy-made mobile games we’ll be playing this year. We think you should, too!
1. Brawl Quest
A free-to-play mobile game inspired by classic arcade beat ‘em ups like “Double Dragon,” “Streets of Rage,” and “Golden Axe,” "Brawl Quest" is one of the latest from ThinkBIT Solutions, an IT Company that is also in the business of creating mobile games.
“One of the goals we had, was that the game can be played with just one hand,” said ThinkBIT Solutions director and co-founder Lord Christian Gosingtian.
Its setting resembles modern-day Philippines, with characters taking inspiration from local pop culture personas, representing the country’s various sectors, including religion, media, and the government.
“The story is a semi-satirical view on modern-day Philippine society where we generally poke fun of the bad things that actually happen in our everyday lives,” said Gosingtian. One example is the game’s very first boss: “He’s the mayor of your town and the only time he signs any contracts is if you beat him battle. This is a very subtle nod to how rampant corruption usually is in the LGU level.”
ThinkBIT Solutions attended South Korea’s G-Star 2018 event, where it won 1st place in the Big Indie Pitch mobile category for “Brawl Quest.”
“Brawl Quest” is slated for a Q1 2019 release. “We have lined up several collaborations in the future as we near the release of our game,” said Gosingtian
2. Jump Squad
Three-man indie game development team Tap Tales created a free-to-play game that is now being published by Singapore-based Data Hive Solutions. The two entities are now working together on future projects.
In “Jump Squad,” players control a squad of adorable dogs and cats, who must jump their way across colorful levels filled with monsters, coins, and obstacles.
“We wanted to create something that we hope will lighten up players, especially the ones who are bored while in queues or on their daily commute,” said Tap Tales artist Osias Bantug. “We decided to create a game that is lighthearted, with easy-to-learn controls but challenging gameplay, so anyone with a mobile device can dive into it.”
A cute art style was chosen for the game as it “makes working less stressful for the team,” said Bantug. “I think looking at dog and cat pictures/memes for references while creating the characters is one of the best workloads one can have.”
Most of the characters in “Jump Squad” are inspired by the team’s real-life pets.
“We will be adding more characters for players to collect, more ways to customize the characters like naming them and buying costumes for them, and additional areas with different game mechanics or goals,” said Bantug.
3. Sorcery vs. Savagery
Game development startup Cereal Box Creations describes “Sorcery vs. Savagery” as a free-to-play, single-player “Magical Action Arcade Game” that puts a spin on the defense game formula.
You play as a Grand Master Sorcerer whose goal is to prevent a horde of monsters from entering a portal to our world. You can unlock 12 powerful spells. While you can cast them simultaneously on charging foes, you’ll need to be strategic in their use to avoid running out of mana prematurely.
“The intensity of the gameplay increases as you finish each level as the monsters become more powerful,” said Cereal Box Creations’ Segi Tuazon.
A popular MOBA proved influential to the developers. “We, as a team, love to play ‘Dota 2’!” said Tuazon. “The idea that we can control a certain hero, cast spells against creeps, other heroes while defending your base – that inspired us. We took that mechanic and thought of gameplay that can be played on mobile phones.”
The team is eager to make “Sorcery vs. Savagery” even better.
“We’re planning to add some power-ups and items that players can use to make their wizard stronger,” said Tuazon. There are also plans to release the game on iOS devices.
4. The Bread Adventures of Butter
“The Bread Adventures of Butter” originated from a simple game that programmer Christian Batol developed for his iOS class. After pitching it to his friends, it evolved into a game revolving around a bread-eating contest, which eventually became the rhythm-like “The Bread Adventure of Butter.”
“Bread is rolled out on a conveyor belt for you and your rival,” said Batol. “Once the bread arrives in your area butter packets will appear.” Your goal is therefore to correctly time your use of the packets so you can consume the bread and gain points. Wrong timing will result in the packets disappearing and the bread leaving your area.
“We decided the main character would have to face other characters in a bread-eating contest,” said artist Jaypee Paras. Story-wise, the winner earns the golden loaf, which is capable of granting wishes.
Paras made the game’s characters wacky and based them on different nationalities. He also made sure the game would feature bread from various countries, such as Japan, France, and the Philippines.
“We used our collective experience of playing video games and watching a lot of shonen anime of different genres to come up with this game,” said Paras.
Team Blue Orange aims to enhance “The Bread Adventures of Butter.”
According to Batol, they plan on putting in several more bosses, a mini idle game, game modes like zen eating and time-attack, and multiplayer. Other planned features include power-ups, consumables, and tiers and corresponding points for different types of bread.
“We plan on adding different bosses and their respective levels, dialogue between the characters, and a short narrative,” Paras added.
They also envision a special mode where you can eat the bread faster, a choking feature if buttons aren’t pressed in proper sequence, and moldy bread that you have to swipe off the conveyor belt.
— LA, GMA News
