Mobile Games Hotspot is a weekly roundup of the top stories in gaming on-the-go.
Indie hit Journey is now available on the App Store as developer Thatgamecompany debuted a surprise release for iOS users on Aug. 6.
Journey, originally released on the PlayStation 3 in March of 2012, was later ported to the PlayStation 4. It was not released on other platforms until this year. In the game, players explore a beautiful land where the goal is simply to reach the glowing mountain in the distance. The iOS version features touch controls, allowing players to move their character and camera. Journey is a paid app at $4.99 and the Game Center app is also required to play.
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Thatgamecompany has released their other games on different devices, but it wasn’t until June that Journey was brought to PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive.
Thatgamecompany also recently released Sky: Children of the Light exclusively on mobile, where it was downloaded 1 million times in its first week. Journey joins Sky and Flower on mobile, leaving Thatgamecompany’s first release, Flow, as the only nonmobile game.
Here’s what else is happening in the world of mobile games:
New World and Doctors for Dr. Mario World
Dr. Mario World got its biggest update since it launched back in July, featuring new playable characters and a brand-new world. Daisy, Wario and Waluigi all join as new playable doctors that players can unlock by spending coins and diamonds. Four new assistants were also added including Monty Mole, Mechakoopa, Fuzzy and Thwomp. A new world featuring 20 levels was also added.
Bugs have plagued Dr. Mario World since release, and an update addressed at fixing these issues was released earlier this week. As an apology for the glitches, all players who login will receive 20 free diamonds and two staff tickets.
Star Ocean Will Soon Say Goodbye
Square Enix announced an end to the mobile Star Ocean game with a scheduled removal set for Nov. 5. Star Ocean: Anamnesis featured characters from previous entries of the two-decade-old series and took on a free-to-play model with gacha (capsule toy vending machines) mechanics. It was originally released in Japan in 2016 and it wasn’t until July of 2018 before it was released worldwide. Players can still download Star Ocean: Anamnesis, but in-app purchases have already been disabled.
Pre-registration Open for SMITE Blitz, Lock’s Quest
A number of big and upcoming mobile games are currently available for preregistration. SMITE Blitz, a smaller-scale version of Hi-Rez’s SMITE, now has its prereg open and available on both the App Store and Google Play. Originally a Nintendo DS game, Lock’s Quest is heading to mobile for $6.99 and you can access the preregistration for iOS users and Android players here. Finally, the recently announced Mega Man X Dive is getting similar treatment, but fans will have to visit the game’s official website to preregister. This option is open only for Android users and will last until Aug. 22.
