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It is no secret that the mobile gaming industry is a vast landscape teeming with staggering genre variety. From gacha games, puzzle games, RPGs, action games, simulation games, and even strategy games. While many of these games are still around to this day (some have been around for about a decade or two like "Puyo Puyo Quest!!" and "Subway Surfers"), others have sadly been discontinued for various reasons; low playerbase, didn't generate enough money, a studio's closure, etc.
In this thread, I'd like to talk about two dead mobile games that I remember enjoying quite a bit. If you too have fond memories with a specific game or two, feel free to share your experience. I'd be happy to hear all about them.
Alright, so, the first game I'll be discussing is "Sailor Moon Drops".
This game was originally released in September 3rd, 2015 in Japan with a global release in the following year sometime in April.
It was a simple match 3 puzzle game in the vein of "Candy Crush" but with multiple playable characters – each with their own unique abilities – as well as items that affected the puzzle themselves. The game's story was a retelling of the classic 1992 "Sailor Moon" anime but split into 4 different arcs pertaining to a specific season of the anime. You started out with just Usagi, but unlocked the remaining Sailor Senshi across each arc.
The Sailor Senshi, as well as several other characters from the series were faithfully depicted in these adorable chibi renders and they nailed the over-the-top facial expressions that the series is known for.
In addition to the main campaign, there were also some challenge modes which had stipulations like clearing a stage with as few moves as possible or reaching a high enough score before time expired.
While "Sailor Moon Drops" wasn't exactly the most innovative puzzle game, it was at least charming enough to keep me engaged with it. Sadly, the servers were shut down in March of 2019. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that it, alongside the beat 'em up games for Super Famicom and Mega Drive, helped me get into the franchise back in middle school.
The second game I'd like to briefly discuss is "Alice Fiction".
It was released globally in July 27th, 2022 with several VTubers from Nijisanji and Hololive promoting it (I vividly remember watching Shu Yamino stream it).
Gameplay was an interesting mixture of an RPG and a match 3 puzzle game. That might sound odd at first, but it was executed surprisingly well. Matching 3 or more color panels in quick succession would cause a skill panel to appear. Breaking this panel would allow that character to use a special move called a "Crash Skill"; ranging from a multi-target attack, a powerful single target attack, stat modifiers, etc.
Another thing to note is that the panel board is carried with each passing turn – this made it so each turn was you setting up big combos and planning accordingly for the next turn.
The story was interesting, the character designs were fantastic, voice acting was top-notch, and the MUSIC... [Chef's Kiss]
Veneo Isrugi, ginkiha, Hiroyoshi Kato, etc, composed several bangers. Here's some 20 minute extensions of a few select songs straight from the official Alice Fiction YouTube channel:
This game had just about everything I could ask for out of a gacha game. Unfortunately, due to the game's pitifully low income, it ended service on September 30th of last year.
I'd love to see Alice Fiction return one way or another, though it's highly improbable that it would happen.
In this thread, I'd like to talk about two dead mobile games that I remember enjoying quite a bit. If you too have fond memories with a specific game or two, feel free to share your experience. I'd be happy to hear all about them.
Alright, so, the first game I'll be discussing is "Sailor Moon Drops".
This game was originally released in September 3rd, 2015 in Japan with a global release in the following year sometime in April.
It was a simple match 3 puzzle game in the vein of "Candy Crush" but with multiple playable characters – each with their own unique abilities – as well as items that affected the puzzle themselves. The game's story was a retelling of the classic 1992 "Sailor Moon" anime but split into 4 different arcs pertaining to a specific season of the anime. You started out with just Usagi, but unlocked the remaining Sailor Senshi across each arc.
The Sailor Senshi, as well as several other characters from the series were faithfully depicted in these adorable chibi renders and they nailed the over-the-top facial expressions that the series is known for.
In addition to the main campaign, there were also some challenge modes which had stipulations like clearing a stage with as few moves as possible or reaching a high enough score before time expired.
While "Sailor Moon Drops" wasn't exactly the most innovative puzzle game, it was at least charming enough to keep me engaged with it. Sadly, the servers were shut down in March of 2019. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that it, alongside the beat 'em up games for Super Famicom and Mega Drive, helped me get into the franchise back in middle school.
The second game I'd like to briefly discuss is "Alice Fiction".
It was released globally in July 27th, 2022 with several VTubers from Nijisanji and Hololive promoting it (I vividly remember watching Shu Yamino stream it).
Gameplay was an interesting mixture of an RPG and a match 3 puzzle game. That might sound odd at first, but it was executed surprisingly well. Matching 3 or more color panels in quick succession would cause a skill panel to appear. Breaking this panel would allow that character to use a special move called a "Crash Skill"; ranging from a multi-target attack, a powerful single target attack, stat modifiers, etc.
Another thing to note is that the panel board is carried with each passing turn – this made it so each turn was you setting up big combos and planning accordingly for the next turn.
The story was interesting, the character designs were fantastic, voice acting was top-notch, and the MUSIC... [Chef's Kiss]
Veneo Isrugi, ginkiha, Hiroyoshi Kato, etc, composed several bangers. Here's some 20 minute extensions of a few select songs straight from the official Alice Fiction YouTube channel:
This game had just about everything I could ask for out of a gacha game. Unfortunately, due to the game's pitifully low income, it ended service on September 30th of last year.
I'd love to see Alice Fiction return one way or another, though it's highly improbable that it would happen.
