Honor just sent out media invites for an event on May 15th in London and from the teaser image it is evident that the company is launching a smartphone and it is expected to be Honor 10. It looks like the company is again focusing on A.I which is evident from ‘Beauty in AI’ caption. Following the trend of launching its Honor flagships around this time of the year, the company is expected to introduce the Honor 10 and it will be powered by the same chipset that is powering the Honor View 10; the Kirin 970 64-bit octa-core processor. The Honor 10 will also pack slim bezel-less design with a 5.7-inches display and is expected to run on Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 on top with improved A.I features and enhancements. Just like the Huawei P20 series, the Honor 10 is expected to come with a top-notch. It will have dual-rear cameras and a front-facing fingerprint sensor. The live-image of the Honor 10 surfaced recently, however, the design of the phone is partially hidden given that it is in testing. It remains to be seen what Honor has planned up its sleeve and also if its ships with or without a notch. May … Fone Arena
It’s not been the best week for games on the App Store. There are a few decent ones here and there, but nothing that’s really going to make you throw down what you’re doing and run to the nearest WiFi hotspot in order to download it. That’s not to say everything is terrible, but there are plenty of just good games out this week.
Localizing visual novels and visual novel like adventure games is always a huge ask for localization studios because of the volume of text that needs to be translated and edited. It took too long for Steins;Gate to be released in English just on PC before it eventually made its way to PlayStation platforms in English and finally iOS. There are some situations where a visual novel gets released in Japan on a console and it only releases outside on PC platforms in English despite having mobile and console versions in Japan already. Today, i-PLAY announced not just a localization of Shin Hayarigami but one that is iOS and Android only for now. Shin Hayarigami is a Japanese horror adventure visual novel developed by NIS game that is one of the rare games in Japan to have a CERO Z (18+) rating for violence and horror. Watch the announcement trailer for the PlayStation version below:
Shin Hayarigami is making its way to iOS and Android devices in English as Urban Legend : Shin Hayarigami – Blind Man. There are multiple endings and the developer promises a horror experience with stunning graphics that hasn’t been done on mobile before. I’ve always been curious about this game but the problem with visual novels is without understanding the language for the text, there isn’t much point in experiencing them. There will also be a high score system that will reward you with more story content if you cross a certain threshold it seems.
I’ve imported a ton of games on PS4 and Vita that can be played with no Japanese knowledge since they are mostly action or gameplay focussed. It is good to see a title that has been unlocalized for a long time not just get localized but get localized on the best platform for visual novels. As of now, there are no details on pricing but Urban Legend : Shin Hayarigami – Blind Man will release on March 15th for both iOS and Android. The developer will be posting updates on this Twitter account. Check out the forum thread for it here.
Rhythm games are about the only things that have managed to coax me off Spotify as of late, and Cytus II [$ 1.99], the latest effort from prolific App Store develop Rayark, is undoubtedly one of the better offerings. Making a surprise appearance on iOS earlier this year, Cytus II takes some really compelling rhythm action and merges it with a cool sci-fi premise and a beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic, and we loved the resulting concoction in our glowing review on the game’s release. As fervent fans of Rayark’s previous titles will sure be familiar with at this point, Cytus II is set to receive a brand new update on March 15th, adding a brand new character expansion pack alongside some neat minor fixes just one week after the game’s full Android release on March 8th.
The major addition to Cytus II is the inclusion of the new character Cherry, with ten new songs in tow. While there is a substantial $ 9.99 cost to try her out in the game, anyone encapsulated by the rhythm action in Cytus II will likely not need convincing in picking up this latest expansion pack. There are a number of extra additions for anyone just wanting to stick with the base release, with the character level limit increased, new free unlockable songs and story content, taptic feedback and a number of gameplay optimisations. The Android version will come with all these features at launch on March 8th, and will also be on sale until March 14th for a bargain price of $ 1.39. Pre-register for Cytus II on Google Play now, and in the lead up to the title’s 1.1 update on March 15th, let us know your thoughts on the game almost two months later on our forum thread.
You ready to give a cute virtual pal some food, bath and TLC? If you miss your Neopets and Tamagotchi days, then keep an eye out for My Tamagotchi Forever, which will be available for Android and iOS devices on March 15th, 2018. Bandai Namco is bring… Engadget RSS Feed
During PAX West this past September, we met up with the folks from Timberman [Free] developer Digital Melody as they showed us at least half a dozen new mobile games that they had in the works. One that stuck out as especially clever to me was Runventure, which looked to create a serious one-button platformer but not of the auto-running variety. The way they’re trying to accomplish this is with a slider at the bottom of the screen which you’ll use to make your character run right or left. The further you push in either direction the faster he’ll run, but also as you’re pushing in either direction a guide line arcs out from your character which indicates how long and high he’ll jump if you let go of the screen. It’s tricky to wrap your head around, but even with a few minutes of practice it started to click with me when we played that early version of Runventure at PAX. Well I’m happy to report that Runventure is ready to see the light of day on March 15th, and Digital Melody has put together a new launch trailer showing off all the features of the game.
The one-button platformer has been something of a white whale on mobile, as games like Super Mario Run [Free] and Leap Day [Free] absolutely nail a great one-button platforming experience but at the expense of free movement and other concessions that make the whole thing work. I like auto-runners just fine, but I like them in addition to more typical free movement platformers, and not as a replacement. So to see a developer trying to create a free movement platformer but still utilize one-button mechanics is really interesting to me just from a design perspective. It’s been several months since I was able to try out that early version of Runventure, but even then it worked quite well so I’m anxious to see how the final product stacks up. As mentioned Runventure will be released on March 15th, and if you click this link from an iOS 11 device you can pre-order the game right now and it’ll just auto-download to your device when it’s available.
The Essential PH-1 is easily one of the most beautiful smartphones on the market, with its almost-nonexistent bezels and ceramic back. Back in October, the company released a ‘Pure White’ version of the PH-1 that looked fantastic, but white isn’t really a very special color. If you want special, you’ll have to look to the Ocean Depths color, which Essential is now teasing a launch date of February 15th for.
The Battle of Plytopia [Free] originally launched back in February of 2016, and originally under the name Super Tribes. Yes, a copyright claim prompted Swedish developer Midjiwan to change their game’s name several months after its release, which is never a fun thing but they dealt with it in stride. All this time later I actually think the Polytopia name fits the game’s overwhelming charm much better. But I digress. Upon launch, The Battle of Polytopia won over fans with its incredibly streamlined take on the turn-based strategy genre. Over the decades that genre has grown into something so complex it’s not always easy for newbies to jump into, and that’s where Polytopia came in, offering a welcoming hand to those who were intrigued but not prepared to overcome the learning curve of the genre’s biggest titles. Beyond just being easier to grasp than many other turn-based strategy games, Polytopia was also built with mobile touchscreens in mind, and it showed. Everything was very clear to navigate and understand, which is impressive given that this is a typically information and menu-dense genre.
Anyway, a small group of people fell in love with The Battle of Polytopia, and since its release nearly two years ago Midjiwan has not let up with improving and enhancing their game. New game modes, new tribes, and all sorts of new features have flowed consistently into the game, and as such that original small group of fans has steadily grown into something of a cult following. And as much as that following has loved Polytopia and appreciated all the work that’s gone into it over the past couple of years, there’s one thing they’ve been begging for since the game’s original release: Online multiplayer. Yes, The Battle of Polytopia is a fantastic game but it’s also a single-player-only game currently, but that’s finally set to change as Midjiwan is ready to release an online multiplayer update for the game on both iOS and Android next week on February 15th. The coolest thing? It’ll be cross-platform between both versions. iOS and Android Polytopians can finally unite in competition! Rejoice!
Do you enjoy strategy games but have never played The Battle of Polytopia before? Well here’s another tidbit of info you’ll find exciting: The game is free to play, but in the absolute best way possible. You see, you download the game for free and there are four different tribes for you to choose to play as in either of the game’s two single-player modes. The only IAP is for buying additional tribes which are entirely optional and are only for those who truly enjoy the game and want to play it in a slightly different way. See, that’s how free to play should work, you enjoy the game and then want to spend money to enjoy it in more ways. Polytopia gets it right. So there’s no reason not to take this one for a spin as it has nearly infinite replay value even with just the included free tribes. If you’re still intimidated by strategy titles like this, Polytopia has an excellent Wikia page with all sorts of helpful information, so don’t be scared to give this one a try and for sure check out the game come February 15th when the online multiplayer is added in.
Hey, good morning! Post-CES, it's back to business as usual at Engadget, but not before delivering some of our final reports and interviews from a very busy show. Oh, and even a new wearable — if nothing from Vegas caught your eye. Engadget RSS Feed
Subscribers to TuneIn Premium will not be psyched to learn that the streaming audio service is dropping out of the audiobook market effective January 15th. TuneIn started offering unlimited audiobook streaming for Premium subscribers in August 2015, making this feature decently short-lived.
TuneIn Premium subscriptions are currently being offered for 40% off as part of Google Play’s holiday deals, though there is no proactive notification that audiobooks are being removed next month.
Honor just sent out media invites for an event on May 15th in London and from the teaser image it is evident that the company is launching a smartphone and it is expected to be Honor 10. It looks like the company is again focusing on A.I which is evident from ‘Beauty in AI’ caption. Following the trend of launching its Honor flagships around this time of the year, the company is expected to introduce the Honor 10 and it will be powered by the same chipset that is powering the Honor View 10; the Kirin 970 64-bit octa-core processor. The Honor 10 will also pack slim bezel-less design with a 5.7-inches display and is expected to run on Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 on top with improved A.I features and enhancements. Just like the Huawei P20 series, the Honor 10 is expected to come with a top-notch. It will have dual-rear cameras and a front-facing fingerprint sensor. The live-image of the Honor 10 surfaced recently, however, the design of the phone is partially hidden given that it is in testing. It remains to be seen what Honor has planned up its sleeve and also if its ships with or without a notch. May …
You ready to give a cute virtual pal some food, bath and TLC? If you miss your Neopets and Tamagotchi days, then keep an eye out for My Tamagotchi Forever, which will be available for Android and iOS devices on March 15th, 2018. Bandai Namco is bring…
Hey, good morning! Post-CES, it's back to business as usual at Engadget, but not before delivering some of our final reports and interviews from a very busy show. Oh, and even a new wearable — if nothing from Vegas caught your eye.
