Showcased during the September 7 Apple event as an example of the iPhone 7's upgraded A10 Fusion processor, the mobile RPG Oz: Broken Kingdom today launched in the iOS App Store for free. The game features a turn-based combat system with characters based on L. Frank Baum's novel, including Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion and a new heroine named Ophelia Shen.
Developed and released by Nexon M and This Game Studio, Oz: Broken Kingdom has players collecting and upgrading over 100 unique abilities during a story mode that spans seven regions of the land of Oz, "including the now dangerous Munchkin countryside, perilous halls of Glinda’s Castle, and the many shadowy lands beyond." Players will battle both small minions and epic bosses as they progress through the single-player mode, focusing on leveling up abilities in the three areas of strength, nature, and magic.
There's also an Arena mode, where players can create and join guilds with friends, collect companions to fight in battles, and ultimately challenge other players in real-time Arena battles in a player-vs-player mode. Throughout these PvP sessions, each player will climb or fall down a rankings leaderboard, and earn rewards to make taking out opponents easier.
“In Oz: Broken Kingdom, we’ve not only reinterpreted the land of Oz but expanded its lore,” said Scott Blackwood, Founder and Head of Product at This Game Studio. “Players will explore a new take on Oz, one brought to life with stunning detail and brimming with fierce enemies at every turn.”
“The experienced team at This Game Studio realized a tremendous opportunity when they took this globally relevant brand and reimagined it in a way that would resonate with today’s mobile gamer audience,” said Lawrence Koh, General Manager at Nexon M. “We knew when we first saw the game in early development that it was going to exceed player expectations on everything from graphics, fresh content, and most importantly, fun gameplay.”
During the iPhone 7 event last week, This Game Studio co-founder Heather Price noted that the studio was "able to do things visually on the iPhone 7 that were simply not possible before." Price listed features like real-time reflections, weather effects, and environmental destruction abilities that all benefited from the boosted processing power of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Other bonuses from Apple's new smartphone include responsive haptic feedback taps during gameplay, a wider color gamut, and a more immersive audio experience thanks to the iPhone 7's stereo speakers.
Although optimized for the iPhone 7, Oz: Broken Kingdom is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models running iOS 7 or later, and is also available on the Google Play Store on Android devices. The game is free-to-download [Direct Link], but includes a handful of in-app purchases.
Top Rated Comments
Next up Sound of Music Fighter II.
Personally, I blame Apple's hesitance to add traditional control peripherals to iOS devices. If they create an official controller with buttons and thumb sticks, plus no requirement that the game work without it, and you'll have an explosion of gaming on iOS.