SEGA continue their recent mobile gaming initiative with a new Sonic game called Sonic Rumble. This 32 player online multiplayer game has a similar style and scope to something like Fall Guys where everyone is wrestling their way through the pack to be first across the finish line. There’s a big focus on character customisation that you can achieve by winning rings after successful play. You can check out the reveal trailer below:
Sonic Rumble is due to launch in Winter 2024. You can register for a closed beta test scheduled to take place from May 24th to the 26th by completing a form on the official Sonic Rumble website. You have until May 19th to register if you’re interested.
SEGA are continuing their run of Apple Arcade exclusive titles with a brand new Puyo Puyo game that will release on April 4th 2024. Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop will be Apple Arcade exclusive and playable in both single player and multiplayer. You can check out the reveal trailer below:
The game is boasting 24 characters that will also introduce some brand new characters to the franchise. The game will also feature a brand new story and fully voiced characters. The overworld and characters are rendered in true 3D, whereas previous Puyo Puyo games have favoured a 2D art style.
Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop launches on April 4th 2024 exclusively for Apple Arcade.
SEGA are due to release Samba De Amigo: Party Central for Switch and Meta Quest on August 29th 2023, and now the game is getting the mobile treatment through the Apple Arcade service as Samba De Amigo: Party-to-Go.
This Apple Arcade version is made from the same assets as the base game, but it features 3 additional songs that will not be available in the other ports. The game will be playable across all iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices as long as you have iOS 13 or later and 2.2gb of storage space. The Apple Arcade service is available for £4.99 a month and all games on the platform are available to play at no extra cost.
An entry on the App Store for Samba De Amigo: Party-to-Go is available now and you can view it by clicking here.
SEGA have finalised their deal to acquire Rovio Entertainment for €706 million. This includes the Angry Birds franchise which is owned solely by the Finnish developer.
Rovio Entertainment are one of the biggest names in mobile gaming, posting an earnings total of €306.7 million for the 2022 financial year. The takeover deal by SEGA is due to be finalised around September 2023. Both companies are looking to benefit from each other, with SEGA looking to expand its mobile gaming business and Rovio looking to expand into console gaming.
SEGA have had huge success in the mobile gaming space, opening their own dedicated mobile gaming development studio SEGA Hardlight in January 2012. SEGA have famously supported the iOS app store since its launch in 2008 with the release of Super Monkey Ball. They have also supported the Apple Arcade service since its launch in 2019 with the release of Sonic Racing and ChuChu Rocket! Universe.
File this one under “Games We Weren’t Prepared For” – SEGA and Yoko Taro (of Nier fame) are collaborating on a new mobile RPG called 404 Game Re:set which re-imagines classic SEGA properties as anime girls.
The game’s premise seems to present SEGA as an evil corporation who now control everything, and the anime girls who represent the various SEGA properties are actually portrayed as evil. You can watch the 7 minute game reveal showcase for 404 Game Re:set in the embed below. Unfortunately this is only available in Japanese at the time of writing:
The game appears to also feature a gacha element as players who pre-register before release are rewarded with in-game “gems”. 404 Game Re:set will launch later in 2023 for iOS and Android devices.
Some SEGA-adjacent news for you! Famed director Yu Suzuki of SEGA classics like After Burner, Hang-On, Space Harrier, Out Run and Shenmue is back with a new downloadable game called Air Twister. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognise the action of Air Twister as being somewhat reminiscent of Space Harrier. You can check out the bonkers announcement trailer via the embed below. Be prepared for giant swans and a sound-a-like version of Killer Queen:
Air Twister launches exclusively on Apple Arcade on June 24th 2022. The game is not being published by SEGA, but by Suzuki’s own YsNet studio. You will need an Apple device and a subscription to Apple Arcade to play the game once it launches.
SEGA, Colorful Palette and Crypton Future Media are bringing the mobile title Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage to the West with an English version that is launching on iOS and Android devices “soon”. You can check out the reveal trailer by clicking the embed below:
The game features a touch screen interface where you have to touch the notes as they slide towards you in a similar style to a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game. You can also participate in virtual concerts with other players through online connectivity.
Livetune’s Tell Your World is currently the only song featured in the above trailer, but the official Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage YouTube channel also has a developer team interview which features more songs and more in game action. The video is subtitled in English and you can watch it by clicking here.
This one doesn’t have any ground-breaking discoveries from SEGA’s archives, but it does serve as a pretty great way to familiarise yourself with the mainline entries in SEGA’s beloved cab-em-up series. It also provides a good excuse to listen to “All I Want”, though to be fair we never need an ‘excuse’ to listen to that song.
SEGA Forever’s also promised there’s more Retrospectives on the way as part of a series, so we’ll let you know when more go up.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
IDOLA Phantasy Star Saga, the latest mobile entry in the beloved Phantasy Star series, is now available to download in 140 territories, including North America, for both iOS and Android. The release comes via Boltrend Games.
Via Boltrend’s PR:
IDOLA Phantasy Star Saga was produced by Shuntaro Tanaka, recognized writer and producer, Tomomasa Chin, the supervising director, and Sho Mutsuura, the art director together with the original team in SEGA, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Phantasy Star series in Japan. Soundtrack was done by Kenichi Tokoi, also composer of the music in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
While the game is not available in Europe at the moment, Boltrend’s PR has now confirmed that a European release is planned for the future, which is great to hear. We’ve also received clarification on the game’s connectivity to Phantasy Star Online 2, or lack thereof; while the EN version of the game cannot connect to PSO2, SEGA has released a code for the Visiphone that will reward players with 200 SG. So that’s nice!
As soon as information becomes available on a European release, we’ll let you know.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
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