The <a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/battle-royale">Battle Royale</a> genre has seen a sharp upward rise in popularity. Since the release of pioneers like PlayerUnknown's Battle and Fortnite, to some of the more recent titles like Apex Legends, and even <a href="https://whatoplay.com/xbox-one/islands-of-nyne-battle-royale/">Islands of Nyne</a>. With this much popularity, it only makes sense for other bigger titles to wander into the survival the fittest gameplay. Where most games play to the serious and life-like survival scenarios, the Super Mario Bros. battle royale game adds a spark of wackiness to the formula. 
 
Taking one of the best Nintendo titles on the NES and adding a bit of modification magic to it, Super Mario Bros Royale (Brothers Royale?) similarly pits up to 100 Marios against one another, passing through the obstacles of worlds 1, 2, or 3, and racing to beat Bowser. While individual Marios don't actually interact directly with each other, each one is vulnerable against the natural threats of the stages--from piranha plants to the pesky Koopa shells. 
 
Hosting several players into one browser game, it does give into lags at the beginning but it's mostly a smooth sailing experience if you're good enough to manage through the madness. 
 
The Super Mario Brothers battle royale isn't an official game from Nintendo. As the company is quick at taking down clones of their own IPs, you may enjoy the game while it lasts by clicking <a href="http://www.infernoplus.com/royale/#main">here</a>.
 
You may also check out our list of other <a href="https://whatoplay.com/videos/cBdltUXY3jI/">top Wii U</a> and <a href="https://whatoplay.com/switch/best/">Switch games</a> to help you through until the next official Super Mario Brothers release.

Fanmade Super Mario Bros. mod might be your next favorite Battle Royale

Super Mario Bros Takes On Battle Royale in Fanmade Browser Game

<a href="https://whatoplay.com/switch/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild/">Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</a> is still the <a href="https://whatoplay.com/switch/best/">top Switch title</a> two years into the console's lifespan, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/developers/nintendo/">Nintendo</a>'s offering a new but familiar experience to fill in the time before the awaited sequel. 
 
<a href="https://whatoplay.com/switch/the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening/">The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening</a> for the Switch is a ground up remake of a classic Gameboy title of the same name released on the Gameboy in 1993.In this upcoming Switch adventure, Link sheds off the pixels for a fresher, more modern 3D look. 
 
Although The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening recreates the adventure through and through, the drastic but welcome changes to their artstyle makes it feel like a brand new Legend of Zelda experience. 
 
Taking visual cues from the GameCube's Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Link's Awakening feels almost like toy to life title. Presented with a unique take on 3/4 RPG perspective, Link's Awakening feels like a diorama at times. Its textures also evoke a life-like realism to it, and it's accentuated by the tilt shift effect of its backdrops.
 
While it's more of a revamp than an actual new Legend of Zelda title, its visual make it look new enough for younger fans who haven't played the old title and to merit replays from old fans. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening will release exclusively on the Switch on September 20, 2019.

Following hot on the heels of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link’s Awakening will be coming out later this year.


Next Legend of Zelda On Switch A Revamp of Gameboy Title

The <a href="https://whatoplay.com/ps4/final-fantasy-vii-remake/">Final Fantasy 7</a> might be coming in separate standalone packages, but at least players can rest assured following the latest Midgard focused trailer which announced the <a href="https://whatoplay.com/ps4/upcoming/">upcoming PS4</a> title's March 3rd 2020 release date. 
 

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Since the game's first announcement in 2015, news about the revamped Final Fantasy game have been scarce since. However, this latest trailer offered one of the most detailed looks at the title so far, featuring fan favorite characters Sephiroth and Tifa. We also get see a bit of its new battle system that combines real-time action with strategic gameplay. 
 
When attacking in real-time, characters will be filling up their Active Time Battle (ATB) meter which they can consume to enter "tactical mode," slowing down time and allowing players to choose spells and combat maneuvers in the spirit of the original turn-based gameplay. 
 
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake will come out in the form of two Blu-ray discs, and is confirmed to be episodic in nature. The first game will focus on the events in Midgar.

Square Enix E3 presentation for the upcoming PS4 exclusive also reveals new details on the new hybrid battle system

New Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trailer Announces March 3rd 2020 Release

First presented in last year's E3 presentation, the indie adventure game <a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/sea-of-solitude/">Sea of Solitude</a> finally has a release date. In a press release from publisher Electronic Arts, it's revealed that the title developed by German studio Jo-Mei Games will have a worldwide digital release on July 5th for the <a href="https://whatoplay.com/ps4/sea-of-solitude/">PlayStation 4</a>, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/xbox-one/sea-of-solitude/">Xbox One</a>, and PC through EA's own gaming platform, Origin. 
 
Developer Cornelia Geppert also joined in on the announcements with her own tweet:
 

<img src="https://cdn2.whatoplay.com/news/content/sos-tweet.png" alt="Tweet announcing Sea of Solitude release">
 
In Sea of Solitude, players will get to play as a young woman named Kay who finds herself in a mysterious urban cityscape fighting which appears to be a metaphor for her loneliness. It weaves an emotional journey for both player and the character itself, depicting inner turmoils with unique, dreamlike aesthetics and opening up more of the world as the story goes along.
 
"Designed with a striking visual style, Sea of Solitude is an intimate adventure across a beautiful and evolving world where nothing is quite as it seems. Kay’s journey unfolds around dynamic environments as atmospheric in-game weather help visualize the characters’ emotions. Players unlock new areas to explore by overcoming emotional challenges and progressively revealing light and color into the dark and stormy world. Through unique encounters with a variety of beautiful and terrifying monsters, Kay will discover why her loneliness has turned her into a monster and what it will take to change back to a human.
 
Sea of Solitude is the latest title from EA Originals, a program set up by Electronic Arts to help independent titles see publication. Previous titles from the collection include <a href="https://beta.whatoplay.com/xbox-one/fe/">Zoink's Fe</a>, and <a href="https://beta.whatoplay.com/pc/a-way-out/">Hazelight Studios' A Way Out</a>.

Electronic Arts and Jo Mei Games come together to create a powerful adventure about the beauty of solitude

Sea of Solitude, EA Original Story Driven Adventure Releasing on July 5th

Having recently been delayed from its original May 23 release date, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/developers/doublequote-studio/">Doublequote Studio</a>'s tactical turn-based shooter will be coming out this May 29th. 
 
According to Doublequote Studio's post on the Steam Community, the delay was caused by "unforeseen complications" that popped in the days leading up to their release. 
 
<a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/blood-will-be-spilled/">Blood Will Be Spilled</a> is a <a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/platformer/">platformer</a> and tactical turn-based shooter that takes place in a harsh, orange, Spaghetti Western style universe. With a story told in comicbook-like panels, it is perfectly complemented by their fully hand-drawn visuals. Revolving around the antics of a mosquito Bounty Hunter, Jack, in a buzzing bug world of crime, Blood Will Be Spilled is immersive with its fully-voiced cast of characters. This cast includes a narrator voiced by prominent voice actor Tim Simmons, and the protagonist Jack voiced by DeusEx's Adam Jensen.
 
Taking on the role of Jack the Mosquito Bounty Hunter, players will have to hunt down wanted gang members around the 2D Wild West and bring them to justice. Jump around wooden planks and platforms, and shoot it out with goons in their turn-based combat.
 
Blood Will Be Spilled will be available for PC Windows users through Steam.

Doublequote Studios shooter overcomes launch issues with a short delay to finally release on May 29th.

After Recent Delay Blood Will Be Spilled Comes Out on May 29th

If you're a fan of escaping from the world's problems through a bright and sunny simulation, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/developers/electronic-arts/">EA</a>'s got some good news: you can get <a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/the-sims-4/">The Sims 4</a> for free. Right now.
 
This promo is available on the EA gaming platform. It offers the standard version of the series' latest main installment, and you can download the game through this link.
 
A standard version, this will not have the content from their subsequent expansion packs. 
 
To get the game, you'll need sign in or create an Origin account for free, and set-up Origin on your platforms, after which the download will begin. Once you have it, you'll get to keep The Sims 4 even after the promo ends.
 
This free download for The Sims 4 will be available on the site until May 28, 10 a.m. PDT.

PC players get a treat with EAs promo on the Origin website

The Sims 4 is FREE on Origin until May 28th

<a href="https://whatoplay.com/developers/playpark/">PlayPark</a> has recently announced the release of a new trailer for their free-to-play zombie first-person shooter, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/android/zombie-shooter2-death-hospital/">Zombie Shooter2 - Death Hospital</a>. Starting out like any ordinary horror trailer, its (overly) dramatic music and gunshots sets up the mood for the "tragic world of the dark hospital."
 
Every corner and every room you fight off the endless hordes of zombies for the fight of your life. There is no rest for the wicked after all.
 
 
While it might look your run of the mill mobile shooter, Zombie Shooter's distinguishes itself through its use of the gyro sensor. This means that players will navigate past the zombies of Death Hospital by using their phones to aim, and shooting with their thumbs. It's a one-hand shooting experience that might remind veteran players of the shooting games of the arcade era. And by the looks of the game, that might be their peg for the visuals too--whether intentionally or not. 
 
Play at your own risk. We warn you that this game is highly addictive because of its rewarding, and action-packed gameplay. 
 
Zombie Shooter - Death Hospital is currently available on Android as a free-to-play title on the Google PlayStore.

Reanimating the zombie arcade shooting experience on the mobile

Zombie Shooter 2 Death Hospital Brings FREE Arcade Shooting to Android

Remember when games came out complete with no strings attached? We do. The rise of mobile gaming and its inevitable muse, the freemium model, marked the end of those days. One of the things we have to thank for this is Microtransactions.

Microtransactions, a word that now evokes a dark tower silhouetted by a lightning bolt and backed by the mad laughter of an evil game developer. It all started innocently enough.

Coming to prominence in the age of free-to-play MMOs, profits that came from the purchases of cosmetics and in-game currency became the bread and butter of the genre. Over the years, this freemium business model has moved into the mobile sphere, most notably with King’s ubiquitous Candy Crush whose in-game microtransactions made up <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/4/14/11625616/some-gamers-fear-a-dystopian-free-to-play-future">92% of the game’s generated revenue in 2013</a>.

These days, it’s not just mobile games and MMOs. The microtransaction model has crawled its way up the corporate ladder, reaching the ears of big names in the videogame industry, like EpicGames with the viral dances of Fortnite, to the more controversial loot boxes of Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

<h2 class="mdc-typography--headline5">So what are the different kinds?</h2>
Of course, for a phenomenon that's grown more and more pervasive every year, Microtransactions come in many forms. We’ll focus on three main types and these are:

<h3>1. In-game Currencies</h3>
It's not surprising that each game has its own very special kind of currency. These, however, refer to currencies you can purchase with real-life cash. Whether its diamonds, gems, or coins, buying these usually grant players access to in-game conveniences for a price.
These are most common in mobile games. For example in Clash of Clans where you have to wait a certain amount of time to complete a given task or structure, players can opt out of the wait with a certain number of gems.
While you can earn these through battles and random prizes, it may take a very long time to accumulate enough for more or less continuous gameplay. 

There is a psychological element at play here, too, which will be explained further in the next part.


<h3>2. In-game Items or Purchases</h3>
Who hasn't gone virtual window-shopping for cute-looking armor, pets, and mounts? Whether its merely for cosmetics or for a certain advantage, in-game items are basically things you can purchase and use within the game itself. 

It would like the epic-looking stuff at the RPG shopkeeper's inn, but we could also broaden its scope to include the next chapters of an episodic game.


<h3>Random Chance Purchases</h3>

The type of microtransaction that will push you to roll the dice against lady luck for the slim chance of receiving that legendary item you've been dreaming of. Most of the time though, all you get is spare change. But that's not stopping you from trying again.

Random Chance Purchases (RCP) usually come in the form of crates, loot box, or bags. Their main similarity is that they hide their contents from the player and are decided less by individual fortune and more by whatever algorithm the developers choose (depending on how generous they are.) 

Literally named after the vending machine capsule toys commonly found in Japan, gacha games are the most guilty of these types. Games like Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Puzzle &amp; Dragons might come to mind, but these days you might also remember them from Overwatch, FIFA, and many of EAs titles.

More often than not, these loot boxes and treasure chests are offered free. But, that's when you have to be careful since you're a getting a taste of the thrill and the choice to get more is always dangled right in front of you. I mean, who doesn't like opening gifts, right? And that’s exactly what makes RCPs so controversial. 

In fact, with such stark similarities to gambling, there are already movements for its regulation across the globe. In the US, there’s a proposed bill that <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/videogame-legislation-loot-boxes/">bans selling loot boxes to minors</a> and a <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/the-ftc-is-holding-a-loot-box-workshop-in-august/">scheduled hearing with the FTC</a>; and in Europe, several countries are <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-09-17-15-european-gambling-regulators-unite-to-tackle-loot-box-threat">planning to officially declare them as gambling</a>.


<h2 class="mdc-typography--headline5">AAA Microtransactions are Evil! Why are they in my games?</h2>

Short answer? Because they work. And for the long answer, we have VOX doing some pretty good explaining, as always:

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Using the viral popularity Pokemon Go as a jumpoff point, Vox explains how games exploit human psychology to get people to break out their wallets.


<h3>Cash vs Credit</h3>
Remember in-game currency? Well, apparently there's a reason they come in convoluted forms. VOX cites Candy Crush's credit to gold bar to lollipop exchange rate. 

Because there are three layers of disconnect between your hard earned cash and the game's in-game currency, it separates you from the money you're spending compared to spending the same amount in cold hard cash. And, since these exchange rates are never, it makes it even harder to imagine how much you're actually spending.


<h3>Loss Aversion</h3>

<blockquote>People tend to experience unexpected losses more intensely than comparable gains.
</blockquote>

Nobody likes pain. But with the freemium model, inconvenience is embedded everywhere you look, and getting out of them is easy enough, for the right price, VOX cites another game, Puzzle &amp; Dragons, which prompts players at the crucial moment of dungeon death where you choose to either lose all your progress, and spend a magic stone to keep going. This also counts for the wait time mechanic in Clash of Clans (and maybe all the things we do on mobile MMOs to avoid the long grind.)

<h3>Whales</h3>

If you’re reading this with a big smirk on, pleased with the fact that you’ve never spent a penny on your games, you can wipe that straight off--you’re actually the majority. According to VOX, only 1.9 percent of mobile users make these in-app purchases and the few who do are called <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/2/26/11623998/a-long-tail-of-whales-half-of-mobile-games-money-comes-from-0-15">whales</a>. They make up only 10 percent of the tiny percentage of mobile spenders but, like gambling addicts, they manage to dole upwards of a hundred dollars on the games they play.

So there you go. Whether or not you're a whale microtransactions have become an annoying part of the videogame world we live in. Now that they're there though, at least you know the kind of tricks they'll try to pull on you. Look out for those in-app purchases, and remember to keep your wallet (and credit card) safe!

<h2>Further reading</h2>


<a href="https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/economics-of-microtransactions/
">Economics of Microtransactions in Video Games</a> 
<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/19/18226852/loot-boxes-gaming-regulation-gambling-free-to-play">How Loot Boxes Hooked Gamers and Left Regulators Spinning</a> 
<a href="https://kotaku.com/u-s-senator-introduces-bill-to-ban-loot-boxes-and-pay-1834612226">US Senator Introduces Bill to Ban Loot Boxes and Pay-To-Win Microtransactions</a>

Microtransactions, a word that now evokes a dark tower silhouetted by a lightning bolt and backed by the mad laughter of an evil game developer. It all started innocently enough.

Gamers' Guide to Microtransactions

Following the Oh So Adorable Detective Pikachu movie, it looks like another Pokemon success is flying off the shelves this week. Quietly unleashed on the Android, the mobile gets a new taste of friendly pocket monster battling with the new Pokemon Rumble Rush. As of writing, it's still only available for Australian Google Play users. In their latest press release, Nintendo assures that an iOS version, as well as a full worldwide, is set to come shortly after. 
 
Initially announced Pokeland, Pokemon Rumble Rush is a mobile version of the WiiWare's beat 'em up take on the Pokemon series that was first released in 2009. Pokemon Rumble has since spawned numerous sequels on the 3DS and the Wii U. Pokemon Rumble Rush sees players becoming adventurers that go on a mission to discover new islands and all the pokemon that inhabit it. 
 
With a rattatas as the starter for the journey, players will use taps and swipes to attack other pokemon in battle and win coins. Each island will have its own boss, which when defeated, will give out currency in the form of coins and ore.

A simplified version of Pokemon Rumble Rush is now available on Google PlayStore Australia

Pokemon Rumble Rush is Pokemon’s latest game on the Android

First teased back in December 2018, the upcoming standalone expansion to Grimlore Games’ RTS-slash-RPG hybrid, <a href="https://whatoplay.com/pc/spellforce-3-soul-harvest/">SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest</a>, is set to come out soon on May 28th, 2019. This was recently announced in the latest trailer for their new faction called the Dark Elves. 

They are different. They are a swarm. They serve something greater than you could ever imagine. The Dark Elves are here and their mission is clear: They will reap the souls of the fallen and reanimate their hulls as their servants. Will you join them or will you feed their appetite for blood? 

The Dark Elves is one of two factions which will be added in SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest, the other being the Dwarven faction whose realm is also under threat in the standalone expansion's new storyline. Filled with up to 20 hours of content, Soul Harvest in Nortander three years after the so-called Purity War. 

"However, things aren’t as peaceful as they seem – when the Queen calls you, a disgraced General, back to your homeland, you’re plunged in a war on many fronts: While a hatemonger threatens to tear apart the Dwarven realm, an enigmatic cult of Dark Elves harvests the souls of people for reasons unknown. Gather your allies and prevent a catastrophe!"

Aside from the two factions, SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest will also come with new features which include flying units for more advanced tactics, two new heroes for each faction, a modern multiplayer lobby, a map editor with powerful modding tools, and an overhauled UI.

The standalone expansion of Grimlore Games and THQ Nordic's RPG real-time strategy now has an official release date set for Spring


Pia Aguilos

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Articles by Pia Aguilos