Friends, with the state of the market being what it is on mobile, I no longer even carry the slightest hope of running into a new paid offline RPG anymore at Tokyo Game Show, particularly from independent developers. So imagine my surprise when I came across Devil Stone, an upcoming RPG from Hong Kong-based developer Simplist Limited. It’s as traditional as it gets, with turn-based battles, a party of characters that assemble of the course of the game, and a paid upfront model that is sure to please anyone who is getting a little burnt out on free-to-play social RPGs.
The basic set-up sees the game’s protagonist being dropped from the demon world into the human world. It takes a comedic bent right from the start, and it’s certainly not a new idea as far as premises go, but it seems like it’ll be quite a bit of fun. The visuals use a 3D polygonal style with lush, bright colors in the opening area. You guide your character around, and when you run into a visible enemy on the map, you’ll enter into a turn-based battle with a lot of familiar options available to you.
A show floor is hardly a good place to get into an RPG, though, so I can’t tell you a whole lot about the game beyond the basics. The little bit that I did play sat well enough with me, however, and while it sounds like the game will be on the shorter side (the developer said to expect around 10 hours or so), I’m quite looking forward to playing the final version. This was literally the only offline, traditional JRPG-style game I saw at the show on mobile, which speaks to just how much the market has shifted in just a few years. I’m very much hoping this turns out to be a good one.
We’ll know soon enough, at least. Devil Stone is currently tentatively scheduled for release in October, though it could slip a little bit depending on circumstances. That will be a worldwide release, so Western fans will be able to get in on the game at the same time as everyone else. However the game turns out, I’m just happy to see that some developers are still willing to give this kind of thing a try on mobile. We’ll be sure to bring you a review of Devil Stone when the game finally comes out in the next couple of months.
