I never thought I’d say this, but – Chinese gaming companies are actually innovating. Chinese game developers have typically been best known as copycat developers. Opting to copy existing games rather than trying to innovate. Games like 300 Heroes and
Identity V are shameless copycats of their Western counterparts (300 Heroes is a League of Legends clone and Identity V is a total ripoff of Dead by Daylight). Things are starting to change though as Chinese companies are actually focusing on innovation.
Yostar Limited, a Chinese mobile gaming company is worth talking about. Unlike most mobile game developers, they’re actually trying new things and succeeding. Chinese games tend to do well in their home market, but poorly abroad, but Yostar’s titles have proven it doesn’t have to be that way. Their first mobile hit, Azure Lane, has been a big hit in Japan and the United States. In fact, an article on The Wall Street Journal mentioned that Japanese smartphone developers were starting to feel threatened by Chinese ones.
What makes Azur Lane special is that there really aren’t any other mobile games like it. It’s a Gacha horizontal shooter with unique gameplay. While every other gaming company is churning out generic Gacha RPGs similar to Fate / Grand Order or Epic Seven (Epic Seven can be played on PC too) with predictable gameplay, Azur Lane is a breath of fresh air. For the first time, Chinese mobile games are matching and even exceeding their Japanese and American counterparts in production value. So not only is Azur Lane an innovative game, it looks great too.
Yostar Limited’s second title available in English is Arknights and is yet another innovative masterpiece. It’s a Gacha tower defense RPG with a rich storyline and a great cast of characters. Like Azur Lane, Arknights features incredibly polished anime inspired graphics and a great soundtrack. Anyway. The point here isn’t to gush on these games, but to mention that for the first time in a long time, Chinese mobile games are competing with Japanese games on the global stage.
While these games are available on mobile devices, you can also play Arknights on PC using any of the popular Android Emulators (Blue Stacks, Nox, etc). Azur Lane is also available on PC through the same emulators. If you haven’t tried these games, I strongly recommend them.
My MMO Reviews & Thoughts 