Get All The Details From Bandai Namco’s GDC Mobile Event Here

Bandai Namco are clearly confident in their forthcoming mobile line-up, all of which are based on some of their biggest anime properties. Dragon Ball, Sword Art Online, Naruto and One Piece all featured, with some new and exciting games playing host to an array of beloved characters.

Dragon Ball Legends

Pegged as a One Finger Card Action Battler, Bandai Namco were keen to emphasise the intuitive nature of the game’s combat. It’s been co-developed by Dimps Corporation who make the Xenoverse games. Pre-registration is now open, with a closed beta also due to run between the 21st and 26th of March.

The characters are 3D, fully voiced, and have an extensive range of animations, with the anime’s trademark action in full effect. The line-up includes Super Saiyan Goku, Piccolo, Pan, Vegeta, Frieza and Nappa but they’ve said they’re going to add every character over time. There’s also a brand-new character for the game, designed by Akira Toriyama who is seemingly a Saiyan from a time that is not Goku’s.

Tournaments to determine the world’s strongest fighters are set to be held in multiple cities around the world. More information will be released via their official Twitter.

Miles Ward, Director of Solutions Google Cloud, took to the stage to announce that Legends is a world first, being the first game to utilise the Google Cloud infrastructure, which is a network that’s five times bigger than the internet. Hand in hand it also utilises Cloud Spanner, which is a database that handles massive player bases, replacing MySQL which is usually used in gaming. The network requires atomic clocks at each of the database centres to ensure that tectonic drift hasn’t affected the platform.

Sword Art Online Integral Factor

There’s a new trailer, and you will play as an all-new original character in the first Sword Art “Death Game”. Like Kirito, you’re a former beta tester, and you, alongside your partner Koharu, will attempt to make your way through the 99 levels of Aincrad.

It’s an online RPG where you can take on quests and battles with players from all around the world. You’ll set skills to become stronger and find the optimum combination, and thanks to this you can in essence craft your character so they have a unique skill set. There are an all new range of quests and events that occur concurrently to the main SAO storyline, and you’ll meet the stars of the show in due course, and team up with them.

Pre-registration is now open, and you’ll get two in-game stamps, 2500 Arcana Gems and a 4 Star Asuna skill card when the game officially launches.

Naruto X Baruto Ninja Voltage

This is the first mobile game to feature Naruto and his son Boruto. It’s already had over 10 million downloads since November 2017. A new feature is being added, which is the Raid Battle mode which is live now. All characters will now be available to new players from the end of the month.

One Piece Bounty Rush

One Piece Bounty Rush focusses on real time combat in a four player multiplayer team battler. The pre-launch campaign has had over 1 million participants. There’s also a singleplayer mode. There are five character types; fighter has a speed advantage, supporter provides buffs to teammates, shooter specialises in long range attacks, swordsman has the ability to attack and counterattack, while warrior types have the highest defence and attack rating and can turn the tide of battle. Given One Piece’s huge array of characters it’s no surprise that there’ll be plenty of playable characters to choose from.

Written by
TSA's Reviews Editor - a hoarder of headsets who regularly argues that the Sega Saturn was the best console ever released.