By Dr. Serkan Toto – On Japan's Game Industry

Buddy Monster: Mobage Gets Great-Looking 3D Social RPG [Social Games]

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There can be no question that the quality of social games in Japan, from a technical standpoint, is rising. Case in point: Buddy Monster, a 3D social RPG that just hit Mobage.

Even though the name is terrible, the game itself actually looks great: after all, Buddy Monster is the brain child of Yuji Naka, the legendary video game designer responsible for some of Sega’s biggest hits (I personally am a big fan of his).

For the game’s design and artwork, Naka and his company Prope clearly took a few hints from Panzer Dragoon (a Sega action game franchise Naka was never involved with) and Monster Hunter, as you can see in the screenshots below.

Set in a fantasy world full of various environments (Prope created volcanoes, deserts, snow fields, etc.), players take on the role of a knight and can choose between up to 100 different monsters they wish to control and battle with other monsters in the field (including boss fights).

Apart from the usual monster-slaying component, another goal is to create a bond with your personal monster as the game progresses (which explains the title).

With graphics like this, it’s no surprise that Buddy Monster is only available as a Mobage native app on iOS or Android:

      

      

      

Trailer:

About the author

Dr. Serkan Toto

I am the CEO & Founder of Kantan Games Inc., an independent consultancy focused on Japan’s game industry.

Please feel free to connect via Email (Serkan at kantangames.com), LinkedIn or Twitter.

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By Dr. Serkan Toto – On Japan's Game Industry