Most Japanese mobile games nowadays have an penchant for automated gameplay which really takes away the thrill of actually “doing” something. Another hit among similar games is mobile collectible card games. Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur challenges the extent of mobile games’ basic design to attract a new breed of mobile gamers.
Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur is the second game in the Million Arthur mobile game series developed by Square Enix which plays on the idea of literally anybody drawing Excalibur from the stone, anointed with the title “Arthur” and deemed worthy to rule over Britain. This time, the story begins while Britain is already under siege against the Invaders when four, very unlikely, heroes make a stand to defend the land.
The only voice of reason in the game: Thief Arthur
Choose you’re waifu, I mean, your fate
Unlike Magnificent Million Arthur, the player is given the option to choose from new Arthurs, each one specializing in a specific role in a party of four. While a default Arthur is chosen at the beginning, you can choose to play as a different one later which adds to the variety that’s lacking in the previous game, where you only play as your chosen Arthur for the rest of the game’s life.
Yes, I forgot to turn off chat heads. Cut me some slack.
The game focuses on teamwork and choosing the right Arthur helps players kick things off. If you’re the attacker-type, you might want to consider playing as a Mercenary, who specializes in physical damage or a Thief, who focuses on dealing damage through magic attacks and debuffs. Support roles are also available in the Merchant who specializes in buffs and the Bard, who has an array of healing spells to keep the team alive.
It’s what Kaku-San-Sei aspired to be
Square Enix learned a lot from their first try and applied massive changes to the game system which plagued the first game. This game is what Kaku-San-Sei should have been, with souped up graphics, a more defined battle system and focus on multiplayer.
One of the most appealing features of Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur is it’s tutorial. The designers knew that the extent of the game’s system might be overwhelming to some newcomers, so they decided to integrate the tutorial into the game’s narative. The game is successful in introducing game concepts to the player in a manner that’s short and understandable. Visual cues and short text boxes are used to guide the player and educate without bombarding information. It’s really a breath of fresh air for similar mobile RPGs where the player is thrown into chaos right at the very start.
If only AAA titles give a tutorial this simple yet so effective. Also body parts can be attacked.
Another feature of the game players might check out is the overall presentation of Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur. Characters are brought to life by Live2D technology with vibrant colors, brillant voice acting and a really engaging soundtrack which will keep the player glued to the phone for a while. A game of similar presentation requires a powerhouse of a device, which is one of the challenges currently faced by this iteration. The game will run smoothly on mid-range to flagship phones and I really think Square Enix pulled all stops in this game.
See her in motion and you’ll realize how amazing Live2D is
The game is a perfect mix of simplicity and complexity, melded together in a irresistable package that made RPGs so great. The idea is the player collects “Knight” cards which will be assembled in a deck and use them in battle. The draws at the start of the battle is random, and given that the player can now choose which card to play, (in Magnificent Million Arthur, the player is given a random set of cards in the deck and the game will automatically commence the attack, without player intervention) using the right card at the right moment is key to victory in multiplayer quests.
Decks can be customized and you can choose which role to play in your party
Players loot cards, items and crystals which can be used to upgrade cards in the deck so the player can become a more efficient team member. Cards looted from missions and quests can also be sold for in-game currency which will grant access to an array of upgrade options, provided you have the needed materials to upgrade your Knights.
Let’s work together!
The player has an active role in a mission’s success through multiplayer
Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur is made with multiplayer in mind. The fact that there are four character types to choose from and quests that can only be completed by a team is proof of this and it’s a bold step for Square Enix to tread a path less taken by mobile games. When the player joins a multiplayer quest, he/she gets to choose which role to take in the team. This is where the option to choose your Arthur comes in. Knights can be used by Arthurs of other classes, so the player can set up a deck especially tailored to his/her role.
There’s also an “Arena” feature, presumably for PvP. However, the current build doesn’t support it yet. Hopefully this feature will attract players who miss the competitive nature of Magnificent Million Arthur in the future.
Still plagued by the disease of Japanese mobile games
Despite the good things Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur has to offer, it seems it still hangs onto the gacha system to generate income. To the uninitiated, gacha is a lottery system where a player draws a randomly generated item in exchange for in-game currency. Most of the best cards can be drawn through gacha given you have enough draws and if you’re lucky enough. It also features “Affinity Gacha”, where the player receives “Afinity Points” for “helping out others”. This type of gacha allows the player to draw normal rarity cards which can be used to upgrade cards.
While the gacha system gives players chance to power up their decks, it also requires purchasing items that will give gacha draws. Much like every freemium game out there, this provides an unfair advantage to those who spend money rolling the best cards for each class.
Japanese mobile games feed on gacha
The game is also guilty of excessive grinding. This is where most players resort to in the hopes that they can level up those needed cards. Grinding also encourages gold-mining to make sure players have enough credits to upgrade their decks. Checking quests for upgrade materials is also the norm, and some materials are exclusively timed. Players might need to sign in at different hours of the day to see if the materials they need are already available.
Still part of Japanese lazy game design? While this feature is a solution to grinding, it doesn’t give that much incentive to the player
There’s also the fatigue system which can be replenished by specific items that can only be purchased in the in-game store, though quest points are recovered after a set amount of time. A lot of Japanese mobile games seem to have this restriction in place to prevent extended play hours, but it seems it’s just there to force the player to purchase recovery potions to continue grinding.
Might be one of the best mobile games out there
With the above said, Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur is an interesting case for strategy card game RPGs and mobile games ingeneral. It might be just one of those games out there which will tell the console and PC gaming market everywhere else that mobile games should be taken seriously. Square Enix made a game of this quality to prove that mobile games aren’t just automated tap-fests for casuals to enjoy. With the depth of games like this, I personally look forward to the day mobile games can be an integral part of video game experience.
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Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur was played on an HTC One M9 with Android 5.1 Lollipop installed for the sole purpose of this review. All screenshots are taken by reviewer. Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur is available for download on the Google Play store.