If you have followed our ChinaJoy coverage from last year, you’ll remember that ChinaJoy is filled with new playable demos for some of the latest mobile and console games in China. This year is no different, and this time we look at Giant Network’s mobile ARPG title Twelve Weapons of God (十二神兵器).
The game was announced last year, and early this year the first closed beta was held. In the demo at ChinaJoy 2019, visitors had a chance to experience more than just the combat of the game, with more characters to explore and new weapons to choose from.
▍Gameplay
The core gameplay of the game is similar to typical ARPG games on mobile. On the left, players can control their character’s movement and on the right players can swipe the screen to change their view or tap individual action icons to attack, perform skills, evade, and tag in a different character.
For most mobile ARPG players, the control will be very familiar, but what surprised me the most was how reactive the game was. The game runs quite smoothly in-game and controls are executed almost seamlessly making the game seem a lot faster and more intuitive than other similar mobile games.
The overall gameplay is visually stunning, setting aside the well made 3D models and animations, the game spared no details on each different stage setting of the game. Each character’s special skill also features a seamless cutscene transition which gives players a strong visual impact when playing.
▍Game System
In addition to basic character leveling, the game also includes different weapons that players can choose from. Each weapon is unique from one another not just in looks, but also in the skill tree they provide to the character. When players obtain new weapons for their characters, it is more than just a simple cosmetic change, but a change in the available stat boosts that can be obtained.
▍Thoughts
In all honesty, the game is quite a decent mobile ARPG. Just the responsive control alone makes the game quite incredibly fun on hand. But alas, the shadow of Honkai Impact has really cast a large shadow over the genre. Whilst the game still has some unique aspects to it, it is hard to outrun the Honkai influence.
The gacha system in the game is somewhat similar to that of Fire Emblem Heroes. Whilst it is not entirely a bad thing, personally, it isn’t something I found particularly appealing.
As final thoughts, Twelve Weapons of Gods is definitely a game that has great potential. The fast-paced action and reactive control is something that can even give Honkai Impact a challenge. The only worries I would have is how weapons and characters are obtained in the final version of the game. Most mobile games, especially Chinese mobile games, have a harsh monetization system which really makes it hard for free-to-play players. If the launch version of the game penalizes free-to-play players, then it would really be disappointing.
▍Gameplay Videos
■ Combat
■ Gacha
