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The heroes of Westeros arrive in Game of Thrones: Conquest to turn the tides of war

Game of Thrones: Conquest introduces new heroes to the battlefield in its latest update. The game, which sees players battle for control of Westeros, recently added dragons to the fray in its first major post-launch update.

The heroes will be familiar faces for any who have read the books, or seen the TV show, including Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Danaerys Targaryen, and Cersei Lannister, as well as fan favourites like Hot Pie, Hodor, and Jaqen H’ghar. Each has their own unique skills, stats, and abilities which could help turn the tides of war.

Players will be able to unlock heroes through “Summons”, which can contain Hero Relics, Hero XP, and other rewards. With enough Hero Relics – which range in rarity from Uncommon to Mythic – you can unlock up to six heroes to form your own Small Council. Once you unlock a hero, you can level them up using XP, Relics, and Oaths.This will boost their level, both of their signature skills, and can unlock powerful Star Skills that are potent enough to win a battle on their own.

As well as dictating their forces from a seat on the Small Council, heroes can be sent on Marches into battle with their troops – and of course with dragons to aid them. Different heroes excel in different roles – Jaime Lannister thrives in the heat of battle, whereas his father Tywin prefers to pull the strings from the shadows.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEYCSbE0n-o?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

Your best chance of unlocking Seats of Power through successful Kingdom vs. Kingdom and limited-time Rebellion events will be with a cadre of powerful heroes to do your gruesome bidding.

If you like the look of – or are already enjoying – Game of Thrones: Conquest, then check out our breakdown of the best mobile strategy games. We’re sure you’ll find something to pique your interest.

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Garena Free Fire is going futuristic with ‘Operation Chrono’ its upcoming character collaboration

Garena has teased its upcoming campaign for Free Fire. While we don’t know much, we do know that ‘Operation Chrono’ takes place in a ‘futuristic slum universe’ with advanced technology and sci-fi stylings. We also know that the campaign setup involves a hero rising to prominence as a source of inspiration. If previous campaigns are anything to go by, it’s likely that this character is going to modelled around Free Fire’s new partner for Operation Chrono.

Garena hasn’t announced who it is, yet, but is set to release some teasers on the official Free Fire YouTube and Facebook accounts in the next few days, before the official announcement rolls around on December 7. Either way, Operation Chrono is a bit of a departure for Free Fire, and it’ll be exciting to see what it does with a sci-fi setting, and potential futuristic weaponry.

For those that don’t know, Garena Free Fire is a hugely popular battle royale game, which sees you pick a character and face off against 49 other players. The game is also well known for its popular character collaborations with real world celebrities.

If you want to see some of the game for yourself, check out the trailer below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq2Rz2I11l0?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

Free Fire has also previously run collaborations with DJ KSHMR, Jai, DJ ALOK, and even the Netflix show, Money Heist.

If you want to play Garena Free Fire for yourself, you can find it on Google Play and the App Store. For more similar recommendations, check out our list of the best mobile multiplayer games!

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Doom Eternal finally launches December 8 on Nintendo Switch

Bethesda has announced that it’s finally bringing Doom Eternal to Nintendo Switch on December 8, and it’s about bloody time (get it?). The critically acclaimed shooter arrives courtesy of Panic Button, the creator of many impossible Switch ports, including the original Doom, both Wolfensteins, and Warframe. Suffice to say, it should prove suitably impressive.

As you can expect, it also arrives with motion aiming, allowing you to use gyro controls to fine-tune your aim. Aside from that, this is the true Doom Eternal experience, complete with the lengthy single player experience, wide variety of weapons (including the Assassin’s Creed-style wrist-mounted blade) and abilities, and that sweet multiplayer experience.

This time around, the latter features the new Battlemode, err, mode, which pits one player, as a fully-armed Doom Slayer, against two demons, which you, the players, control. It’s a best-of-five battle to the death. And you can do all of the above a lot sooner than you might have first thought, when Doom Eternal arrives on Nintendo Switch as both a physical and digital release on December 8.

Here’s a taste of the shooter in action:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W336V67VnHo?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

You can also learn more about the upcoming Switch port by reading this post on the official site.

If you’re sold, you can pre-order Doom Eternal on Amazon UK (US is not live as of yet) via the link below. Happy slaying.

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Farlight 84 is a hero-based battle royale shooter from Lilith Games arriving in 2021

Lilith Games has announced that its upcoming battle royale shooter, Farlight 84, is arriving on mobile in 2021. The game combines elements of MOBA with multiplayer shooting, as you bring heroes to battle, and use their abilities to overcome opponents. Imagine something like Apex: Legends combined with Fortnite, as you also have the usual battle royale accouterments of crafting, and vehicles with which to rampage across the map.

In terms of story, Farlight 84 is post-apocalyptic, but more like the colourful post-apocalypse of Farcry: New Dawn than say, The Long Dark. The world has been taken over by zombie-cyborgs – zomborgs for short – and the last remaining heroes of humanity must face off against each other to scavenge what they need to survive.

This makes Farlight sounds pretty grim, but on the contrary, it looks like a fun-filled third-person shooter, channeling those same quirky Fortnite vibes, with fast-paced 40 player matches. Adding to the chaos, players are able to kit themselves out with super-powered weapons, courtesy of Farlight’s ‘Big Four’ arms manufacturers. They’ll also be a fair selection of ways to traverse the map, from multi-legged spider walkers to jet-packs, though players will have to be wary of the game’s energy system when using these.

If you want to see some gameplay for yourself, the new trailer is below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qVRvg9DmCY?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

Farlight 84 also features ‘refuges’ which are places you can hang out inbetween games with your buddies. But in order to construct and personalise these, you’re going to have to earn building matierials from winning matches.

If you want to find out more about Farlight 84, you can stay up to date with news on the official Facebook and Twitter accounts. For more similar recommendations, check out our list of the best mobile multiplayer games!

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Black Desert Mobile update reveals the new Dimensional Crystal class

Acclaimed MMO Black Desert Mobile is ramping up its content to see out 2020 on a high note. After the trashfire of a year we’ve had, games are the perfect form of escapism, and updates just keep us away from the real world for as long as possible.

Black Desert Mobile is introducing a brand new crystal class for players. The Dimensional Crystal – aside from just sounding more epic than a journey to Mordor – grants new buffs to your attack points, defense points, and Black Spirit stat points. For those of you currently using the Abyssal-grade crystal, the effects of the Dimensional Crystal vastly exceed the highest potential of your current class.

Publisher Pearl Abyss also announced the return of the Field of Valor, which sees players form uneasy alliances with each other to fight hordes of enemies. The mode is here for two weeks (until December 8), so find four other players and take down as many monsters as you can in the 30-minute survival mode. A word of warning, however: you’ll need to spend Tokens of Valor in order to enter. So slay some monsters in the Black Desert world to gain access to the Field of Valor.

The full patch notes and information for the Dimensional Crystal can be found below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hW6B_TvvdU?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]
  • Added Dimensional Crystal
    • Dimensional Crystals can contain power for the Aal, Labreve, Serrett, and Ahib branches
    • Dimensional Crystal extraction is only possible for gear lower than Primal grade, and cannot be done otherwise
  • Added a separate category on the craft menu for crafting Dimensional Crystals
    • You can craft Dimensional Crystals in the Alchemy Lab or Craft menu, under the Crystal category
  • Added new items that are required to craft Dimensional Crystals
    • Obtain Dimensional Fragments from feeding Abyssal-grade items to the Black Spirit and from Field of Valor
  • Dimensional Fragments cannot be obtained by feeding the Delphad Main Weapon and Sub-Weapon event rewards to the Black Spirit
    • Use Dark Coins to purchase Empty Crystals from Gervaise’s Shop

There is also – as with everything – a Black Friday sale in the Pearl Shop. Ornaments, outfits, and pets all have discounts, some of which reach 90% off. Pearl Abyss also says there will be special item bundles available, although we don’t know exactly what these include at this point.

Check out our picks for the best Black Friday deals on all things mobile and Switch gaming, or take a look at our roundup of the best mobile MMORPGs for more like Black Desert Mobile.

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Nintendo announces huge Cyber Deals sale including Link’s Awakening, Hades, and more

If you’ve had your Switch for a while, you’ll know that a decent sale is hard to come by. That’s what makes Nintendo’s latest Cyber Deals sale so damn good. The sale covers first-party IPs like the Legend of Zelda through to third party games like Hades as well as ports and remasters like Burnout Paradise, all for a significant chunk off.

The Cyber Deals sale runs from right now, November 24, until December 2 at 23:00 PST (December 3, 07:59 GMT). While the actual percentage point varies between 20 and 75% off full price, most of the games included in the sale sit between a third and half off their regular price.

However, it’s worth noting that at this point in time, the sale is only available on the US eShop. We don’t know whether the UK will receive a similar Cyber Deals sale to coincide with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but we’ll keep you updated either way. For now, US players can enjoy a fat stack of games on sale.

The full list of games available is as follows, with the percentage savings in brackets:

  • MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order (20%)
  • Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition (40%)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (33%)
  • Cuphead (25%)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (33%)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Torna the Golden Country (33%)
  • Hades (20%)
  • Super Mario Party (33%)
  • Just Dance 2021 (40%)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (50%)
  • Diablo III: Eternal Collection (50%)
  • Dark Souls: Remastered (50%)
  • Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (50%)
  • DOOM (50%)
  • Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (60%)
  • Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (50%)
  • The Jackbox Party Pack 7 (20%)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (50%)
  • The Outer Worlds (50%)
  • DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS (50%)
  • Two Point Hospital (50%)
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (33%)
  • The Last Campfire (30%)
  • DAEMON X MACHINA (33%)
  • Catherine: Full Body (40%)
  • LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition (40%)
  • Burnout Paradise Remastered (40%)
  • New Super Lucky’s Tale (30%)
  • CARRION (25%)
  • SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (40%)
  • Knights and Bikes (25%)
  • Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido (50%)
  • The Long Dark (33%)
  • Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (50%)
  • SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (25%)
  • SNACK WORLD: THE DUNGEON CRAWL – GOLD (40%)
  • RUINER (50%)
  • The Wonderful 101: Remastered (32%)
  • Castle Crashers Remastered (40%)
  • Terraria (50%)
  • WHAT THE GOLF? (30%)
  • Slay the Spire (40%)
  • Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (70%)
  • Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (50%)
  • Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (49%)
  • Mortal Kombat 11 (70%)
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition (30%)
  • Fe (75%)
  • Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (50%)
  • Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (35%)
  • Katana ZERO (40%)
  • Coffee Talk (25%)
  • Superliminal (30%)
  • SUPERHOT (40%)

As you can see, that is a long old list of games. So, take your pick and get playing! If you need any help deciding what to pick up, check out any of our guides to the best Switch RPGs, Switch strategy games, or the finest Switch multiplayer games to hit up with your friends. You can also find all of the best Black Friday deals right here on Pocket Tactics.

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Nintendo has added cosy AR cabins to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo has announced that it is adding AR features to its long-standing AC mobile game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. These two new modes – called AR Camera and AR Cabin – let players spend some quality time with their favourite villagers. The first, AR Camera, lets you set up a space for your pal, adding furniture to the scene, and taking a snapshot. AR Cabin, on the other hand, is a little more comprehensive, and lets you enter the same space as the characters.

You can turn this AR Cabin into a cosy hideaway, and overlay the door anywhere in the real world, allowing you to enter whenever you want. Once in your cabin, you can invite up to eight of your favourite villagers to hang out in the space. In celebration of this new mode, Nintendo are also giving away a free month of the Furniture and Fashion plan, which is a great way to get some new clothes and home decorations.

For those unfamiliar, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp first launched three years ago, and is Nintendo’s free-to-start mobile game. In Pocket Camp you build a campsite and invite friends to come stay. You can also visit different locations, catch bugs, fish, and pick fruit. It isn’t as comprehensive as New Horizons, but it’s still a fun on-the-go experience for any AC fan.

If you want to know more about the AR features, check out the release trailer below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTr21GedotM?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

AR Cabin and AR Camera launched on November 19, and are available in-game now.

If you want to play Pocket Camp for yourself, you can find it on Google Play and the App Store. For more relaxing recommendations, why not see our list of the best mobile idle games?

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What the Golf’s Snowtime update brings a white – and weird – Christmas

For anyone who hasn’t played What the Golf, it’s a parody golf game which gives the words “crazy golf” a whole new meaning. Each level presents a course with club, ball, and hole – like any golf game – but after that, who knows what will happen?

Perhaps your ball has a mind of its own (literally) or your club turns into a sheep. There is seriously no way to predict what each level will bring, and it’s your job to figure out how to get the ball (or sheep, or tree) into the hole (or mountain, or car). If you’re beginning to think that you’ve figured out the meta vibes of What the Golf: you’d be dead wrong.

Every update for the game has brought new, inventive levels and nothing feels old. The developers have a seemingly bottomless brain-pit filled with physics-based puzzles and quirky alternatives for golf clubs. And the Snowtime update, which went live on the App Store and Apple Arcade yesterday, looks to be more of the same.

For What the Golf’s non-denominational winter celebration, the developers have recruited frozen peas, frozen pizzas, and a frozen landscape for Snowtime fun – after all, there’s Snowtime like the present, right?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UaWxylfEMk?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

There will also be some snowman-related challenges, perfect in case we don’t get an actual White Christmas (which seems unlikely, given we literally never do). Here’s everything included in the Snowtime update (if you can decipher it):

  • Fetch the pizza quest
  • Yes now with snow
  • Pizzas
  • Extra COOL levels
  • Frozen peas, pizzas, and popsicles
  • A moose – NOT frozen!
  • A snowman trying to keep a snow profile
  • Did we mention pizza?
  • Even more chilly physics!

As well as a penchant for puns and pizza, the Snowtime update is sure to bring more inventive levels, dubious humour, and exciting changes to everyone’s favourite parody golf game.

If you like the sound of What the Golf, make sure to also check out the best mobile puzzle games. They might not carry the same irreverent humour, but definitely offer a great challenge. Alternatively, check out our roundup of all the Apple Arcade games to make sure you get the most bang for your buck!

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Win a free copy of dungeon-crawling shop-management game, Moonlighter!

We love a good dungeon-crawler, hacking and slashing our way through room after room packed with horrifying monsters. But it’s nice to have a break, too, and sit back with something a little more homely. We’re talking games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley that have a warm, comforting simplicity. Well, what if we told you there’s a game that has the best of both worlds? And what if we told you we were running a giveaway for that game this week…

Moonlighter is a dungeon-crawler/shop-keeping game where you play as Will, a merchant-turned-hero trying to keep his grandfather’s shop alive. In the game, you delve the dungeon, killing monsters and bosses, and then sell the loot you find in your shop, using the money to revitalise your hometown of Rynoka. It’s a really fantastic formula – read our Moonlighter review for more details!

The game originally launched on PC to much critical acclaim, and is coming to iOS on November 19. Lucky for you, we’ve got some copies for this week’s giveaway, so sign up down below if this sounds like you.

In order to enter, simply fill out the box below, though please have a look at our terms and conditions first.

ios

Moonlighter iOS giveaway

If you can’t wait to play Moonlighter for yourself, you can purchase the game on the App Store from tomorrow. We’ll send the codes out to the lucky winners next Thursday, so keep an eye on your inbox!

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Zynga launches new studio to work on its upcoming Star Wars mobile game

Zynga has announced that it’s opening a new mobile games studio, based in Austin, Texas, to work on its upcoming IP set in the Star Wars universe. The studio is on the lookout for 25 employees, and is headed by industry veterans, Jeff Hickman and Matthew Hemby. Though unnamed as of yet, the studio is also set to collaborate closely with Brighton-based BossAlien, who will also work on the Star Wars game.

“As a longtime Austin-ite, I know firsthand the immense level of talent and creativity that resides in this beautiful city,” says Jeff Hickman, Senior Vice President at Zynga. “We believe that the Austin talent market is highly compatible with our mission of bringing AAA console visuals and deep, compelling gameplay to mobile platforms.”

Zynga is well-known for games such as CSR Racing, Empires and Puzzles, Merge Dragons, and Words With Friends, and its games are playable in over 150 countries. Zynga also recently acquired Istanbul-based studio, Rollic, the maker of popular titles like Repair Master 3D, which sees the company dipping its toes further into the hyper-casual games market.

If you want to see a recent Zynga adaptation of a popular franchise, check out the trailer for Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ayjtNjiB1Q?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

Though we don’t know the name of the Star Wars game yet, or when it might release, it’s exciting to hear that Zynga is soon to be working on an IP in the popular sci-fi setting.

If you want to try a Zynga game for yourself, Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells is available on Google Play and the App Store. We also have a handy Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells guide to help you get started!