With The Game Awards introducing “Best in Adaptation” category which recognizes the best show, film, or series adapted from a video game, animation studios now have an additional award to gun for apart from the more mainstream awards like the Oscars and the BAFTAs. While a majority of film adaptations come from PC or console games, we think that there is room for animated film adaptations for mobile games as well. Fleshed-out characters, great plots, and intrigue are not monopolized by PC and console games, after all, and the mobile games in our list can rival even the best mainstream games in terms of character development and compelling storylines. These three mobile games need to be adapted into an animated series, film, or anime show as soon as possible. Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO+, Disney+, Peacock, or Paramount – all of you need to take note.
Three Mobile Games That Need To Have Their Own Anime or Animated Series
3. GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE is the most recently-released mobile game on our list. In this game, humanity is forced to a single haven on Earth, called The Ark, as mysterious machines called the Raptures have taken over the world. The game revolves around a newly-minted commander (the player character) commanding a squad of NIKKEs – humanoid weapons who are akin to androids – in fighting against the Raptures in humanity's bid to reclaim the Earth. NIKKEs are obedient to their commanders and are programmed to always put the well-being of humans as a top priority at all times, protecting humans even if it meant giving up their own lives.
While developers Level Infinite used alluring and racy character design to lure in gamers into trying out NIKKE, underneath its sexy surface lies a really deep story about survival and kinship. The commander's relationship with the NIKKEs is explored in the game as the player is different from other humans in that they treat NIKKEs like people instead of as weapons. The game's intrigue about the true nature of the Raptures and what their purpose is on Earth drives the game's secondary plot, as the main storyline follows the commander's missions as they are sent out to the surface by the CEOs of competing for military companies that often have contradicting objectives.
NIKKE already has a great animation team working on the CGI art of the characters, complete with CGI cutscenes during important moments in the game's story. This mobile game is just waiting for a suitable animation studio to adapt this mobile game into an animated series, as it has all of the qualities you'd look for in a game-turned-anime show.
Download GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE on Android and on iOS.
2. Tower of Fantasy
Tower of Fantasy is another newly-released game – launching just back in August. Tower of Fantasy brings players to the world of Aida, mankind's new home after being forced out of Earth due to dwindling resources and lack of energy. In this alien world, humans exist in protected settlements away from the alien creatures that still lurk just outside. Tower of Fantasy follows the story of a Wanderer that explores the world and helps the characters in the game to understand the mysterious resource known only as Omnium, either containing it or harnessing it for the benefit of humanity. While players control a customized character in the game, they can also take on the forms of other characters in the game by harnessing their Simulacra when they wield those characters' weapons. This allows players to continue identifying with their characters even when they switch between weapons in the game, something that its inspiration, Genshin Impact, doesn't offer.
Often compared to Genshin Impact, Tower of Fantasy has a lot to prove as a game so that it won't simply live in the shadows of the more popular title by HoYoverse. However, regardless of what you think about the game itself, Tower of Fantasy's world and stories make it a definite candidate for an anime adaptation. While Tower of Fantasy's story and plot lines aren't as thick and powerful as the other two shows in this list, it shines in terms of character design and development. Tower of Fantasy features a lot of beloved characters who are as relatable just as they are powerful. Tower of Fantasy has successfully captured the hearts of many fans in the world and can continue to do so once something like Netflix or Amazon Prime decides to create an animated show adapted from this mobile game. One can dream, right?
Play Tower of Fantasy on Android, iOS, and PC.
1. Genshin Impact
Of course, we can't talk about animated series adapted from mobile games without including what may just be the most appropriate title for this list: Genshin Impact. Since its launch in September 2020, HoYoverse has been doing a great job in creating an interesting world in Teyvat inhabited by compelling characters, each one with their own lives and stories that one can explore in the game. On top of that, the game offers a story that has a healthy mix of comedy, intrigue, drama, and lore-building. The game not only offers a compelling main storyline, but also a whole range of personal stories of its different characters, as well as side stories that put some full games to shame.
Just watching through HoYoverse's multitude of lore-related videos on Youtube would leave you with the impression that the company really spent a lot of time curating a world for players to enjoy, with lore that spans hundreds if not thousands of years, complete with realistic depictions of different cultures in-game.
In Genshin Impact, players take control of the Traveler, a seemingly-important character that has some pieces of their memory missing. The Traveler is an alien character from the world of Teyvat and is looking for their sibling who has been separated from them when fighting against one of the gods of Teyvat. As a result, the Traveler searches for the Seven Archons of Teyvat seeking their help in finding the unnamed god and reuniting with their long-lost sibling. It would later become obvious that not everything is as it seems, and that the Traveler may have been lost not only in location, but also in time, as their search for their sibling turns into a struggle against fate, the gods, and the relationships they've built with the people of Teyvat.
While this list contains two mobile games that need to have their own animated series, Genshin Impact actually already has one on the way. Back in September, HoYoverse announced that it will be partnering with animation giant Ufotable in creating an animated series that is intended to go on for a long time. Ufotable's involvement makes a lot of fans happy, as it is a popular animation studio that has done a great job in adapting the manga Demon Slayer into an animated series. Ufotable's expertise is in making fight scenes look amazing, and with what we've seen in Demon Slayer, we're sure that they'd also be able to bring to life Genshin Impact's characters' fighting prowess through hand-drawn animation when the anime eventually comes out.
Unfortunately, HoYoverse did not commit to a release date for the Genshin Impact animated show, and we actually haven't heard a lot of news about this collaboration since its initial reveal back in September. However, we are very optimistic about the final product, whenever it comes out. Genshin Impact's lush story coupled with its colorful cast of characters will definitely result to a great anime just waiting to happen.
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