Mobile games are all the rage lately and Friendtimes has that genre covered pretty well with the likes of Empress: Tales of the Heart and Yokai Kitchen. They also know how to show off at the Electronics and Entertainment Expo by having convention goers take pictures with their Yokai cosplayers and yes, I did have my picture taken! You could also design your own Yokai and join the mailing list for more opportunities for swag, like key chains and t-shirts. Now that I’ve covered the swag, there’s a lot to cover on the game front so lets get right to it!
Yokai Kitchen was the newest game that Friendtimes was showing off at E3 and it doesn’t disappoint. You’ll be able to design your own restaurant and make it anyway you really see fit. You’ll be able to have Yokai working in your kitchen that have special abilities that will help you make your kitchen the best it can be. You can also go to a farm-like area that will allow you to harvest “foodimon” that will help customize your menu at your kitchen. You’ll also be able to use the Yokai to fight and help your cause! You’ll also be able to move the location of your restaurant and get the word out about your kitchen and attract visitors to your restaurant. You’ll be able to upgrade your Yokai so their abilities than improve as well as their cooking skills. The controls were a little tough to maneuver at times during gameplay and it was a little tough to see what was going on in the kitchen. However, the menu system as well as the upgrade systems were simplistic and the Yokai and Foodimon were adorable!
The other game shown off during E3 was Empress: Tales of the Heart and one of the issues right off the bat was that it wasn’t translated in time for E3. It didn’t deter from the gameplay but it was hard to tell what was going on because I couldn’t read the language. Long story short, you’re trying to conquer the throne in ancient China and become the empress! You’ll have to fight through missions and stories as well as RPG style battles to achieve the throne. You’ll also have the ability to customize your character with different outfits, accessories, hair, and makeup to help your lifestyle as well as being able to help your social life. Social interaction like dates and chatting with humans will play a factor in this game as you will have the eventual opportunity to get married. Empress has a more story-like element to it as it has many cut scenes/story elements to tell the story of your rise to the throne!
Friendtimes knows a thing or two about mobile games and it looks like Yokai Kitchen will be a cool addition to the mobile scene. Empress has a story element to it where if you aren’t a fan of that style you might not care for it. When it gets translated into English will be a determining factor as well.