[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Nexon's flagship mobile game, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile (hereinafter referred to as DNF Mobile), is pioneering a unique path in the gaming market and gaining popularity. Unlike the trend of automatic battles dominating the mobile game market, it stands out by focusing on manual combat, enhancing the 'tactile satisfaction' of gameplay.
According to industry sources on the 28th, DNF Mobile won the 'Excellent Game of the Month for the Second Half of the Year' award hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency this year. It has also maintained a top position in the revenue rankings of the two major application markets, establishing a unique formula for success among many new releases in 2022.
DNF Mobile was released on March 24th. It is a mobile RPG game based on Nexon's flagship intellectual property (IP) and a representative Korean game, Dungeon & Fighter, which has set a global record of 850 million cumulative users.
Nexon first studied the original Dungeon & Fighter to associate the phrase 'fun game' with DNF Mobile. They invested significant time and resources in deciding which parts of the 17-year-old Dungeon & Fighter universe and vast content to inherit and how to 'mobilize' them.
While DNF Mobile is based on the original, it focused on developing unique content as an action RPG exclusive to the mobile platform. The development emphasized designing a different content and growth structure from the original and creating an original storyline. It features a concise input system using five buttons tailored to the limited control space of mobile environments, introducing a distinctive input method and combo system.
The core strength of DNF Mobile lies in the tactile pleasure of manual combat. To highlight the characteristics and fun of action RPG games, every key command and control sensation from start to finish was meticulously studied. The mobile control system, based on touch and slide, allows faster use of various skills and includes multiple control systems to enhance the enjoyment of action.
High-frame-rate, high-quality dot graphics are also an advantage. While maintaining the dot-matrix aesthetic of the original, the newly applied 2D animation with smoother frames showcases unique skill expressions and actions. Graphic options include screen ratio adjustment and effect transparency control to enhance user convenience, as well as texture filters that reflect diverse user preferences for dot graphics.
Supporting a PC-exclusive client is another strength. Rather than simply enlarging the mobile screen, the UI settings are adjusted and applied to fit the PC environment.
Ok Seong-tae, director at Neople, stated, “Although it is a mobile environment, we believed that building the best gameplay system was the most important factor in delivering the unique fun of DNF Mobile.” He added, “We will continue to develop user-friendly game design and content to ensure the game is loved by users.”
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