Developer Lilith Games has established itself as one of the best mobile game developers on the scene, with hits like AFK Arena, Warpath, and Rise of Kingdoms on its long list of credits.
Dislyte is the company’s next title, and it looks like yet another barnstorming RPG classic. Heading into beta in September, Dislyte is a “pop-fantasy” RPG with a futuristic urban setting, a banging soundtrack, and a stellar cast of characters.
It’s the world in the near future, and a number of inexplicable Miracles have appeared in the sky, emitting mystical energies and sonic waves that bestow god-like powers on a select group of humans called the Espers.
As well as giving powers, these Miracles also summon an endless stream of monsters called Miramon to attack the cities they’re hovering over. All that stands between the Miramon and the extinction of all human life are the Espers, and so you need to collect, train, and command these powerful beings in battle.
Dislyte is one of the most promising new games to have appeared on our radar in months, if not years. For a start, it looks totally unique and impeccably polished, with a vibrant urban aesthetic that we haven’t seen in a mobile RPG before.
And then there’s the soundtrack. Pop and electro music is the beating heart of Dislyte, and infrasound waves are thought to hold the key to the Miracles. You’ll need to “manipulate sonic sources” to upgrade your heroes, while the neon-soaked battles all come with a thumping soundtrack.
But it’s the characters that really make the game shine. Lilith Games has drawn its inspiration from multiple world mythologies, including Chinese, Egyptian, Northern European, Greek, and so on.
Each Esper takes its personality and appearance from the god or monster that it got its powers from. This means that Dislyte’s characters are both reassuringly familiar and totally unique, with traits of mythological figures you’ve known all your life as well as their own backstories and preoccupations.
Take Freddy. This wolf-like character took his powers from Fenrir, the son of Loki and Angerboa from Norse mythology. A person’s character is closely related to family education in general, but Freddy is an exception.
He was born into a middle-class family, with a good family background. Both his parents were well educated and cultured, but Freddy was stubborn and difficult to discipline. He formed a gang and caused trouble in school, and was finally expelled from high school for extorting a classmate. In the end, Freddy, no longer bound by school, felt like he had arrived in a free world, and began spending his days on the streets.
Then there’s Drew, whose powers come from the jackal-headed god Anubis. Drew’s family had served House Ramses for generations, and he was taught from birth how to be a loyal and a good steward.
Drew was only fifteen when Ollie, the youngest of the Ramses, was born, but he had already gained enough composure to look after him as he grew up.Though the young Ollie could not speak yet, Drew could already tell what his young master wanted from his babbling and movements.
While not strictly speaking a member of the family, Drew is the de facto older brother of the young master, and a furiously loyal guardian.
Q was smart and mischievous from childhood, and his gift of the gab made people both love and hate him. His sweet words could make one burst with joy, but more often than not, his words are sharp, cynical, and he can shut everyone up with just a few words.
Q had been ostracized by his peers since childhood, perhaps out of jealousy of Q’s eloquence, or because they could never get the upper hand.
It’s okay, though, because the Miracles bestow Q with the power of Eros, the Greek god of love, giving him a new and highly fitting purpose.
There are tons of Espers, all with their own richly detailed personal histories. And they don’t just exist in isolation. The Espers are a living, breathing, dynamic community whose relationships with each other play out as you progress through the campaign.
All of this adds a powerful human dimension to Dislyte’s gameplay. Not only will you want to win battles and defeat the Miramon, but you’ll care about the heroes that are helping you do it.
It’s rare for a mobile game to pull off this kind of depth, but Dislyte looks like it might just manage it.
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