Netflix, in case you haven’t noticed, isn’t just about streaming video anymore. It’s also a budding mobile games publisher with designs on getting into the PC games space as well. Since it’s not really part of Ye Olde Video Game club, though, it more or less releases games whenever it wants.
There are nine new titles launching on the company’s service. Some of them are familiar looking, even if they are original properties. There’s a Stranger Things-themed match-three game, a Farmville clone (of sorts) called Country Friends, and a cutesy bullet-hell shooter called Skies of Chaos. But they’re just the familiar faces.
Netflix is a game
Netflix has singled out three games in particular for special treatment. They are Reign: Three Kingdoms from developer Devolver Digital, Cats and Soup, and something called Hello Kitty Happiness Parade.
Based on the Chinese tale Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Reign is a card-based battler that sees players attempting to negotiate their way through the waning of the Han Dynasty. The trailer shows off some interesting artwork and quite a detailed game mechanic. We’re used to the idea of this setting as an RPG and even as a Musou game like Dynasty Warriors. Seeing cards make their appearance is a little unusual. Still, Devolver knows their work and this one should be fantastic.
Cats and Soup is a game all about… cats and soup. The former are making the latter, with gameplay that looks inspired by the various ‘Clicker’ style games while the visual art bears a passing resemblance to Untitled Goose Game. It’s not all slaving away over a hot fire (which is a pretty neat trick for an animal without thumbs). The feline residents can get dressed up, have places to play, and generally have an Animal Crossing-style bash. But without the harsh loan repayments, we hope.
Then there’s Hello Kitty Happiness Parade, so named because it stars Hello Kitty and friends. And they’re happy. And there’s a parade for some reason. We’re not sure what to make of this one, but the small feline… thing… is a worldwide phenomenon so there is doubtless an audience for this mobile title. Players take Kitty and cohorts on a parade. It’s a rhythm game, so a certain level of skill is required, but it also puts us in mind of an older title that we can’t bring to mind at the moment. The concept was similar — get to the end of a parade without having anything go seriously awry.
As with all Netflix games, those with a subscription can access them, free of charge, via the mobile Netflix app.