Just Cause: Mobile | |
---|---|
Logo of the game with a fiery background, as seen in the announcement trailer. | |
Developer(s) | Square Enix team |
Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
Resolutions | Unknown |
Platforms | iOS and Android |
Release Date(s) | Originally meant for 2021 Delayed multiple times. Early access beta ran from 2021.11.17/18 to 2023.02.22 Cancellation announced on 2023.07.03 |
Genre(s) | Action shooter Top-down and other odd-angled perspective |
Mode(s) | Single player 4-player co-op 30-player multiplayer |
Media | Was planned to be downloadable on the App Store and Google Play. |
Input Methods | Touch-sensitive screen |
Languages | Unknown |
Just Cause: Mobile is a cancelled spin-off game set in the Just Cause Universe.
Info summary[]
- Just Cause: Mobile was not being made by Avalanche Studios, so presumably it shouldn't have cost any development time/effort from any possible Just Cause 5.
- The game's cancellation was announced on July 3rd, 2023.
Quote from the official site:
- "Just CauseĀ®: Mobile is an action-shooter set in the explosive Just Cause universe and designed exclusively for mobile. Action-packed story campaign, 30 person competitive multiplayer, 4 player Co-Op missions - Just CauseĀ®: Mobile has all of this and more!
- FREE TO PLAY ON MOBILE
- Just CauseĀ®: Mobile is entirely free to play with four distinct game modes, high quality 3D graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4, responsive touch controls, unique movement system (parachute, wingsuit, grapple), voice chat and high action gameplay at your fingertips!"
The following quotes are from the FAQ section:
- Q: "Is Just Cause a mobile-only series going forward?"
- A: "We are committed to the Just Cause franchise. Our current plans do not involve making the series mobile only."
- Q: "Are you working on a new Just Cause game for PC and console?"
- A: "While we understand fans are eager for a new Just Cause console/PC release, we have nothing to confirm at this time. However, we remain as committed as ever to the future of the franchise and to our fans."
- Q: "Is Just Cause: Mobile a sequel to Just Cause 4?"
- A: "Just Cause: Mobile is a brand new story told from a different point of view with reimagined gameplay created specifically for mobile. Although the narrative ties in the main franchise instalments, Just Cause: Mobile is not intended as a direct sequel to Just Cause 4."
- Q: "Can you play as Rico in Just Cause: Mobile?"
- A: "Just Cause: Mobile players will create their own custom character as the protagonist. You will be able to customize your characterās appearance, as well as choose the armor and gear that fits your personal play style and aesthetic preferences."
Quote from IGN:
- "Just Cause: Mobile is a free-to-play mobile game set in the Just Cause Universe. Grapple and glide your way through a full single-player campaign, or team up with friends for 30-player competitive multiplayer or co-op modes. Just Cause: Mobile is coming to iOS and Android in 2021."
Development history[]
- On 2020.12.10 (or 11, depending on the timezone), the game was announced.
- On 2021.11.17 (or 18, depending on the timezone), game early access beta started at Singapore. Click this link for gameplay footage on YouTube. There were a few of the early missions from single player and some open world area(s). Multiplayer was not available in early access.
- On 2021.07.12, it was announced that the game would be delayed until further notice due to Covid 19-related reasons.
- On 2022.04.22, it was announced that some game modes are available for "regional early access" in Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia.
- On 2022.12.12, it was announced that the game will be delayed to an unspecified time in the future.
- On 2023.02.22, it was announced that regional early access is ended and any purchased "Blue Diamond" will be refunded to players Google Play accounts.
- On 2023.07.03, it was announced that the games development has been ended and the game is cancelled.
Game modes[]
According to the trailer, official site and a Square Enix press release, there would have been four game modes.
As mentioned in a in the video description (at YouTube) of the second trailer, "As you start your journey as an agent, Rico Rodriguez & Annika Svensson will be among the mercenaries you'll encounter, giving your player character missions and intel."
It should be noted that Rico's profession is not a full time mercenary, even if it is stated in the posts.
Single-player campaign[]
Main article: Category:Just Cause: Mobile Missions.
The game is set in Pradesh, a fictional nation. The player plays as a customizable protagonist, who is an Agency recruit and later Firebrand agent. From what can be seen from early access gameplay, the story seems to focus around the Agency's conflict with Darkwater, remnants of the now disbanded Black Hand, as well as the protagonist's hatred of Rico Rodriguez, who allegedly killed the protagonist's family.
Quote from an article from some sort of Square Enix "press":
- "Experience an all new action-packed story set in the Just Cause universe. As a member of the Agency's secret program, Firebrand, explore large open-world locations and take on Darkwater forces and form alliances with well-known characters from past Just Cause iterations."
Quote from a post on the official Just Cause Mobile Discord server:
- "Rico Rodriguez & Annika Svensson are among the mercenaries youāll encounter, giving your player character valuable intel as you start your journey as an agent!
- In Just Cause: Mobile, you play as a new recruit in a special ops division named Firebrand. Rico will be one of the characters you meet as you take on a new militarized threatā¦ Darkwater."
As revealed over social media on May 31st, 2021:
- "Your first day as a new Firebrand agent gets off to an explosive start! A private army known as Darkwater attacks your base, leaving chaos in its wake. Your task is to investigate Darkwater and uncover its true motivations before regional tensions escalate into something worse..."
Co-op battles[]
Quote from the Square Enix press:
- "Team up in a 4-player squad to complete challenging missions where players will take on waves of enemies. Select the perfect loadout and blast your way through tough enemies like heavy tanks and armoured mechs!"
"Triple threat" multiplayer[]
Quote from the Square Enix press:
- "Compete online in fast-paced Just Cause multiplayer! Three teams of 10 players fight to secure bases and score points as they battle across a sprawling map while wielding an explosive arsenal of weaponry & vehicles. Players can also form clans with teammates to earn big rewards."
Challenge mode[]
Quote from the Square Enix press:
- "Looking for an extra challenge to test your skills? Challenge Mode will task you with hitting high scores across three distinct challenges ranging from causing destruction to getting the best lap time. Earn extra rewards for your agent by completing the Destruction, Wingsuit and Race challenges."
Returning things and new game features[]
Mostly unknown. The following are seen from the trailer, official site, SE press and early access gameplay:
General[]
- First game in the series to be played on a mobile device.
- First game in the series to have microtransactions. Though, most of the games do have cheap DLC items not part of a large expansion pack, such as weapons and vehicles (i.e. JC4's Black Market.
- First game in the series to have multiplayer built in.
- First game in the series to be played from any perspective other than third-person perspective (from behind the player).
- First game in the series to have a customizable protagonist.
- Characters can be customized (Just Cause 4 had skins for Rico that the player could choose from, but they were simply different appearances for Rico, as opposed to completely customizable combinations of gear that would allow much greater variety).
- The protagonist can be named by the player.
- The protagonist's race and gender can be selected by the player.
- First game in the series to have a starting tutorial mission that can be skipped.
- The Grappler, Wingsuit and Parachute are returning.
- The grappler has lost much of its features from Just Cause 4, but Just Cause Mobile is not a sequel to Just Cause 4. There are, however, a few options the JCM grappler has that the JC4 grappler didn't.
- The melee attack (once again a grapple whip) can destroy small drones.
- The player does not have to reel in immediately once grappled to an object. Instead, they can choose to reel in by tapping grapple again, or tether the grapple to something else by holding the grapple and aiming at something. If you do nothing, the character will just stand there with a grapple attached to the object - something that could not be seen in any of the other Just Cause games.
- The grappler has lost much of its features from Just Cause 4, but Just Cause Mobile is not a sequel to Just Cause 4. There are, however, a few options the JCM grappler has that the JC4 grappler didn't.
Equipment customization[]
The player character can be customized with different types of weapons, equipment (outfit and possibly functional body armor), "action gear" (Rico's signature equipment: the parachute, wingsuit and grappler), and "accessories" (aesthetic clothing, such as chest rigs, gloves). Each item can be levelled up. It's still unknown how many items there are, how many levels each item can be upgraded to and what the items do depending on their level.
Locations[]
The new nation where possibly most of the game would have been set is called Pradesh. The country has jungles and mountains of stone. Rural areas are poor, but military bases seem to have a good degree of industrialization and equipment. Some areas of wilderness have ancient ruins that the game doesn't explain.
Some more locations, most likely set in Pradesh:
- Some mountains called Asteria Mountains.
- A Firebrand base in said mountains.
- The Agency HQ, in Washington DC. This is not in Pradesh.
- A military base, with a large tower. It is located in a desert.
- Rainforest with canyon, seen in a promotional image.
- Something that looks like a frontline, seen in the trailer.
- A small shantytown, with shacks and slums (seen in brief gameplay footage).
- What appears to be a warehouse or shipyard (seen in gameplay footage for "triple threat" multiplayer)
- In the trailer, there are many shots of all sorts of locations (mostly military installations). It's unknown if they are all separate locations, or different parts of a single location.
- Something that looks like a... dance floor (seen in the announcement trailer)?
- Possibly more.
Characters[]
- Rico Rodriguez... with a smartphone! His hairstyle seems to have changed as well. He appears about the same age as is in Just Cause 4 (2018) and has the same clothing. Also, he has taken a liking for hoodies and seems to now keep a comparably low profile, whereas in previous games he'd run around blowing everything up.
- Annika Svennson, also looks the same as when she was last seen.
- Unknown number of "Firebrand" agents. See the article for more details.
- Unknown number of "Darkwater" soldiers.
- Carmen, the Agency director. Doesn't necessarily mean she's the Agency's top dog. She's the head of Firebrand.
- Some bald villain in a suit, wearing glasses.
- Someone who looks like... Mira!? She's seen briefly in the first trailer, staring blankly at some explosions.
- Electra, a rebel woman.
Vehicles[]
Some of these are seen for less than a second in the announcement trailer, so details are still relatively unclear. On a different note, it seems like Just Cause Mobile reuses some vehicle designs from Just Cause 4. However, they probably don't share the same models, since the game models would have to be greatly simplified to be handleable to a mobile phone.
- New type of Mech, armed with miniguns.
- New type of 8x8 armored vehicle. The turret has a normal tank gun and a smaller mounted weapon (possibly an MG) and there are what look like missile pods on the sides of the turret.
- Another new 8x8 armored vehicle. This one has a more rounded hull front and the gun turret lacks the missile pods., but it does appear to have the same usable small MG turret on top of its main turret as is on the roof of the army 4x4.
- Attack helicopter, resembling CS Navajo. It has two types of missiles and an MG under the nose. It's unknown if they're all functional. There is also a small... possible radar dome at the top center of the main propeller. It's not known whether it actually functions in the game.
- Another larger attack helicopter. This one has engines that resemble the Mil-28 and cheeks that resemble the AH-64 Apache. It's armed with 3 sets of missile pods (3 per side) and has possible external fuel tanks. And on the most outer ends of its weapon mounting wings, there are what seem to be some additional vertical panels. (Only a front view has been seen, so details are poor.)
- Army truck resembling the Fengding EC14FD2.
- Sports car resembling the Verdeleon Eco.
- Truck with a semi-trailer. The trailer is a closed box and has large external hydraulic pistons at the rear corners, similarly to the trailer on JC4 Cargo Trailer Trucks. The truck itself has a hood, so it resembles american trucks, except that the gap between the truck cabin and the trailer is very narrow, similar to european semi-trailer trucks.
- Army off-road car that resembles the Warrior Offroader, but has a bigger front bumper, more similar to the Urga Szturm 63A. There seem to be 2 versions of this, where one is unarmed and the other has an MG turret.
- Truck with a flat front and 4-door cabin.
- 2-door civilian car.
- Muscle car.
- Something that closely resembles the Cavalry Armored Truck.
- Big pickup.
- Very rusted vehicle wreck of some civilian car.
- Large army trucks with large missile pods on the rear. These pods can be raised to launch anti-aircraft missiles. The missiles can be rapidly launched in large numbers, similar to multiple rocket launchers.
- What might be a large cargo plane, seen in the opening scene of the cinematic (2nd) trailer. It's very hard to tell.
- Small weaponized drones are back again.
- While all mobile drones in Just Cause 4 were flying UAVs, some mobile drones in this game seem to be land based (kind of like very small unmanned mechs).
- Van with a rotating antenna and equipment placed around it. It has triggers / access points for missions and the Black Market.
Chaos objects[]
Just Cause 3's chaos objects would have been returning. Chaos objects in JC:M appear to be identical to what they looked like in JC3.
- Vertical Fuel tanks.
- Long range radars.
- Sphere tanks.
- Satellite dishes.
- Big red and white silos with "LNG" written on them.
- Possibly more.
Weapons[]
Actual names are unknown. See the gallery below for reference.
- Grappler, if that is to be counted as a weapon.
- Assault rifle with a grenade launcher. This weapon resembles the SW9 Assault Rifle.
- Assault rifle without a grenade launcher. This weapon resembles some kind of AK type rifle, most resembling the AK 103.
- Large rocket launcher. This weapon resembles the AT7 RPG.
- Machine gun. This weapon resembles something like the FN Minimi. In the Just Cause Universe, this would resemble the JC2 Machine Gun.
- Small SMG/machine pistol hybrids that can be dual wielded. This weapon resembles the CS Wraith 225R. One of these is seen wielded single-handedly by the blonde mustachio guy. Some grunts are seen holding a similar weapon in a brief scene in the first trailer.
- Grenade launcher. Seen briefly in gameplay footage.
- Several vehicle mounted weapons.
NPCs and soldiers[]
The campaign, as one would expect, had a lot of NPCs.
- There doesn't seem to be any sort of civilian that can be observed in freeroam, at least not at the start of the game.
- The friendly faction, likely Firebrand agents or soldiers affiliated with the Agency, wear dull greyish colors. Most wear militaristic uniforms and gear, but some run around like action heroes, with no tactical gear or military uniform.
- This also makes Just Cause Mobile the first game in the series to have the friendly faction consist of actual soldiers.
- The enemy faction, Darkwater, wears bright red colors, much like the Black Hand in JC3, except the red is a brighter blood red.
- Darkwater soldiers have "levels". Every Darkwater NPC has a health bar above them, and a level indicator that reads "LVL [X]". Presumably, the higher level a soldier is, the tougher and more skilled they will be.
- Settlements, like Ajantra, have some children. A few of them can even be spoken to to get intel about enemy positions.
Trivia[]
- This is not the first Just Cause game made for mobile devices. In 2008, an early Just Cause 2 (mobile game) was in development. After disappearing from the public, the game was soon remade into a much more successful AAA game.
- To note, Square Enix has said on the Just Cause: Mobile site that they are "committed to the Just Cause franchise. Our current plans do not involve making the series mobile only."
- This game would have had some notable firsts:
- This would have been the first Just Cause to be free-to-play.
- This would have been the first Just Cause to not be developed by Avalanche Studios, instead being developed by a new team from Square Enix.
- This would have been the first in the series to have any punctuation in the name.
- This would have been the first with a delayed release.
- This would have been the first not to feature Rico Rodriguez as the primary protagonist.
- There is an unconfirmed rumor that Just Cause: Mobile's development began before the release of Just Cause 4. While it is not known whether this is true or not, there is the relative fact that the chaos objects in this game look more similar to their appearance in Just Cause 3 compared to Just Cause 4, but some vehicle models seem to have been directly taken from JC4.
- From the trailer, JC:M looks like a relatively limited game, but the article from the Square Enix press release claims that the game is open-world, or at least the single-player campaign has "large open-world locations".
- The "Co-op battles" sound similar to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's Special Ops Survival mode.
- From the gameplay footage seen, the "Challenge" mode is probably similar to Just Cause 3's destruction frenzies.
- By 2023.04.17, the game seemed to be in development hell, so some members of the community announced that they would undertake an epic journey by bicycle to commemorate the game.
External links[]
- Official promotional site, run by Square Enix.
- Square Enix press release (2020.12.10).
- Square Enix revealed on Twitter that the game launch is delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The pre-launch version of the game is on Google Play where it's mentioned to have over 100'000 downloads.
- Cancellation announcement (source 1).
- Cancellation announcement (source 2).