Gala Games continues to receive good news, a quick overview of its 11 Web3 games in the ecosystem

Author: Zen, PANews

On April 24, the free sci-fi shooting game Voyager: Ascension was launched on Gala Games. This game was developed by the relatively unknown game studio RFLXT, which has garnered attention over the past two weeks mainly due to the promotion by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson. He not only teased "Our first game is about to launch" on April 12 but also released a video on the X platform on the eve of Voyager: Ascension's launch, telling the story of RFLXT and Voyager.

According to Charles Hoskinson, he is a board member of RFLXT, which is a "derivative company" of Cardano developer Input Output Global (IOG). Regarding the widely discussed question of "why choose Gala Chain instead of Cardano," RFLXT stated, "Helping to enhance the visibility and impact of Cardano-based games is one of our main focuses, but we also believe it is important for RFLXT to collaborate with multiple chains and platforms, as we want to drive growth and development in the industry in a new way." RFLXT also added that its core goal is to achieve interoperability, and Gala's mission aligns closely with theirs.

Founded in 2019, Gala Games, a "veteran" Web3 gaming platform that has weathered market ups and downs, has performed remarkably well this year, with its GALA token price reaching a maximum increase of 170% so far this year. After the market correction, as of April 25, it still has about a 60% increase. Additionally, according to DeGame statistics, there are over 260,000 addresses holding tokens and NFT assets launched by the platform. With an increasingly optimistic narrative around Web3 games, Gala Games, which has already secured a place in the market, is clearly a force to be reckoned with in this sector. So what games does the platform offer, and which game has the most potential to "break out"? This article will review the games in the Gala ecosystem, selecting 11 out of the 19 listed games for a brief introduction.

Voyager: Ascension

Voyager: Ascension can be traced back to 2018, originally named Overload, created by some of the developers behind the classic shooter game Descent. Based on RFLXT's strategy of "leading old PC game developers into the Web3 world," Voyager: Ascension was born after adding some crypto elements. Notably, Overload is currently sold on Steam for $30, with over 1,400 reviews and a 94% positive rating, making it a "very positive" game. The free-to-play Voyager: Ascension on Gala is essentially the same in gameplay, currently only offering a single-player mode, with a multiplayer mode to be released in the future.

Common Ground World (formerly Town Star)

Common Ground World is a farm simulation game and Gala Games' first self-developed flagship game, created in collaboration with a founder of social gaming company Zynga and some of the creative minds behind classic titles like FarmVille and Words With Friends. In September last year, Gala partnered with the well-known environmental documentary Kiss the Ground's sequel Common Ground, and due to the regenerative agriculture concepts in the film aligning with the game, it rebranded from "Town Star" to "Common Ground World." Similar to FarmVille, the main gameplay of Common Ground World includes various activities centered around agriculture, construction, upgrading, livestock, and social interaction. Players can earn corresponding points based on the value and production difficulty of specific goods, with a chance to enter leaderboards for token rewards.

Spider Tank

Spider Tank is a free, fast-paced PVP fighting game and the first chain game on Gala's public chain project Project GYRI, developed by the Dutch game studio GAMEDIA, officially released in October 2022. In the game, players first choose from various tank bodies and weapons in the garage, with each tank customizable in four parts: body, weapon, skin, and items, tailored to player needs. The body part determines the tank's armor, speed, and energy, making it the most crucial component. Spider Tank offers six game modes, including PVP team battles, capture the flag, king of the hill, and chicken chase, aiming to provide a rich gaming experience for different player preferences. Additionally, players who win in non-free game option matches can earn honors and points to exchange for Silk tokens.

Mirandus

A fantasy role-playing game set in a vast world ruled by five player monarchs. Players have high freedom in the game, battling monsters in the wilderness, deep forests, and dungeons, serving as knights for one of the monarchs, or shopping in cities. Ownership of in-game assets is a core mechanism of Mirandus, allowing players to hold land contracts to occupy parts of the wilderness and build fortresses ranging from small farms to large cities. The game features various types of NFTs, including land contracts, ships, buildings, and graveyards. It is important to note that players must hold an Exemplar avatar to enter the game. The limit for Exemplars is fixed at 50,000, categorized into humans, elves, orcs, and more. Mirandus is still in development, and the development team has stated that they will add roles beyond Exemplars in the future to accommodate more players based on demand.

GRIT

A Web3 battle royale game set in the Wild West, and the first Web3 game to launch on the Epic Games Store, developed by Team Grit. In 2022, Gala Games acquired Team GRIT and its game GRIT, beginning to integrate Web3 elements. GRIT features various game modes, including solo, duo, and team, immersing players in gunfights in town squares, duels on dusty plains, and chaos on the Pacific Railroad. As a free game, GRIT also introduces a reward mechanism, including Generative Hero NFTs, the GRIT Battle Pass, and game items earned from victories in battle royale mode, all of which can serve as digital assets to provide income for players.

CHAMPIONS ARENA

A turn-based role-playing game developed by the Korean game studio OneUniverse. The gameplay of CHAMPIONS ARENA combines strategy with diverse exploration options. From mining champion lands to enhancing "champions" in PvE battles, to arena and PvP duels, players have a range of gameplay choices. Among them, the chaos mode is the most important game mode for free players, allowing them to send champions to explore lands and gather basic resources. Another main mode is the challenge, which includes two areas: the arena and the trial tower. In the arena, players engage in battles, accumulating ranking points with victories, and receiving corresponding rewards based on their rankings and win counts. Players using NFT champions minted on GalaChain have the chance to earn $GALA rewards.

Superior

An NFT-driven roguelite third-person shooter developed by Drifter, set to launch on Gala. Superior features a distinctive art style and visual design reminiscent of Borderlands. The game offers options for solo, group, and random party play, with the core experience depending on the character chosen by the player. Currently, there are three heroes: Ronin, Nomad, and Murmur, corresponding to melee, shooting, and item operation types. Players enter adventures in groups of three and select their hero characters before queuing. All characters are available for free for players to experience, but premium version hero NFTs enjoy higher rewards in terms of experience and loot. Additionally, the non-Web3 version of the game, Superior: Vengeance, has been launched on Steam, with a positive rating of about 76% from over a hundred game reviews.

Echoes of Empire

A free 4X strategy game, where 4X stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate, developed by Ion Games and launched on Gala Games earlier this year. In the game, each player leads a noble family, controlling a massive base space station with the ability to explore known space, mine resources from celestial bodies, manufacture spaceships, and battle enemies, maximizing efficiency and growth through resource management and strategy. Echoes of Empire is built around various game interactions that drive player experience, which can be broadly categorized into exploration, combat, trading, expansion, missions, land, management, supply, and maintenance. The main goal for players is to enhance their visibility and influence across celestial bodies through various means. The in-game token Stardust is central to the incentive system of Echoes of Empire, used to redeem $GALA rewards.

LAST EXPEDITION

A cyberpunk-style PvPvE extraction first-person shooter currently in Pre Alpha and offering early access on Gala. The gameplay of Last Expedition is not only about survival but also strategy. After extracting a mission, players will choose a "drop zone" from their base and focus on collecting three "fragments," ensuring the safety of the "core" before a safe extraction. As players navigate the map, they will encounter various enemies and a series of challenges. The PvPvE mechanism of the game requires players to face not only AI enemies but also compete with other teams, making each mission unpredictable.

THE WALKING DEAD: EMPIRES

A survival game set in the world of AMC's The Walking Dead series, integrating combat systems, traditional RPG crafting systems, base building, and alliance mechanics. In the game, building a base is crucial. Establishing a defense system to protect oneself from zombies and other players is key to survival. Players can also turn their bases into activity centers, allowing other players to trade, battle, or kill for rewards. The crafting system is another important gameplay aspect for survival; by owning NFT crafting stations, players can create specific types of in-game items for personal use or sell them to allies. As a free game, TWDE only offers integrated NFTs to provide players with higher-level advantages, such as handguns, Molotov cocktails, and crafting-related items in combat.

Meow Match

A match-three puzzle game developed by Ember Entertainment. Like all match-three games, players in Meow Match can experience hundreds of levels, each featuring unique challenges and delightful pet cats. Different levels involve color matching and require tactical thinking and strategy, as players must continuously connect and explode balls of the same color to progress. The game's main highlight is its cat-themed content, giving players the opportunity to discover and collect various breeds of cats, each with its unique charm and personality. The game is available for download on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.