Infinity Blade slashes into Mobage, DeNA's mobile social game network

Oh, and it'll be 100 percent free. It appears that Japanese social network provider DeNA has devised a way to combat Zynga in the mobile space: hardcore games at a casual price. VentureBeat reports that Infinity Blade developer Chair and publisher Epic Games have agreed to bring the iPhone hit to Mobage, re-marketed as Infinity Blade X. The game will play the same as if you downloaded it from the Apple App Store, but the game will be completely free. (Of course, the game will be supported by micro-transactions.)

Infinity Blade is an intense mobile game with hardcore-looking graphics, but a casual play style and replay value. Players must slay increasingly tough monsters, slashing them and blasting them with spells through touch gestures. You can block and parry enemy attacks with touch as well to defend yourself, but reaching and defeating the evil God-King (which will take several attempts) is only the beginning.

The global Mobage network has been announced for both iOS and Android devices. But whether Infinity Blade X will be made available for Android phones--it was created to the specific strengths of the iPhone 4 and later the iPad 2--is currently unknown. This is especially considering Epic Games ruled the game out for Android phones in April. This is second game announced for DeNA's Mobage (made by Ngmoco), as the company revealed that a Professor Layton game is in the works as well.

If this is how DeNA plans to oust Zynga in the mobile games arena, then Zynga just might want to step out of its casual shell and deliver. It's just recently that the company has started to release more mobile games like Hanging with Friends and CityVille Hometown, which is on the way. With DeNA hot on its tail--and its hands dipped into multiple genres--it's time to get a move on.

[Image Credit: Epic Games]

Would you be interested in playing Infinity Blade now that it's free? Do you think this is how DeNA could come out on top in the mobile games space? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.