Alex "alexi_here" Emerald
KRAFTON is a South Korean studio that turned PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds into a global phenomenon and recently released a worthy, though imperfect, successor to The Sims series. The publisher has a range of games, from horror titles to projects inspired by Animal Crossing. Let’s take a look at ten of the most interesting ones.
Dark and Darker Mobile
Image: dndm.krafton.com
This project combines survival elements, PvPvE battles, and RPG gameplay. The main goal is survival. But as experience shows, the goal often turns into a beautiful death when the player loses all their loot to a more fortunate barbarian. The developers at Ironmace decided that players’ lives were too bright and cheerful, so they created this dark Dungeon Crawler.
Here, there’s a class for everyone: from the rugged bearded warrior relying on an axe, to the cleric trying to heal the team as they scatter in panic. Playing with friends is fun, but be prepared for them to be the first to run, leaving you to face things alone.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
Image: pubg.com
Of course, no list of KRAFTON games would be complete without PUBG. This isn’t just a game; it’s a cultural phenomenon. If you missed it in 2017, you were probably either on a long vacation or playing NieR: Automata, another hit of that year. It was impossible to miss such a flash in the gaming industry unless you were distracted by other equally prominent titles.
Some might say it’s a procrastination simulator, where you can (and sometimes have to) sit in the bushes for 20 minutes, but in reality, it’s a great battle royale for those who can die within the first 60 seconds.
The shooting and driving mechanics in the game are excellent. But remember, if you don’t have a mouse and keyboard, everyone is equally helpless. There you have it—social justice for console players.
Dinkum
Image: dinkum.krafton.com
Dinkum is like if Animal Crossing and Dark Souls had an unexpected child. You start as a poor soul who’s escaped the gray life of South City to build a paradise in the wild. So, consider it a cozy-adventure and survival game rolled into one.
The license system won’t let you relax: to buy a shovel, you’ll first have to fill out a bunch of bureaucratic forms. But then you can head into the Deep Mines — the local equivalent of dungeons, where ores coexist with monsters.
Co-op mode adds to the fun: now your friends can also suffer from lack of stamina and surprise kangaroo attacks. In short, if Animal Crossing is too boring for you and Dark Souls is too grim, Dinkum is perfect.
InZOI
Image: playinzoi.com
Imagine this: you’ve been waiting 25 years for a worthy competitor to The Sims, and finally, you get it. Here it is, beautiful, shiny, and... a bit lifeless. On one hand, there’s a masterpiece of character creation where you can spend hours adjusting lips, layers of clothing, and even asymmetrical facial features. On the other, your perfectly modeled Zoi interact with the emotional range of a teaspoon.
Behind the beauty and polish lies a global issue. The beautifully modeled Zoi walk like sleepy mannequins. They might be outraged if you sit in a park or try to hack an ATM, but their personalities boil down to 18 generic types. It’s like The Sims in 4K, but with simpler emotions. It’s beautiful, but not yet as engaging as the original.
The Callisto Protocol
Image: pcmrace.com
The Callisto Protocol is like Dead Space, but with even more spikes, strange situations, and questions like, "By what laws of level design does this work?" It’s incredibly fun to throw monsters, chop off their limbs, and generally enjoy the shooting. But sometimes, the game loses logic due to its excessive focus on spectacle.
Why are there deadly spikes on every wall? Because designers know that whenever the protagonist is moving forward, the floor has to collapse. Why is there a wood chipper in an orbital prison on Jupiter? Well, how else would you instantly kill monsters that look more like failed culinary experiments than threats to humanity?
The only downside is the bosses, who decide, "Let’s kill Jacob (the protagonist) with one hit and make him try this section for the 37th time." Otherwise, everything is great and terrifying.
[REDACTED]
Image: steam.com
[REDACTED] is a classic roguelike cocktail. Random buffs, permanent upgrades, and tons of deaths. You play as a prison guard at Black Iron who is trying to escape while fending off mutants and... other guards, who also want to escape. Along the way, you’ll encounter characters who actively sabotage your escape.
The only problem with [REDACTED] is that the game takes quite a while to get going. The first weapon shoots like a pen shooting little pieces of paper, and the melee combat feels like a slow-motion fight. Over time, you unlock the atomic gun and other cool tools for dispatching enemies, but why make the player endure the first few hours?
Also, there’s the GRP glove (yes, the same one from The Callisto Protocol), but it’s used so rarely that it feels like the developers just forgot to cut it from the final build.
Subnautica
Image: mvlteenvoice.com
A rare game where you’re not a "hero with a gun", but rather a scientist and explorer. Your main tools are a scanner and running away. Want to survive? You’ll need to study things, not just shoot everything in sight. Yes, later you’ll build a submersible with torpedoes, but even those are mostly for deterrence. The real joy is not in killing monsters, but in the moment of exploring the underwater fauna and everything hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.
Base building here could be considered a separate kind of addiction. At first, you build a flimsy hut "just to not drown", and then you find yourself building an underwater skyscraper with an observatory, a garden, and even a coffee maker (yes, those items exist). And even when you find the perfect spot for a new base, you often don’t move because you get attached to your first little house, where there’s that toothy monster lurking under the hatch that once made you scream.
Moonbreaker
Image: steam.com
Moonbreaker is in early access—it’s like a box of Lego, but with only three types of pieces. Three captains, two dozen units, and a couple of modes like PvP and a version of "Arena" from Hearthstone. That’s enough for an evening. But there’s also miniature painting—you can spend hours painting space brutes in pink polka dots or drawing figures on them.
The game is good, but it’s underdeveloped. The setting, a mix of Warhammer 40k and Firefly, could become cult-like, but right now there’s more potential than content. If the developers add new captains, units, and a campaign mode, Moonbreaker could become a more solid game. For now, it’s an interesting, but too localized experiment. Like that starter set for war gamers you get on your birthday when you asked for Warhammer.
Smash Legends
Image: steam.com
A rather chaotic game in terms of setting, where Little Red Riding Hood can hit you with a robo-rabbit, and Cinderella can knock you out with a crystal slipper. In some ways, Smash Legends is your personal digital chaos. Bright, crazy, and simple enough that you could teach your grandmother how to play, if you wanted.
Each character is unique. Some swing hammers with force, others shoot magic, and some just annoy everyone with their fighting style and excessive jumping. Smash Legends doesn’t let you get bored. New modes, challenges, characters, and tons of rewards rain down like a cornucopia. Even if you only play for five minutes, you’ll leave with something interesting (or not so much). And it’s one of those rare mobile fighters that’s genuinely fun without any pay-to-win mechanics.
Ronin: The Last Samurai
Image: krafton.com
If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a samurai but were stopped by the lack of a katana and… mandatory internet connection, then Ronin: The Last Samurai will give you the experience you need. Attack, block, parry—seemingly a small arsenal, but don’t be fooled by the apparent simplicity. Here, every missed strike could be your last. Especially when enemies gleefully beat you while you’re stunned, thanks to the stamina bar.
The game could have easily done without online features, but the developers decided your samurai journey must pass through the servers. However, there are "raids" where you farm resources in AFK mode and a PvP arena that reminds you of Shadow Fight 3. But why all this, when the real fun is in perfectly timed parries?
KRAFTON’s main talent is wrapping hardcore games in eye-catching, attractive packaging. Want to survive on an island with 99 other players? Go for it. Explore the ocean with toothy creatures? Here’s Subnautica. Need tactical dungeon battles with a retro D&D vibe? Dark and Darker is waiting. Of course, sometimes it feels like they have a soft spot for microtransactions, but who doesn’t these days?
Main image: ensigame.com
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