Build your own squad in Empire of Angels: Lunar Phantoms, an anime-inspired MMORPG.

Immerse yourself in the world of Asgard and manage their bonds, elements, spirit attacks and classes.

Turn them into stronger characters through continuously leveling them up and by giving them powerful equipment.

Role-playing games are a class of their own, and are always on the higher tiers of the gaming world. Empire of Angels: Lunar Phantoms is not an exception: it’s a classic MMORPG with great art, absolutely stunning graphics, and yes, the unavoidable deluge of fan service: fully-voiced anime girls with perfect proportions. Though it’s a Chinese game, it uses Japanese anime aesthetics, and only Chinese dub is present. However, this does not get in the way of the outstanding experience it provides. So, is it worth your while? Let’s take a look:

Empire of Angels: Lunar Phantoms follows the main character, Nia, a servant of the angels. She is tasked to rid the world of the scourge known as the Cryptids, which are mostly undead beings and anything evil that you can think of. You will be receiving help and recruiting warriors to fight alongside you. The absence of male characters is quite noticeable, since you will mostly be recruiting cute and extremely attractive anime girls to your party. The main menu is as simple as it gets. Progression is done by advancing through plot points and locations. You will be guided by Luna, a girl with furry animal ears who addresses you as “Commander”.

The controls and the gameplay depends whether you’re playing on Facebook Gameroom or on your mobile device. Let’s assume you’re doing so via a mobile device. Unfortunately, characters move automatically: you have to tap on the screen to change their direction. Tapping on the screen twice in quick succession will enable you to evade attacks. Characters automatically attack, but you can change their targets by tapping on selected opponents. There is also a special move, called Spirit Attack, which can deal a lot of damage to your opponents. However, this varies per character: some can provide healing instead of dealing damage.

Skills can be activated by tapping on their respective buttons on the bottom right of the screen. Prior to every level, you can select AI-controlled characters (but are actually avatars belonging to other players) to help you in battle. New members that can be added to your party are gradually unlocked as you progress through the story. Note that you can only control one at a time, but remember, you can switch them at will.

There are several game modes to keep your entertained. These include the usual PvP mode: climb up the PvP rankings and you will receive fantastic rewards. The Tower of Trials is a test of endurance: your goal is to go as high up while defeating monsters. Endless Battle stays true to its namesake: fight off hordes of monsters and survive to become the last squad standing.

The game’s art style and overall aesthetics are fantastic. Even the loading screens are pleasing to the eyes. In the combat aspects, players control a sprite of their characters - the animations are smooth and rather flashy. However, Empire of Angels: Lunar Phantoms is not without a few downsides. There are localization problems: some of the text hasn’t been translated and some scenes are in full Chinese. Although the story and dialogue isn’t the game’s strongest points, something like this downgrades the overall experience.

Overall, Empire of Angels: Lunar Phantoms is a decent action RPG, and it also possesses the usual freemium currency, stamina meter, and gatcha-style draws for getting gear. The gameplay mechanics are easy to learn, and the graphics and art style looks fantastic on mobile devices. The anime-inspired visuals are quite appealing, moreso if you’re an anime enthusiast. Available on both mobile devices and on Facebook, this game is something you would want to have on your backlog.