Honor of Kings: World is one of TiMi Studio Group's most elusive projects. After disappearing from the social media limelight in October 2023, the highly anticipated MOBA stole the show at the iPhone 16 launch event last year. But are we any closer to playing it? In a new developer diary showcasing the game's combat, the studio leaves one major question hanging.
"Release date? This is probably what everyone is thinking," says the free mobile game's producer. It's a question that remains shrouded in mystery, and sadly, still exists without an answer. Despite offering a tantalizing look at Honor of Kings: World's boss battle action, the nearly six-minute video leaves the question unanswered. While the developer feels flattered by the constant calls for a concrete launch date, it's using that passion as "motivation" to bring the game up to a high standard.
Luckily, a deep dive into the combat helps offset this disappointment. Taking a page from Monster Hunter Wilds, Honor of Kings: World arms players with four different weapons they can swap between on the fly: ringblades, a lance, a hammer, and a trusty sword. You can activate all of these with a simple tap, inflicting varying degrees of damage between combos. Certain chains of attack benefit from the addition of a unique ability, adding an extra advantage over your foe.
Abilities like Chorno Anomaly could be the difference between life and death, as it inflicts a slow status effect on your enemy, impacting their speed. This ability also lets you stack your attacks, culminating in a "bomb" that devastates the boss's health.
Other characters like Kaizer work better to counterattack enemies, rather than serving blunt force beatdowns. Kaizer can block incoming attacks and withstand them with a parry-like block. Equipped with a perfect dodge mechanic, it opens up the ideal window to strike back. If that isn't enough to emerge victorious, then summons like the Azure Beast can lend a helping hand on the battlefield. It all looks like a visual feast, too, but it's worth noting the developer is playing the PC iteration, and we're eager to see if it'll get Steam Deck verification.
On the portable gaming console front, the developer briefly mentions the iOS and Android ports. "Oh wait, we still owe you a portable version of the game […] don't worry, we'll work hard on the optimization," the producer expresses. At present, TiMi Studio Group iterates that making these versions is "one of our most important tasks during development."
In the meantime, you can claim all the latest Honor of Kings codes and put our handy Honor of Kings tier list to good use.
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