Imagineer has announced the development of a new smartphone game for the Medabots franchise called Medarot Survivor. Set to launch in Japan in February next year, the game is a top-down shooter with auto-attacks, challenging players to survive against waves of enemies, similar to Vampire Survivors.
Featuring a mix of returning and new characters, the game boasts designs by artists such as tyuga, Mine Yoshizaki, K-SUWABE, and more. The Medabots series first made its debut on the Game Boy in Japan back in 1997, with subsequent titles like Medarot 2, Medarot 3, Medarot 4, and Medarot 5: Susutake Mura no Tenkо̄sei releasing for the Game Boy Color between 1999-2001.
Following the success of the original game, Medarot Navi, Medarot G, and Medarot 2: CORE were released for the Game Boy Advance in the early 2000s. The franchise also saw a release on smartphones with the Medarot S: Unlimited Nova game in 2020 by Imagineer subsidiary SoWhat.
The Medabots series has a rich history, inspiring a television anime series by Bee Train in 1999, as well as a sequel series titled Medarot Damashii (Medabots Spirits) in 2000. The franchise gained popularity in North America with ADV licensing the series and Nelvana producing a dub for the first series, which aired on Fox Kids and later ABC Family.
Despite its success, Delta Arts, the studio behind many of the recent Medabots games, closed down in 2016. Fans of the series can look forward to the upcoming Medarot Survivor game, which promises to bring a fresh take on the beloved franchise with its mobile gameplay experience.