Don’t fade on Watcher of Realms
When people hear the name Moonton, the first and probably only thing that usually comes to mind is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The mobile MOBA has become one of the most dominant games in Southeast Asia. Because of that success, it is easy to forget that Moonton has quietly built a much broader portfolio of games over the years.
Outside of its flagship MOBA, the studio has experimented with several genres ranging from idle RPGs and auto battlers to arcade shooters and tower defense titles. Many of these projects operate under the shadow of Mobile Legends’ popularity, but they reveal a developer that has been steadily testing new ideas and gameplay styles beyond the Land of Dawn.
One of the most obvious expansions of the franchise is Mobile Legends: Adventure, an idle RPG that reimagines heroes from the Mobile Legends universe in a more relaxed progression-based format. Instead of the intense five-versus-five matches of the MOBA, players assemble teams of familiar characters and let them battle automatically while upgrading gear, unlocking abilities, and pushing through campaign stages. The game proved that the Mobile Legends roster could work in a refreshingly different genre.
Moonton later explored similar territory with Magic Chess: Go Go, developed under subsidiary Vizta Games, an auto battler that grew out of the original Magic Chess mode inside Mobile Legends. The game pits eight players against each other in strategic matches where heroes automatically fight once deployed on a board. It taps into the same tactical formula popularized by auto battler titles while adapting it using the Mobile Legends cast.
Exploring the genres
Even before Mobile Legends exploded globally, Moonton had already experimented with hybrid strategy titles such as Magic Rush: Heroes. Released in 2015, the game combined tower defense gameplay with hero collection and base-building mechanics, allowing players to recruit characters and defend their kingdom against waves of enemies. It blended several popular mobile gaming trends at the time and remains one of the studio’s earliest large-scale projects.
Recently the company has experimented with genres that flex its creativity. One example is ACECRAFT, a vertical shoot ’em up developed by Vizta Games. The game blends classic bullet-hell gameplay with roguelike mechanics, allowing players to pilot aircraft through chaotic waves of enemies while absorbing projectiles to power special attacks and lighthearted themes and designs.
Watcher of Realms, a dark fantasy detour
One of the most interesting departures from the Mobile Legends formula is Watcher of Realms. Instead of focusing on competitive player-versus-player battles, the game leans heavily into PvE strategy with strong tower defense elements. Players recruit a roster of heroes and place them strategically across battlefields to block enemy waves, defend choke points, and unleash abilities at the right moment.
The structure inevitably draws comparisons to Arknights, which helped popularize the modern hero-based tower defense format on mobile. Watcher of Realms follows a similar philosophy where unit placement, timing, and synergy matter just as much as raw character strength. However, Moonton’s take on the formula pushes a more traditional Western fantasy aesthetic versus Arknights’ anime aesthetic, with darker environments, larger battlefield layouts, and a greater emphasis on boss encounters.
There is no denying that Mobile Legends still defines Moonton’s global reputation. Its esports ecosystem, massive player base, and popularity in Southeast Asia.
However, looking at the rest of Moonton’s catalog reveals a developer that has quietly experimented with a wide range of genres. From idle RPGs and tower defense titles to arcade shooters, Moonton has been steadily exploring what else it can build beyond the MOBA that made it the envy of the mobile gaming world.
