"Loco Kingdom," an open-world monster-collecting RPG developed by Morefun Studios, a subsidiary of Tencent Holdings.Based on an IP with over 16 years of history in China, the game is scheduled to begin its first global closed beta test (Quack Test) on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
The Game*Spark editorial team was able to get a glimpse of *Roco Kingdom*—in which players journey with the magical creature “Jini”—through a Japanese version announcement event and hands-on demo held in Tokyo.
The game is set on the fantasy-themed continent of Karosia. Players explore the field, encounter the Jinn that inhabit it, and proceed on their adventure by recruiting them as allies.
The hands-on demo began with a tutorial on combat using Jinn. It not only covered the basics—such as the compatibility between Jinn with different attributes and swapping out Jinn during battle—but also gave players a sense of the game’s strategic depth, including the timing of defensive and buff skills.
"Loco Kingdom" Official
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Encounters with “Jinn” Become the Goal of Your Next Journey
The magical creatures known as “Jinn” that you encounter in the field are your adventure companions in this game.The process of spotting a Jini that catches your eye, capturing it, raising it, and adding it to your team is a key element that ties exploration and battle together. It’s not just about collecting the strongest individuals—there’s also the joy of searching for “the one you want to take along on your journey” based on appearance, attributes, and fighting style.
In capture-and-training RPGs, the desire to complete the bestiary and the strategic challenge of crafting your party go hand in hand. In this game as well, the thrill of discovery when you spot a Jini, the sense of accomplishment when it joins your party, and the joy of seeing a Jini you’ve raised excel in battle will likely keep you coming back for more.
While traveling across the vast map, you can, of course, ride a Jini. Whether it’s an adorable spider-like Jini or animal-type Jinis such as wolves and giraffes, riding them as you journey forward allows you to experience not just the journey to your destination, but also a genuine “connection with your Jini.”
Turn-based battles are where you put your trained Jinni’s unique traits to the test
In the turn-based battles where you control your Jini, you select actions and strategically use attacks and skills based on the enemy composition and the situation. Unlike the fast-paced action of map exploration, combat allows you to enjoy the strategic back-and-forth of carefully planning your moves.
In Jini battles, “elemental affinities,” “skill timing,” and “swap timing” are absolutely crucial. Even if you repeatedly launch attacks that exploit an opponent’s weakness, if they swap Jini or block your attack, the advantage will shift to the opponent.
Even in the story-driven battles early in the game, I felt it demanded some serious strategic foresight. That’s why the sense of accomplishment is all the more profound when you successfully exploit a weakness in sync with the opponent’s Jini swap.While the “Jini-to-Jini compatibility” is helpfully displayed at all times during battle, the experience of fighting alongside companions you’ve grown attached to felt incredibly rewarding.
Incidentally, *Loco Kingdom* also features tag matches. In one such tag match available as part of the story, I found myself at the mercy of the opponent’s “swaps,” which prolonged the battle and prevented me from delivering the finishing blow to the enemy Jini—ultimately leading to my defeat.
The opponent I lost to was a gatekeeper guarding a “key location” in the story. Just as I thought, “If I don’t win this, I can’t move forward…,” it turned out that simply “ignoring the dialogue and taking a detour” was apparently enough to clear the stage.I summoned a Jini—which can be used as a mount—and had it flap its wings as we soared through the majestic scenery, reaching our destination in the blink of an eye.
This time, I had a Jini capable of flight right from the start, but as the story progresses, it looks like there will be the added fun of “collecting Jinis that can navigate the terrain effectively.”
Although the content I was able to try out at this stage was limited, the turn-based nature of the game means you’ll need to carefully consider how to level up your Jinn, which skills to equip them with, and in what order to use them.As a bridge between the “joy of collecting and raising” your favorite Jinn to take on your journey and the “strategic depth of an RPG” in devising winning strategies, this is an aspect I’m eager to explore more deeply when the game launches.
“Loco Kingdom” Official
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Interview with the Development Team: The Adventures and Online Elements of “Loco Kingdom”
After the hands-on demo, the Game*Spark editorial team interviewed Mr. Ono (Xiao Ye) at developer Morefun Studios, who serves as the Global Narrative and Localization Lead for *Loco Kingdom*. We asked him about the relationships with the Jini, the open-world design, cooperative elements, and his thoughts on the Japanese localization.
――As the development team, what kind of experience—one that truly embodies the spirit of “Loco Kingdom”—do you want players to have right from the start?
Xiao Ye: The world of *Loco Kingdom* offers endless opportunities for natural, enjoyable communication. Players can seamlessly explore the meticulously crafted open world alongside others, and I really hope they get to experience that.
――We’ve heard that players can enjoy “communication” in various ways in this game. Could you tell us more about the appeal of interacting with Jinnis and with friends?
Xiao Ye: There are various ways to interact with the Jinn. You can ride on larger Jinn to get around, or carry smaller ones in your arms as you walk.We focused not only on solo play but also on ways for multiple players to interact with the Jinn. One player can be carried by a Jinn, while two players can ride their favorite Jinn together. We really want you to experience this kind of gameplay, where you can enjoy adventures and exploration with the Jinn and journey alongside your friends.
The game also features a housing system. Players can own their own homes, customize them however they like, and even host parties in their rooms. By interacting with friends in this way, you can earn a special in-game currency called “Wishing Stars,” which can be exchanged for outfits and items.
――Please tell us what aspects *Loco Kingdom* prioritizes in its localization, and what features you’d especially like Japanese players to pay attention to.
Xiao Ye: Since *Loco Kingdom* is a Chinese IP, it contains many proper nouns in Chinese, and some names are derived from “wordplay” that only makes sense in Chinese. Of course, simply translating them directly into Japanese wouldn’t make sense, so we put a lot of effort into translating the Jini names to ensure they’re “easy to pronounce and convey their characteristics and relationships.”The game also features Japanese voice acting, and we’ve approached the localization of this title with great care, so we’d be delighted if players in Japan would give it a try.
Weave Your Own Unique Continent of Karosia with Jini
Collecting monsters, raising them to be strong, traveling through a vast world, and spending time in your own home. In *Roco Kingdom*, each of these gameplay elements is interconnected, centered around your encounters with Jini.
"Roco Kingdom" is scheduled to hold its first global closed beta test, the "Quack Test," starting Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and is currently accepting applications on the official website.The game is set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Microsoft Store, Epic Games), iOS, and Android, though the release date has not yet been determined.
How will the elements experienced in the demo—such as “interactions with Jini,” “combat that’s user-friendly yet deep,” and “a story centered around the ‘Magic Academy’”—unfold across the continent of Karosia once the game launches? Whether you’re eager to rush into adventure or prefer to take your time exploring, we look forward to the day when you can create your own unique story alongside your favorite Jini.
