''BTS World'' (stylized in all caps) is a mobile

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by South Korean studio Takeone Company Corp and published by Netmarble. Players take the role of

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

' manager, going through various journeys with each of the seven members from 2012, before their debut, to 2019.

Release

The game was released to

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and Android systems in over 175 countries on June 26, 2019.

Gameplay

''BTS World'' is a

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

styled video game, where most of the story relies on clicking through interactions between the user and game characters. The game is based on conversations and choices that impact the later chapters. The player can also style the characters and play a

card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

to achieve a specific score. The game uses real photos and voice recordings of the BTS members. Its official website has galleries of photos and videos of the members as the game characters. Another mode, called "Another Story", has similar gameplay but different stories, as each focuses on the player and only one member of BTS as if they were not together back then.

Characters

Based on the descriptions on the game's official website, there are seven different characters in "Another Story".

Developer

It was reported that ''BTS World'' was developing for two years. Netmarble claimed that the group's strong fanbase "leads to a good potential market for creating a brand-new game." The game is based on the members' true personalities.

Soundtrack

The game features original music from the group. An accompanying soundtrack album, '' BTS World: Original Soundtrack'', was released worldwide on June 28, 2019. The soundtrack was supported by three collaboration singles: " Dream Glow" by Jin, Jimin, and

Jungkook Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), better known as Jung Kook, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member and vocalist of South Korean boy band BTS. He has performed three solo songs as part of BTS' disc ...

featuring British singer

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

(June 7), " A Brand New Day" by

J-Hope Jung Ho-seok (; born February 18, 1994), known professionally as J-Hope (; stylized in lower case), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 2013, ...

and V featuring Swedish singer

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and dancer. She first rose to prominence in 2008 after winning the Talang 2008, second season of ''Talang (Swedish TV show), Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got T ...

(June 14), and " All Night" by RM and

Suga Min Yoon-gi (; born March 9, 1993), known professionally by his stage names Suga (; stylized in all caps) and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in June ...

featuring American rapper

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...

(June 21). On June 26, the game's official theme song and the soundtrack's lead single, " Heartbeat", was revealed in-game after its release.

Reception

Media coverage

Before being released, the game received significant media coverage. CNBC said the game "will offer opportunities for microtransactions." MTV reports for people who are not familiar with the band, "the game could become a powerful learning tool for anyone just getting into their music."

Awards and nominations

References

{{BTS 2019 video games Android (operating system) games Band-centric video games BTS Golden Joystick Award winners IOS games Netmarble games Single-player video games Social casual games Video games developed in South Korea Video games set in 2012 Video games set in 2019 Visual novels