Roco Kingdom opens Japanese closed beta on Oct. 27 as open-world remake of 2010 browser classic

The original Roco Kingdom launched in China in 2010 as a browser game aimed at children and operated for 16 years; development of the current remake started in 2020 as a mobile project. Morefun Studios launched the new version in China in March 2026, and the Japanese rollout will begin with the October 27 closed beta — officially called the “Kwakk Test” — after which a formal local release date will be announced. The game is described as a complete rebuild: open-world exploration fused with monster-collection mechanics, presented as a standalone RPG rather than a browser port.

Narrative director and localization lead Xiao Ye spoke at the Japanese press event and framed the game around three keywords: “encounter,” “stay close,” and “walk together.” At launch the world will contain roughly 400 Jini species; most encounters are meant to happen organically in the field rather than through randomized shop pulls. Each Jini species can vary by individual appearance and temperament, so even two Jini of the same species will look and act differently. That variety underpins both the discovery loop and the social flavor of travel: Jini don’t simply follow — they have lifestyles, sometimes act independently, and form stronger bonds with players who observe and respond to them.

Karosia is built as a living space with distinct biomes and local ecosystems. Day/night cycles and changing weather do more than alter the skybox: they affect exploration and encounter behavior. The team said modern tech was brought in specifically to express environmental shifts and make the world feel immersive. In the demo build shown after the event, players can stand and watch groups of Jini behaving autonomously — duck-like “Dakki-ji” patrolling grass, turtle-like Jini swimming or retreating into shells when approached — and those on-screen actions are the same behaviors driving actual gameplay rather than staged video effects.

The capture system uses an in-world tool called an orb, and capturing is tied to meeting Jini in the world rather than obtaining them from gacha draws. The orb interface is designed for immediacy: you can throw from the exploration screen without opening menus, lock on to a target, and make captures feel natural for players unused to complex mobile UIs. The demo’s capture flow emphasized a low barrier to entry, and Morefun said mobile content will largely match the PC/console experience; the release will also support cross-platform multiplayer so players on different devices can adventure together.

Combat and multiplayer details were clarified at the event. PvP exists, but victory is decided by Jini skills, type matchups, and player strategy rather than by pay-to-win mechanics. The planned monetization model currently centers on a battle pass; one of the pass rewards is a choice between two special Jini. Morefun also plans Roco cosmetics that can enable special animated interactions with Jini, so purchased items will offer visual and performative variety rather than guaranteed competitive power. The studio added that buying the battle pass won’t be the only route to those special Jini: visiting the field of a player who did purchase the pass will give non-buyers a chance to capture the same special Jini.

The press event included a short stage program with voice actors who work on the project: KENN voices Iris and Aina Aiba voices Yessy, and both performed live narration and scene work alongside a gameplay demo. After the stage portion reporters were invited to play a demo build. New players choose an initial partner Jini at the start — the water-type Powawa, grass-type Nyabu, or fire-type Sparka — and then explore an open field populated with numerous Jini. The demo made a point of letting players observe Jini behavior before engaging; the team emphasized that understanding a Jini’s habits offers practical capture and communication clues, not just flavor. Technical hurdles were part of the behind-the-scenes conversation: Xiao told 4Gamer that optimizing thousands of independently behaving Jini across platforms was a major engineering challenge, and that redesigning older character concepts to better fit modern tastes required close attention. In particular, some earlier humanoid Jini were reworked into animal-like designs for consistency with the new art direction.

Xiao also shared player-demographic notes from the China launch: university students and players in their twenties made up the largest group early on, and Morefun says it intends the game for a broad age range — from young children up through older adults who might remember the original browser version. On monetization Xiao reiterated the non-gacha intent and explained planned paid features: the battle pass, cosmetic Roco items with Jini-synergy animations, and the special-Jini rewards tied to the pass. Formal release timing for Japan remains open beyond the October 27 Kwakk Test; development and localization will continue while the studio collects feedback from the closed beta.