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Titanfall's mobile debut is a 'Hearthstone' with mechs

'Frontline' deploys this fall on iOS and Android.

If I told you Titanfall was coming to smartphones, what kind of game would you envision? A side-scrolling shoot-em-up similar to Metal Slug? A Titan customization tool? Or a portable-friendly strategy game like Advance Wars? Well, I've got bad news. Titanfall: Frontline is none of those. It's a digital card game similar to Hearthstone. But wait! Before you dive back into Blizzard's tavern, hear Respawn out. The company has teamed up with Nexon, best known for the MMO Maplestory, to build out new cards and mechanics that could feel authentic to the Titanfall universe.

So maybe, just maybe, it'll be more than an uninspired reskin? Titanfall: Frontline has "hundreds" of pilots, robots and special ability burn cards, which players can accrue and incorporate into their own decks. The game will accommodate different play styles too, so you can choose to rush your opponents with a group of light, nimble pilots, or wear them down with slower, defense-oriented troops. Oh, and of course, you'll be able to drop a titan onto the field, turning the tide of battle in decisive moments.

Titanfall: Frontline is coming to iOS and Android this fall, no doubt to coincide with the release of Titanfall 2. It's a common tactic employed by the video game industry -- with so many players on mobile, it makes sense to target them first, or simultaneously with a free-to-play title. With their interest piqued, the hope is that they'll then drop the cash on the premium console experience. Square Enix is making a similar play with Justice Monsters Five, ahead of the release of Final Fantasy XV this November. Titanfall: Frontline is a trickier proposition, however, as the card-dueling genre is so far removed from its adrenaline-fuelled mech shooter origins.