Implosion: Never Lose Hope

Implosion: Never Lose Hope
Developer(s)	Rayark
Publisher(s)	WW: Rayark (iOS, Android) JP: Flyhigh Works (NS) WW: Circle Entertainment (NS)
Director(s)	Yung-Ting Tony Lee Alvin Chung Anton Mark-Hitchman
Producer(s)	Ming-Yang Yu
Designer(s)	Ryan Lee QQ Lin Ada Tsukiyo
Programmer(s)	Jimmy Hwang Chun-Fu Chao Kenyi Feis Lee
Artist(s)	Agugu Lin
Writer(s)	Anton Mark-Hitchman
Composer(s)	Kevin Penkin Taku Sakakibara
Platform(s)	iOS Android Nintendo Switch
Release	iOS, Android WW: 8 April 2015 Nintendo Switch WW: 6 July 2017
Genre(s)	Action, hack 'n' slash

Implosion: Never Lose Hope is an action video game developed and published by Rayark, and released on April 8, 2015, for iOS and Android and on July 6, 2017, for the Nintendo Switch.

Never Lose Hope received critical acclaim and was awarded the 2015 iOS Game of the Year for Asia,^[1] with praise going to its impressive visuals, exciting gameplay, first-class voice acting and full orchestral scores. While some critics praised the story, others argued it utilised cliché storytelling biased towards a "campy" sci-fi audience.^[2] Other criticisms went to the lack of explanation regarding the weapon upgrade system.^[3]

The gameplay—combining hack and slash and top-down shooting elements—features exploration and combat in various environments, in addition to VR Survival Modes that grant experience and allow customization of the main character's abilities with items called ARK fragments. Conversations between characters and animated cutscenes occur at crucial story points.

Set in the year 2201, Never Lose Hope focuses on Jacob Francis Carloway, a Warmech pilot serving the Ivonix, a faction on the leading edge of advanced technology. An attack on Earth by Alien life forms called XADA in 2178 forces humanity to evacuate to the nearest hospitable planet in the Tau system. Twenty years following the invasion, the survivors in the Tau system detect an incoming attack from the Earth and deploy two Warmech suits to investigate and eliminate the threat forming on the Earth's surface.^[4]

Development of Never Lose Hope began in 2012 with a small team within the indie studio Rayark, after a redirected attempt to create an Xbox title. Key influences included artificial intelligence and man-machine integration, which influenced the story, graphics and music while combining with typical cyberpunk elements.

After release, an expansion episode titled Implosion: Last Man Standing was developed, featuring a new playable character and a separate story mission. The Last Man Standing episode received additional praise for its revamped gameplay elements.