Azur Lane is a Chinese shipgirl-themed side-scrolling shoot 'em up mobile game developed by Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi and published by Yostar.
Gameplay
Like Kantai Collection, the game is set during World War II and mainly features collecting and controlling moe personifications of warships from major participants of World War II. Unlike Kantai Collection, it features side-scrolling shooter gameplay with mechanics akin to those of Touhou. Other gameplay elements, such as customization of a interactive backyard and marrying in-game characters, are also present. The real life factions are replaced by fictional counterparts (such as Empire of Japan being called as "Sakura Empire", United States as "Eagle Union", etc.)
Unlike KanColle, the game has made an effort to distance itself from WW2 in most aspects in order to appeal to a broader audience, pushing for most fantastical designs, the implementation of collabs unrelated to WW2 naval history, the release of shipgirls based on fictional warships without proper historical precedent, post-war era warships, WW1 warships, dark versions of its existing shipgirls (METAships), shipgirls from the Age of Sail, child and idol variants of its characters, and so on.
Media
The game has been adapted into several manga and novelizations. Azur Lane: Crosswave, a PlayStation 4 / PC game, was released in 2019. A TV anime adaptation aired during Fall 2019. The game has also held an annual collaboration with World of Warships since 2017. Azur Lane: Slow Ahead, a slice-of-life 4koma series, was adapted into an anime in early 2021.
History
Azur Lane was launched on May 25th, 2017 in China, on September 14th, 2017 in Japan, on March 27th, 2018 in Korea, on August 16th, 2018 in English, and around September 2019 in Taiwan. As of 2024, the number of players registered surpassed at least 41 million.
