Catalyst Black
Epic Team Combat and Strategy
Ratings
Age
9+
Category
Action
Languages
English
Thu Oct 20 2022
== NEW PRIMAL: ENAI ==
- Graceful archer here to keep the other primals in check
- Snipe enemies from afar with her skillshot bow and arrow
- Combine Relics and Powers to maximize damage, mobility, or health
== NEW WEAPON: PARADIGM ==
- Primary Weapon unleashing two powerful blasts at once
- Rocket Launcher with Primal Hunter banner for long-range combat
- Infusions grant primal energy upon activating your Ability
== SAVE YOUR LOADOUTS & GO ==
- Save up to three different loadouts in your inventory
- Find your favorite builds and easily switch between them
- And so much more!
For more information, check out the full update breakdown: https://catalystblack.com/0-23/
Catalyst Black is a premier team-based battleground shooter that emphasizes tactical depth and player agency. Engage in massive online battles where you can drop in and out at any time. Customize your character with a vast array of weapons and abilities, and harness the power of 'Primals'—mystical giants you can transform into to crush the opposition. With multiple game modes and a stunning art style, it’s a new era of mobile combat.
Dinsun Expert Review
Our Expert Score
Catalyst Black is a technical marvel in the mobile shooter space. Developed by the creators of Vainglory, it brings that same level of polish and visual fidelity to a frantic, team-based 'battleground' shooter. The standout feature is the 'Primal' mechanic, where you can temporarily transform into a massive, god-like creature to turn the tide of battle. It adds a layer of power fantasy and tactical timing that is missing from generic MOBAs.
The controls are buttery smooth, supporting both touch and controllers, and the 'drop-in, drop-out' matchmaking is incredibly respectful of a mobile player's time. The gear system is deep without being overly convoluted, allowing for hundreds of combinations of weapons, trinkets, and abilities. It looks like a high-end console game and plays like a dream, making it one of the best competitive experiences currently available on the App Store.
Features
Unique Primal transformation system
Seamless drop-in/drop-out matchmaking
Extensive weapon and gear customization
Console-quality graphics and fluid animation
Tips & Walkthrough
Don't waste your Primal form on a single enemy. Save your energy for objective pushes or when your team is cornered. The transformation provides a health reset, making it a great 'last resort' survival tactic.
Gameplays
Combine your primary weapon with trinkets that boost its specific damage type. For example, if using a sniper, equip gear that increases 'Range' and 'Critical Hit' to maximize your impact from the backline.
Screenshot
Q&A
Yes, the game has full support for Xbox, PlayStation, and MFi controllers.
Ratings & Reviews
GREAT GAME
Thu Oct 20 2022 Marquez92398I really love this game a lot! Everything about the game is good! I think there could be a few tweaks though. First things first, I believe that we should be able to switch between our classes during battles. I don’t like having to stay with only one class throughout the entire match and it would make it more better if I could switch between classes during a match. As well, maybe even add the ability to rename our classes! I believe that instead of only having a free daily chest maybe you could add a free weekly chest as well? Another thing I had in mind is that I know that there is different characters that you can choose from, but what if you added the ability to switch cosmetics on that certain character? Like hair color or the color of the armor. Maybe even add like simple tattoos on them like a dragon, skull, fire, etc. I really love this game a lot and can’t wait for future updates!!
It’s an ok game
Tue Jun 14 2022 KingDariuzDidn’t give this a five star because compared to vainglory it isn’t as good. Please bring back vainglory Update: I think my biggest quarrel and reason for not supporting catalyst black yet is because of the potential that it could end up like Vainglory. I’ve put a lot of money into vainglory and it would be a big risk for me if it happened again. catalyst black lacks the creativity that Vainglory had. You had these amazing characters and developed stories behind them and each character had its own special ability which made them unique. They had their own unique skins which I loved. So my take; catalyst black lacks quality in graphics that vainglory once had; vainglory had vibrant colors and it didn’t look too cartoony, it lacks stories that you developed to draw the player in and each character had a unique skill and ability that was special to them; it lacks the social aspect where you can create clans and have clan battles maybe have a global and clan chat to connect the players, and it lacks like I said before creativity. I say all this not to come down hard on this company or Game but I know what you are capable of. The reason I gave it four stars is because the game itself had I not known about Vainglory is actually really good. The great thing about having Catalyst Black is that super evil megacorp is still in the game and they have an opportunity to unleash their creativity on people all over the world. If all the things I said above get better and you give me a compelling reason to make in game purchases then you would have my full support. I am from Hawaii so that should show you how much influence you can have. 🤙🏽
Better than expected but…
Thu May 26 2022 I am N0 OneAfter going through the pain of suddenly being dropped by the developers when vainglory was still around I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I’m not a fan of the Fortnite style, childish graphics so that is the other primary reason I am giving it 4 stars. But I would be lying if I said that the game is not fun or unique. There are definitely elements to this that make it competitive and I’m not even sure if I would classify this as a moba. It can become quite addictive and I do enjoy the mechanics. Again, my only qualms are the graphic styles and the fact that SEMC suddenly left their fanbase hanging on a moments notice with no heads up what so ever. It makes me hesitant to invest time or money into the game knowing the developers already have a history of letting their loyal communities down by dropping us the way they did. I’m sure there was more to the story, but that one hurt and even though time has gone by the emotions are still raw. All in all it is great game that I would recommend checking out at the very least, but hopefully it doesn’t end the way that vainglory did.
SEMC is back
Wed May 25 2022 BigmaniacFor those who don’t know this company, Super Evil MegaCorp is a gaming company that made the mobile moba popular. They created vainglory which the mobile legends (and to some extent league) games integrated from. Catalyst black is their latest project. Let’s hop in. Pros: beautiful. This is a game who’s visuals alone could carry a lot. Dynamic: this game has a lot of variety. There’s a team deathmatch mode, an objective war, a big battleground a pve mode and even a mode where you have 3 different ways to win. Fun: I played 6 months in the beta and now with the release it’s even crazier having real people to play against. Cons: matchmaker. This is gonna be a little crazy. The game was not shipped with a matchmaking system. I’ve seen a lvl 103 get placed with a lvl 16. However, the devs did actually implement a buff for low level players to compensate this. The buff gives the player bonus health, damage and defense until level 35. The intention is, at that level the average player oughta have a good feel for the game and their own loadouts to take matchups with high level players. Primals: ultimate ability for this game. Some feel a little weak but almost all can be viable if you go with the flow of the match. Final thoughts: a brilliant game from a company who’s primary motto is “Games first profit later” (literally made vainglory without a business model and tried to focus on gameplay and cost them in the end lol). 5 star review here from someone who started in beta and is restarting from scratch to ge the full blown player experience. Welcome chosen, welcome to Catalyst Black.
Nice!! + updated review
Fri Feb 20 2026 OdieJTSLove the game!! Fun!! But I would do a 5 🌟 only if there was a previous match/battle stats that you can see, it would make trying to get friends and also so you could see the stats and all! Yeah there is after match stats but some times it might crash or you might (like me) click to soon. Besides that it’s all fun and such. Would be cool but most likely won’t happen. Anyways thank you for this!!! Don’t know when this happened I haven’t played in a few months but didn’t delete it, now I can’t collect the chests and it’s so laggy now it’s hard to play( I even tweaked and lowered the settings to see if that helped any, nope not at all!), and it crashes allot more now then it ever has I’ll be lucky to get 2 matches in without a crash! 😭😭😢😩 man I really liked this game! I even checked my end of it= everything is running great, idk maybe more players on their servers or something like that. Well anyways it still one of my favs! Sorry I had to bring down a star! Now it’s a 3! 👎👎👎
Match making and bots
Tue Jun 21 2022 Fadee27472772For real guys I expected way more than that I honestly did I couldn’t wait for this game knowing that it will be soo perfect moba that everyone wants to play. Unfortunately the match making is soo bad almost all the time im playing and against bots the lobby is never full with real player and its bad bots have no fun to kill u are literally killing the game with bots theres no pleasure killing bots unlike vainglory the match making was perfect in entire moba gaming please take out the bots and y not enter rank mode too that would be competitive for alot of real players that would make the game soo amazing i would definitely love to spend more time on it and another 2 or 3 mods can also be perfect to make me be staying up late and some of my money too the game is very fun the style the colors and graphics every thing is beautiful And when it comes to weapons the sniper is broken long range regular shot and dead how y is it over powered and im still desperate to play with all real players match making needs update ASAP
In the shadow of greatness
Sun May 29 2022 DouggiieEssentially team based, twin stick shooter. Limited weapon types but large power upgrade capability, a la Destiny. Growing this power requires a lot of grinding against people who spend money. The game is blatant pay to win. This choice is understandable in the context of their years long struggle with vainglory. Perhaps they thought it wouldn’t matter since the matches are only 4 minutes long, however that in turn means that nothing matters at all. Matches are so short that there is no emotional attachment to the match, no dynamic strategic development, and a shallow social component consisting solely of people friending the top player in every match, because what else could you possibly know about them? Go ahead and spend your money to beat strangers on the internet in four minute matches if that’s your jam, just beware that you may wake up tomorrow with no account, and find that the developer has packed their bags and run out of town yet again.
Fun at first then p2w
Sat Dec 10 2022 Diet pancakeLoved this game, super fun gameplay but you quickly start getting matched with players that have a full auto missile launcher that gives you the health of a tank, range that can hit you from off screen, 2 shots you with splash damage, with a projectile hit box bigger than your character, with projectiles so fast your unlikely to dodge more than a couple and overall will just destroy your whole team single handedly unless the player is an absolute bot. Shop is full of more than 5 different 100$ offers immediately. Beside that when you get in a lobby without this weapon (pretty often) you’ll regularly be thrown into games where you’re loosing by 25 percent+ of the winning score… and if you loose you will still loose rank points (this isn’t rare at all, and describes more than 50% of ranked games I’ve played) Other than all that things seem rather balanced, I’ll regularly drop 40-50 kills a game with the starter gear. Unless you see those super fast giant green rockets flying from who knows where. Make sure you dodge every single one, along with your team, if they get hit… you’re dead, and don’t think a barricade will save you or it’s GG Also If your playing on phone expect the game to crash in the middle of a fight every 3 rounds or so, sometimes letting you back into the game when it reloads, and sometimes your just out of luck.
Some Youtube Videos found!
The Downfall of Catalyst Black and Super Evil Megacorp - YouTube
Catalyst Black - Gameplay | Super Evil Megacorp - YouTube
Catalyst Black (by Super Evil Megacorp) IOS Gameplay Video (HD) - YouTube
Catalyst Black (by Super Evil Megacorp) IOS Gameplay Video (HD) - YouTube
Catalyst Black - Pre-Alpha - YouTube
Catalyst Black - What is it and is it worth playing - YouTube
Catalyst Black - Official Release Gameplay - YouTube
News found!
Jobs digest: moves at Super Evil Megacorp, NextBeat, Stillfront, Exient, Netflix, Trailmix, Epic, Com2us, EA and moreOur jobs digest has the biggest moves and promotions from across the mobile games business, all in one spot.
Mobilegamer.biz Thu Aug 28 2025
Hands on: Catalyst Black unleashes Vainglory's full potential, but at a costCatalyst Black is the latest mobile game from Super Evil Mega Corp — the creators of Vainglory. Here's what we think of it.
XDA Wed Dec 28 2022
Go ‘Primal’ for the Worldwide Launch of New Battleground Shooter, Catalyst BlackSuper Evil Megacorp, developer of core games perfected for touch screen, brings players a new world of epic battles, powerful guns,...
Business Wire Wed Dec 28 2022
Catalyst Black launching on May 25, says Super Evil MegacorpSuper Evil Megacorp announced the release date of its new mobile battleground shooter, Catalyst Black: May 25.
VentureBeat Mon Nov 28 2022
Super Evil Megacorp Launches Catalyst Black Into Early AccessThis week, Super Evil Megacorp has announced that their upcoming iOS game Catalyst Black will launch into Early Access.
Bleeding Cool News Sun Feb 28 2021
Super Evil Megacorp expands team for upcoming Netflix titleCatalyst Black developer Super Evil Megacorp has expanded its staff following the news of its partnership with Netflix.
GamesIndustry.biz Sat Oct 28 2023
Catalyst Black is your next competitive obsession, and it's coming next monthSuper Evil Megacorp capitalized on the lack of MOBAs on mobile with the release of Vainglory back in 2014, and the game found a lot of...
Android Police Mon Nov 28 2022
Vainglory creators open Early Access for upcoming shooter Catalyst BlackSuper Evil Megacorp has opened the doors for shooter fans on iOS to join “Secret Service,” their Early Access program for their upcoming game Catalyst Black.
ONE Esports Sun Feb 28 2021
Catalyst Black for Android review: A surprisingly deep team-based shooterFans of the team-based shooting genre are in for a surprise, as Super Evil Megacorp's Catalyst Black is a deep and engaging experience.
Android Central Wed Dec 28 2022
Vainglory Dev's Latest Game, Catalyst Black, Enters Early Access In AugustSuper Evil Megacorp has announced that the forthcoming Catalyst Black, a team-based, battleground shooter, will launch in early access on...
TheGamer Sun Feb 28 2021
