There's a game called Pick Me Up.
It was launched two years ago by Moebius Corp., a mobile game with the subtitle Hyper Roguelike Summon RPG.
Today marks both the second anniversary of Pick Me Up and its milestone of surpassing 100 million downloads. In honor of this, I've been tasked with writing a special feature article. I'll do my best.
Although Pick Me Up already boasts 100 million players worldwide, let me reintroduce the game for those who might not know.
When Pick Me Up first appeared on the app store, many people were skeptical.
Isn't this just another cookie-cutter cash grab game?
But as word of mouth spread, Pick Me Up rapidly grew in popularity. Now, it's not just a hit in Korea but a global phenomenon — a national-level mobile game.
So, how did Pick Me Up rise to become one of the top mobile games worldwide? Let's take a look at its main appeals.
First: Moebius Summon
This key system, completed after nearly five years of development, is the game's highlight feature. Its core lies in generating infinite heroes by randomly combining thousands of patterns.
In other words, whether you summon hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times, the chance of pulling a duplicate hero is practically zero. It defies common sense, and yet Pick Me Up shattered those expectations.
But this was only the beginning. An even more revolutionary system awaited.
Second: Quantum A.I.
Several years ago, the world was abuzz with the showdown between a top-ranked Go player and artificial intelligence. That historic match ended with the A.I.'s victory.
Watching it unfold, I wondered — could the ultra-advanced A.I. we saw only in films soon become reality?
Ironically, that revolution began with a game company. The secret behind the countless addicts of Pick Me Up lies here: Moebius integrated ultra-advanced artificial intelligence — something most thought decades away — into a mere mobile game.
The heroes of Pick Me Up feel emotions and think. Place them on the stage, and each one reacts differently. They make requests, argue, sometimes refuse commands, and other times obey.
In battle, they're even more shocking. Without the Master giving orders, the heroes act on their own, devising efficient tactics, forming unique strategies and formations in every fight.
Even with identical training, their growth varies. Heroes of the same level and rank can fight differently and produce different results.
Thus, there are no fixed tier lists or set training methods. The countless heroes of Pick Me Up behave like living humans.
This is the biggest reason the game is often called "the Devil's Game."
It's too real. Even though they're nothing more than data, the heroes feel alive.
Moebius has yet to reveal the detailed algorithms. Recently, a Chinese megacorp tried to buy them out with billions, but failed. Countless hacking attempts have targeted their systems, but none have succeeded.
Third: Roguelike
"There's nothing left to do."
"Content is lacking."
Such complaints are common among hardcore gamers — a reflection that most developers can't create new content fast enough to match the consumption rate.
A Moebius employee once said in an interview:
"Whales spending tens of millions, hardcore users who play all day? Let them try."
At the time, many players laughed it off. Yet, even after two years, not a single player has cleared the main dungeon of Pick Me Up.
Despite players spending billions of won and grinding 18+ hours daily, no one has reached the end.
Pick Me Up adopted the hardcore rule: when a hero dies, they're gone for good.
At launch, this shocked users. How could a hero, into which players poured hundreds of hours and massive sums, vanish in a single battle? It was seen as the game's biggest flaw, drawing harsh backlash.
But Moebius never changed the rule. Over time, more players came to appreciate it.
One enthusiast argued:
"The heroes of Pick Me Up are programmed so precisely they're nearly human. If they're born through summoning, shouldn't they naturally face death as well?"
Stages change randomly, and missions are unpredictable. Battles are run entirely by A.I., leaving Masters with little control once the fight begins.
There are countless unpredictable variables. Sometimes, a reckless party clears a nightmare dungeon; other times, a 6-star elite squad wipes in a beginner dungeon.
Nothing in Pick Me Up is predetermined.
It constantly changes and flows.
Some critics ask:
"Then what's the point of the player? Just a spectator? If it's all RNG, why bother playing?"
To them, I'd like to introduce one Korean Master.
His account name is Loki.
He's Korea's only world top-tier ranker, often called the Master of Masters.
"Still, he's not #1."
That's true. Loki is ranked only 5th globally.
By rank alone, it might seem odd to call him the best. Yet, he's mentioned more often than even the #1 player — and the only one with the prestigious title of Master of Masters.
The reason is simple:
He's absurdly unlucky.
Summons in Pick Me Up are tiered by stars.
Free summons: ★1–3
Paid summons: ★3–5
To compete as a top-ranker, players need at least five natural-born 5★ heroes. High-star heroes usually outperform lower-star ones by far.
Yes, you can evolve a 1★ hero into a 5★, but compared to a natural-born 5★, they fall short.
Now, take Loki.
He's done around 4,500 paid summons.
And yet — not a single natural 5★.
By comparison, the global #4 and #6 players each own dozens of them. Loki? Just one 4★ hero.
And still, he's Korea's #1, the world's #5 ranker. Proof that Pick Me Up is not pure RNG trash, but a game where skill and strategy matter.
Though Masters can't directly control battles, they can train heroes differently. Loki carefully evaluates each hero's hidden talent and value, then optimizes their growth and composes efficient parties.
Low-star heroes are usually weaker than high-star ones, but not always. Loki proved this truth.
The game's meta changed forever after Loki began posting strategy guides.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Pick Me Up is now divided into "before Loki" and "after Loki."
… (rest omitted).
▼ [Comments – 3,135]
[Lv.51] Dawwww11
👍 8742 | 👎 6644
Why is this reporter suddenly worshipping a player? This is supposed to be a feature on the game, not fanboying over Loki. Did Moebius hire him to hype Loki?
└ [Lv.17] LokiManse
👍 513 | 👎 672
All hail Loki!
└ [Lv.3] Heu-sseu-eut
👍 13 | 👎 5
Isn't this reporter a member of the Ragnarok Loki fanclub? Fire him already.
[Lv.21] Diorama
👍 11 | 👎 13
Honestly, is Loki really that praiseworthy? Isn't he just another whale?
[Lv.76] YonginaegaDoenda
👍 3 | 👎 5
What's "Ragnarok Loki"?
[Lv.31] Kkuk-kkak-kkut-kkak
👍 0 | 👎 0
A Loki fansite. You need his autograph to level up as a premium member.
└ [Lv.76] YonginaegaDoenda
👍 4 | 👎 3
That's ridiculous.
[Lv.7] Siris-zzang
👍 1132 | 👎 2564
[Comment hidden]
I wanna lick Siris-zzang's ass! Slurp slurp!
[Lv.22] WalletKingKimGwagum
👍 811 | 👎 532
Bias aside, Loki's impact on Pick Me Up is undeniable. Before his account went public, no matter how good the game was, it felt like another pay-to-win. After Loki, the meta truly changed.
└ [Lv.15] NobleSinceAncestors
👍 4 | 👎 9
Another Loki stan here!
[Lv.22] WalletKingKimGwagum
👍 321 | 👎 157
Did I say anything wrong? Without Loki, every Korean ranker got stomped by overseas players. He's the only one left. Korean Pick Me Up IS Loki, and Loki IS Korean Pick Me Up.
Frankly, if he had even one 7★ hero, he could've gone for world #1.
[Lv.7] Siris-zzang
👍 325 | 👎 1132
[Comment hidden]
I wanna lick Siris-zzang's armpits! Slurp slurp!
└ [Lv.15] ElectronicAnkleBracelet
👍 913 | 👎 132
This creep does this under every Pick Me Up article. Why isn't he banned yet?
[Lv.1] Isel0479
👍 13 | 👎 11
All hail Loki!
All roads lead to Loki!
… (rest omitted).
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