Apple 'unleashes' digital monsters on Beijing in iPhone X spot

A city stroll turns into a life-or-death adventure for a gamer in Apple's latest iPhone X spot. "Unleash" showcases the mobile gaming capabilities of the brand's flagship phone, as the digital world of arena fighting game "Vainglory" begins to take over Beijing, set to Oliver Tree's song "Movement."

Creeping vines and stalagmites crack pavement and windows while other pedestrians pass by, oblivious. A run-in with little monsters turns violent, but they're easily thrown off, and our hero even has time to multitask, responding to text messages and scheduling meetups for later.

The challenges grow, though, and he has to face a giant treant and showcase his hand-to-hand skills. His moves mirror Reza, a popular avatar from the game, and he channels Reza fire powers against a final boss, a reptilian kaiju with killer breath. Well-known YouTube game streamers appear in the chat window shouting accolades for the performance--this is a team game, after all.

The spot is running in the U.S. and Asia starting Wednesday and can be watched in-game, too. Players can also select a skin for the Reza character that looks like the player in the ad.

In a TechCrunch piece from earlier this year, Apple VP Greg Joswiak noted, "Gaming has always been one of the most popular categories on the App Store." The relaunch of the App Store gave gaming its own dedicated section, as well as a "Today" tab that provided info on games and their creators.