The Pocket Gamer Podcast

Do you prefer going all-in on your mobile games, or are you content with the idle AFK life? We dive into a healthy back-and–forth on all things mobile in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, where everything from Mr Burns' Monopoly money to learning Japanese through swords pops into the picture.The big news this week is Monopoly Go's epic collab with The Simpsons, which, whether or not you're a big fan of the long-running animated series, still means there's plenty of new content to discover (and a rivalry-filled animated short at that).Do you feel like The Simpsons has overstayed its welcome, or is it still relevant? Much like The King of Fighters AFK, do legacy franchises still make the same impact today as they did before? Regardless, the RPG is a testament to the appeal of idle gameplay, whether it's an OG fighting game like Street Fighter or a big gacha like Summoners War.Now, mobile conversions aren't always completely different from their original versions, as Will points out with Slime Rancher. It's enjoyable enough as it is, so, as they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it?Iwan moves things along with the announcement of Skeletor: Until Next Time, which is lovably campy, given the protagonist of the endless runner. We do wonder how big the fanbase for He-Man is at the moment, but still, it does seem to be a pretty fun runner that obviously doesn't take itself too seriously.Endless runners will always be a thing, much like Survivors-likes on mobile these days, which is what WamojiSword is surprisingly about. It's meant to teach you a thing or two about Japanese culture and kanji, but having played it over the weekend, I realise it's also got an interesting mechanic that turns your name into a sword. It's worth giving a go if you're at all curious about Japan.Things wind down toward the end of the episode, which Will hammers home by saying he's tired of survival crafting despite Once Human's cool new update. Does this fatigue affect you too? Or are you into big mobile endeavours like Where Winds Meet?

Would you love to get a crash course on chess? Let Iwan enlighten you in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, as we talk about why pawns should be sacrificed and what happens when Cthulhu tries to save the seas. Before anything else, it's worth noting that our sibling site PocketGamer.biz has just opened nominations for the Mobile Gaming Awards' People's Choice Award this year, where nominations will stay open until June 29th! Only games released between June 2025 and May 2026 are eligible, so choose wisely.Then begins Iwan's very brief thoughts on Gambonanza, where we learn everything about chess and jokers and gambits and life. All kidding aside though, he does offer a lot of interesting thoughts on the Balatro-like, and if you're interested in how it all plays out, Iwan's review breaks it down pretty thoroughly (and so does his Gambonanza beginner's guide!).To keep things moving, I jump into the upcoming release of Nekomancer, which is slated for release on May 31st for all your roguelike tower-defending pleasure. Will is a little spiteful that I snagged this topic from him - as he is the Number One Tower Defence Fan over at PG Towers - but it's all good because the title is very pun-ny and we love it.Defences and dolphins segue into Cthulhu and the cosmic horror's appearance in Monopoly, where it's all about the WDC (Whale & Dolphin Conservation Center) and its efforts to save the whales. 20% of each purchase of the collaboration bundles will go directly to the WDC, so if you've always wanted to do your part to conserve nature (with the help of some eldritch friends), now's your chance.Lending others a helping hand is also the central theme in Spirit Crossing, this cosy new multiplayer adventure that's out now on Netflix. You help fulfil quests for cute spirits here and build bonds with them along the way, and while it doesn't have the most original concept, its Ghibli-esque vibes make it pretty distinct as it is.Finally, Will caps it all off with Dead Be The Fallen, where, while it does seem like it's got some pretty obvious AI-generated visuals, it might be your cup of tea if you're looking for a stylised monochrome FPS horror on your phone.

Do you have multiple shirts of your favourite fandom to prove you're not a fake fan? Which game character lives in your head rent-free? This week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast sees the epic return of Iwan the Newshound to the airwaves, with plenty of gamescom LatAm news upon his triumphant comeback.And because he wants us out of the way to give the people what they want, I kick things off with Streets of Rage 4 as the freebie of the week for the Epic Games Store on mobile. Will then claims copyright on the idea of bears scuffling out on the streets before segueing into MapleStory: Idle RPG's half-anniversary, in which we ponder the ins and outs of half-year celebrations and the omnipresent laser of doom some mobile games fall victim to.And speaking of the laser of doom, Will himself becomes its latest victim as his literal microphone gives out, leaving Iwan the perfect opportunity to grab the figurative mic to talk about where he's been the past few days - and that's at gamescom Latin America!There's a lot to run through, and you'll be able to read more about Iwan's coverage in the next few days, but he does mention Alan Mandujano from Pokémon Go, along with Airdorf and just how vibrant the mobile games scene over there is (which may or may not include haze in the air from grilled burgers).One of the projects of note is Rogue Reigns, which is an upcoming roguelike deckbuilder that Iwan talks about in more detail in his interview with the devs.Iwan also gives us a few recommendations of things to have on our radar, which include Sunny Trails, where you play as the goddess Amaterasu (Okami vibes, anyone?).Before I'm able to silence Iwan to keep him from spoiling his own previews, Will offers a lovely way to end the episode with the Month of Meh in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which means I get to talk about my love for Gudetama for free (I do wish I did silence Iwan and cut him off from the episode entirely only because he intentionally mispronounces Gudetama's name just to spite me).

Would you rather defend yourself against brain-eating zombies or inherently evil penguins? And are you smart enough to draft a legally binding contract when making a deal with the devil? We are incredibly professional in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, where we discuss the ins and outs of embargoed news with the least waffles possible.Iwan the Yellow takes a step back for the first half of the episode as I start the recording with a bang - and that's with Petit Planet and its Stardrift Test that's launching today. The cosy life sim from HoYoverse gave me a lot of The Little Prince vibes when I played the media access, and it's exactly as advertised. Meanwhile, Will takes things into a darker turn with hordes of the undead in Tiles Survive, which is celebrating a whopping 20 million players - that's how many people have been trying to fend off the zombie apocalypse all these years. This brings us to a quick discussion on what other horrors out there we should be defending ourselves against, whether that's sloth-based invasions or seemingly innocent penguins.What's definitely something we should be wary of is the darkness of the unknown, which is what you'll be up against in Among the Sleep. The first-person horror lets you step into the wobbly feet of a helpless two-year-old, and if that's the kind of vulnerability you want in your horror games, then you'd best sign up during its pre-registration phase right now.Will segues into making demonic pacts somehow within Old School RuneScape, where he goes into great detail about the Leagues VI event that runs until June 10th. And finally, Iwan ends the episode with his big news of the week, which is the launch of Dragon Quest Smash/Grow. It doesn't take long for him to express how he truly feels about it, which is a combination of many different kinds of emotions only Iwan knows best (we've got a handy beginner's guide up if you're keen!).

Do you think dragons are inherently evil? And how do you feel about physical toys manifesting as digital characters on your mobile device? I'm on time today to join Will and Chief Iwan in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, where we dabble in existentialism with what's villainous and what's not.Iwan wastes absolutely no time in diving right into the dungeons of Dragon Ruins, which looks like a pretty hardcore dungeon-crawling adventure that's out now on iOS and Android. There's a lot to be said about the visuals that add to its distinct vibe - so much so that Iwan and Will go off into an incredible tangent that I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to edit out or leave in for the sake of keeping this episode sane.That said, I do somehow wrestle the conversation into Alien Morgue and its questionable moral choices, where you dissect alien corpses ala-Papers, Please across a quirky medical sim. I played this one over the weekend and actually found it quite interesting.Thankfully, before we get into another tangent, Will moves on to Pikuniku and its mobile launch courtesy of Crunchyroll Game Vault, which lets you take on the role of an oblong-shaped blob with legs on a quest to, as Will puts it, escape the overarching Sword of Damocles that is capitalism. That villainous segue leads Iwan to Disney Speedstorm’s Villainous Ever After update, where we ponder the question of whether or not Shan Yu from Mulan would win in a death match against all other Disney villains and why he isn't in a horse-shaped car.Speaking of Disney, I used to play Disney Infinity back in the day, but NFC tech never really took off as well as it should've back then. Aerthlings seems determined to revive that toys-to-life feel with its physical mystery boxes that you scan into the RPG, and before things spiral out of control again, Will successfully ends the episode with a lovely update on Pokemon Go's Replay: Go Bigger event this month (because Blastoise apparently needs more cannons to blast).

How much are you willing to pay for a premium mobile game? Are seagulls inherently evil, and are hamsters meant to save the world? In this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, we try to stay on track despite a little bit of Dishonored creeping in from time to time (and Will staring at his desk, plus Iwan munching on some panda-shaped cookies).Iwan and Will talk about rats, defences, and being an assassin who's not allowed to kill people before moving on to Urban Myth Dissolution Center, which, while it has a pretty intriguing supernatural premise, does seem to be on the steeper side when it comes to its price tag.That brings us to bureaucracy and agents of chaos, which inevitably leads us to evil seagulls (of course). Crazy Tractor is all about man vs seagull, and if you too believe they're wicked watchers of the sky, you can give it a go too.Just in case a rogue seagull gets you, you might want to turn to some unlicensed medical advice with Potion Permit, which is the charming freebie on the Epic Games Store this week. Will talks about taking responsibility for your actions before Iwan airs out his grievances about mobile ports, which then segues into an incredibly chaotic intro to Annulus (with more waffles in between).The art style of the strategy RPG makes us ponder what judging the proverbial book by its cover actually means in video games, but we're all really interested to see how this is going to be monetised once it's officially released.And because there's just no possible way to segue from that to hamsters, there's Mochi-O! It's all about a hamster-of-mass-destruction that's equal parts fun and equal parts morally questionable, but it's that kind of chaos that makes it appealing. Finally, Will takes us into all things relevant with Vampire Crawlers, which is launching on April 21st on PC and consoles and on mobile to follow. If you're interested in the dungeon-crawling, card-slinging, and vampire-crawling mayhem that poncle's switching up its popular franchise with, this one is definitely one to watch.

Are you a fan of subscriptions, and what do you consider to be an actual "tower defence" game? Things flow pretty smoothly in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, where the topics actually aren't as chaotic as they usually turn out to be.Surprisingly, we get right to it with the recent changes to Google Play's store fees, which have been a bit of an "epic" saga over the years. If you're not familiar with the whole thing, Iwan offers a quick explanation that should get you up to speed.After Will airs out his woes against Apple Arcade, we move to Moonlight Peaks for some reason, which - despite being a genre I'm not entirely a fan of - is actually incredibly interesting thanks to its premise. You play as Dracula's daughter out to build a peaceful life away from vampirism in the countryside, which is intriguing enough to catch my attention ahead of its July 7th release.The subject matter gives Will enough to go on with Wicked Defense, a new roguelike "tower defence" battler where you defend but don't really build towers. Does it still count as tower defence in that case? I suppose it's up to you to decide, but our resident TD expert, Will, certainly doesn't think so.Now, it wouldn't be a regular podcast if Will didn't interrupt Iwan every chance he gets, so after a bit of disruptive fun, Iwan segues into Overcooked coming to Netflix Games. It's the perfect litmus test to see if your relationships can withstand a heated match, and in the Netflix edition, you get to see guest chefs from popular franchises within the subscription service's properties.Then, before we end up going nowhere with another segue, we move right into Nowhere Prophet's official launch, which is a totally cool-looking roguelike card battler with an even cooler soundtrack. It's got all three of us really interested to give it a go, so if that's any indication of a game's appeal, you might want to put this on your radar too.Will then wraps things up with the launch of Arranger on iOS and Android outside of Netflix. The art style is similar to Braid, which Will also reviewed on top of his Arranger review on the site. It's an interesting puzzler if you're looking for a change of pace in the genre, because you literally get to arrange the world.But before we end the episode, Iwan picks my brain about the regional soft launch of Overwatch Rush, which I felt like was actually pretty newbie-friendly for noob little me.You can listen to the podcast below, through the Spotify embed, or head over to our Spotify Page. If you fancy giving us a follow, you'll actually get the new podcasts pushed to you as they're uploaded (which means you can give them a listen before we've even got the story live on the website). Plus, we've been teasing more ways of getting it to you for the past months, and now the time has finally come. You can catch us on Amazon Music or on Apple Podcasts too - because life is hard enough already, and we wouldn't want you to struggle with finding us!

Do you prefer games that offer exactly what's on the tin, and who's responsible for making sure songs are present when "songs" are in the title? We tackle everything from dark folklore to FOMO in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast!Will tries to impersonate Iwan's very "classy" voice for a bit before Iwan kicks off with Songs of Conquest, which is set to launch its first story-focused DLC, Rise Eternal, on March 5th. There's a deep backstory that Iwan dives into for the whole thing, but, of course, Will focuses instead on the actual title of the turn-based strategy.Speaking of aptly titled adventures, there's Hatch Dragons, where you, well, hatch dragons. This is scheduled to launch on March 5th too, so if you're looking to collect cute dragons rather than more violent ones, this cosy sim should be right up your alley.We bring some waffles along for the ride for a bit when it comes to these majestic mythological creatures, before Will segues into Residual - the Epic Games Store freebie of the week. It once again may not be the most aptly titled quest out there, but it is indeed pretty epic, with survival-driven platforming gameplay that focuses on exploration instead of combat.Iwan oh-so-generously gives us a handy little tip about the Epic Games Store library before launching into a discussion on Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, Square Enix's new premium mystery that's out now on iOS and Android. It's got an interesting mechanic that lets you examine the world around you in 360 degrees, which of course segues into merfolk and Iwan's dark interpretation of European lore.That leads us to Almost Out of Mana, a minimalist puzzler where you, er, almost run out of mana. That's the ultimate goal, really - try to survive with enough mana intact and see if you can handle the pressure (as expected from the developer of Is This Yours?).And finally, Will talks about Old School Runescape's Deadman Annihilation contest that's recently wrapped up, proving just how much you need to tune into Iwan's news articles on the site to avoid missing out on all the latest happenings.

Are you a fan of open-world shenanigans? And are you subscribed to any kind of games service at the moment? I'm away on this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, so Iwan and Will take a quick moment to lament my absence from the episode before jumping right into Sea of Remnants, which has now launched its closed alpha test. It makes use of a lot of niche pirate elements and that Jinx-like trope - we're still hoping this'll come to mobile in a Once Human-esque kind of way, so fingers crossed.After a bit of thought on how rag-tag pirate crews are supposed to be formed, Will segues into Neverness to Everness' Co-Ex Test, with pre-registration now live on iOS and Android. This inevitably leads to a conversation about Grand Theft Auto and the philosophy of open-world experiences.There's surprisingly a tad less waffling between here and the next topic, which is Heartopia and the cosy sim's My Little Pony collaboration. Of course, the waffles come a second later with Evangelion and the Decepticons, but Iwan does manage to steer the topic back on track with the pre-launch login event and mini-games that are now available ahead of the crossover's release. Finally, Will wraps things up with The Case of the Golden Idol's departure from Netflix Games, but thankfully, you can still play this visually distinct point-and-click adventure on iOS and Android.Iwan dives into what might be Netflix's plan for these mobile games in the long run, because contrary to what the streaming service seems to be doing, Crunchyroll knows its market and what it's going for. I suppose only time will truly tell.

If someone tells you not to push the button, will you push it? Will you? Will you?So apparently, we did manage to escape the corruption that's crept into Pocket Gamer Towers last week, because we're back with more news to serve up with this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast - starting with the big news of Silt's launch. Will's apparently trying to brighten up our Monday with something that's…supposedly more terrifying than anything in and out of this world, so if you're feeling down, you can try and fight off the Monday blues with a healthy dose of schadenfreude (it's a real thing).After pondering the mysteries of reverse psychology (we like to keep the discussion highly intellectual here), Iwan steers us into Vampire Crawlers' upcoming demo. Poncle's really got us all fired up (and by "we", I mean Iwan) with their upcoming project, but if you're itching to give it a go yourself, you'll have to wait until Steam Next Fest in February.Thankfully, you won't have to wait for this one as Arknights Endfield is out now across the globe, which is something a lot of people really seem to be enjoying lately as the hip and cool new thing on mobile. We've got guides on the site for practically every single thing you might want to know about, so have a look if you're keen!Will then moves on to the launch of Dwarves: Glory, Death and Loot, which is an auto-battler that teaches you not to discriminate against dwarves and their roles in life. Iwan backs it up by declaring on the top of his hill about his favourite Lord of the Rings character, which Will and I support 100% (good on you, Iwan).As for supporting home-grown causes, Prime Rush is an upcoming project from Supergaming that we've got our eye on. It'll hopefully bring something new to the table across the saturated genre, and it's now open for pre-registration on Android if you're curious about it too.But if you'd rather get your hands on something that's out right now, Gumslinger 2: Ducks & Nukes can satisfy your bloodlust (or gummy-lust?) with some hilarious physics-based duels, where you get to fight to the death but with gummies.And finally, we wrap up the episode with a whole bunch of fourth-wall-breaking fun as Crushed in Time gets a new trailer, so if you're looking for something a bit more meta to spice up your mobile adventures, this one might be one to watch.

What Pokemon would make a great window scraper? We're back to kick off the new year in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast - we hope you missed us as much as we missed you!We stretch, warm up, and dust off our mics as Iwan takes us into the upcoming launch of Order of Kings, where you can look forward to discovering more about why the Three Kingdoms period is such a big hit for games (and rightly so). Will does point out a common issue with the genre though, which is whether or not the base-building aspect takes priority over the actual strategic warfare. We'll get back to that again in a minute (or more than a minute, if you know how much we like waffles around here).That said, Will moves on to a strategy-adjacent update for this teeny tiny indie gem called League of Legends: Wild Rift, where two heroes are joining the fight (and that's always fun). One more hero joining the fight is everyone's favourite sky bison Appa, who's now making his debut in Avatar Legends: Realms Collide as part of the new Companions feature.We waffle on a bit about blue aliens and avatars before we move on to a gruesome crime within Play Together, where Mr Hotdog's gone missing to everyone's absolute horror. Whether or not he's rotting in a ditch somewhere (he's not) remains to be seen, but if you're looking for something else to distract you from the crime, Will offers Bouncemasters as a lighthearted alternative.Now free on the Epic Games Store for the week, this arcade-y adventure will have you playing as a lovable penguin on a quest for something not as lovable, which is to spy on another penguin with the help of his polar bear BFF. If you're curious about the quirky and almost horrific premise behind this one, Will gives a pretty accurate explanation that's too bizarre not to be true.In any case, we end the episode with the end of another game, sadly, as Pandoland will soon shut its doors this March. Not even Game Freak can save this one, apparently, which is proof that not everything the studio touches turns into Pokemon Gold.

How do you spend your holidays gaming-wise, and is Santa Claus at all safe? Grab some eggnog or cosy up with a cup of tea as we welcome you all to a very special episode of the (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast!After confirming exactly why this is the most wonderful time of the year (and expressing our genuine concern over Santa Claus' safety), we get right to it as Iwan recommends The Darkside Detective if you're in the mood for some spooky-slash-goofy tones while you chill by the fireplace this month. The point-and-click adventure has plenty of cosy moments despite its titular darkside-ness - or if you're looking for something more mainstream, Balatro is always a good pick.Vampire Survivors is one of Iwan's go-to options too, but for something more laidback and a little less frantic, Neko Atsume is my own top pick for the season. The idle nature of this kitty collector will have you laying out toys and treats for stray cats in a desperate attempt to win their love - and if they do deem you worthy of their time and attention, they'll leave you fish that you can then use to buy them even more treats. It's a loop you'll want to get trapped in especially if you fancy logging in, setting up treats, then logging out and going about your day before checking in every once in a while whenever you feel like it. Plus, cat masters. 'Nuff said.As for Will, he does a complete one-eighty with Maneater, where you basically roam the seas as an apex predator and eat people just because. And if you're wondering how exactly that relates to Christmas, then you'll have to tune in to find out (just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water).Will also leaves us with a heartwarming message this Christmas, so even if we're still not entirely sure about Santa's whereabouts at the moment, we at least end this holiday special with some warm and fuzzy feelings before we sign off.

How do you feel about the big Netflix x Warner Bros kerfuffle, and do you think you deserve a visit from three ghosts this Christmas? We tackle everything from Hello Kitty's supposedly dark past to really old lizard-looking sugar monsters in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast.As we ponder the intricacies of a bearded stranger breaking into people's houses uninvited this Christmas season, Iwan kicks things off with what's arguably the biggest news of the past week, which is Netflix's planned acquisition of Warner Bros. There's no doubt going to be a whole bunch of stuff to consider when it comes to the subscription service's catalog of games on mobile, but it'll also no doubt take ages before anything solidifies, so we'll all just have to keep tuning in to find out.That said, what's certain this week is the launch of Hello Kitty and Friends World, which is exactly what it says on the tin - you decorate the popular kitty's world along with her pals, and what's even more interesting is that all of the Sanrio characters are already immediately unlocked from the start. It essentially removes microtransactions, given it's supposed to be targeted toward kids, which is a lovely change of pace.But if you're looking for something that's entirely free - at least for the moment - Epic Games Store is bringing The Darkside Detective to mobile as its freebie of the week. Will tells us all about its well-balanced features (check out Iwan's review on it too if you're curious), before Iwan decides who's doomed to receive an untimely visit from three ghosts this season (Hello Kitty herself included).We then move on from creepy spectres to cult classics with the upcoming Dungeons of Dusk, which honestly features such a rich backstory that it's best to have a look at Iwan's interview with 68K Studios to know all the nitty-gritty.Now, if you're a fan of interesting narratives like I am, this one's caught my eye - Planet of Lana has now made the leap onto mobile. I do feel like it's perfectly suited for the platform with its lovely visuals and optimised controls; plus, it reminds me a lot of Far: Lone Sails with all the wordless and evocative scenery. So, if that's your kind of vibe, I'd say this is worth giving a go.And finally, Will caps things off with the adorable Om Nom joining the blocky world of Minecraft as a special add-on, which brings us to the existential question of what exactly this little green blob is and why it's still stealing our hearts (and sugars?) to this day.