The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 74 - Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, Petit Planet, and Tiles Survive

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 80 - Monopoly Go x The Simpsons, Once Human and survival fatigue, and the welcome idleness of King of Fighters AFK

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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/monopoly-go/simpsons-collaboration-announced/] at that). Do you feel like The Simpsons has overstayed its welcome, or is it still relevant? Much like The King of Fighters AFK [https://www.pocketgamer.com/king-of-fighters-afk/nakururu/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/street-fighter-duel/tier-list/] or a big gacha like Summoners War [https://www.pocketgamer.com/summoners-war-rush/tier-list/]. Now, mobile conversions aren't always completely different from their original versions, as Will points out with Slime Rancher [https://www.pocketgamer.com/slime-rancher/review/]. 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/wamojisword/available-now-globally/] 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/once-human/visional-wheel-season-four/]. Does this fatigue affect you too? Or are you into big mobile endeavours like Where Winds Meet [https://www.pocketgamer.com/once-human/visional-wheel-season-four/]?

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 79 - Fortnite vs the App Store, Netflix Games roster quality, and Guild Wars Reforged ads

How much are you willing to accept ads into your life? And how do you feel about alternative app stores? We dive into a healthy back-and–forth on all things mobile in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast [https://www.pocketgamer.com/podcast/], where even a Kpop Demon Hunters-inspired rhythm game is suggested into the ether. We get right into the big news about Fortnite making its big comeback [https://www.pocketgamer.com/fortnite/back-on-the-app-store-may-2026/] into iOS App Store, which, if you're not familiar with the whole saga, is eloquently explained by Iwan right off the bat. There's a lot to be said about what this means for developers, companies, and players alike, but at the end of the day, the so-called crusade might soon come to an Epic conclusion.  That said, what do you think about this whole battle? Do you think it's truly altruistic, or is it all just the same thing? In any case, Will segues into Crawl Tactics next after berating me for my choices on interesting games, which is a mix of Final Fantasy Tactics and Into the Breach [https://www.pocketgamer.com/into-the-breach/] vibes on Netflix. Bringing up the subscription service opens up a can of worms, because we do feel like the quality of games on offer has dropped lately, save for maybe Spirit Crossing [https://www.pocketgamer.com/spirit-crossing-netflix/review/] that's out now. They might still have some sort of saving grace for when a Kpop Demon Hunters [https://www.pocketgamer.com/cookie-run-kingdom/kpop-demon-hunters-collab-now-live/] game comes out sometime in the future, so fingers crossed. All this talk about monetisation reminds me of my experience playing Guild Wars Reforged [https://www.pocketgamer.com/guild-wars-reforged/soft-launch-in-select-regions/]over the weekend, so I go into the specifics of just how the monetisation there works (at least, for its soft-launch phase at the moment). It does seem bizarre that it's got unlockable premium features and ads too at the same time - have any of you ever played an MMORPG with this kind of monetisation? We'd love to know. Finally, Iwan caps it off with the latest expansion for Where Winds Meet [https://www.pocketgamer.com/where-winds-meet/imperial-palace-expansion-release-date/], where you can expect to interact with 3000 NPCs across one million square meters at the Imperial Palace. It's extremely ambitious, but we don't doubt they'll pull it off.

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 78 - Gambonanza, Monopoly, and the Pocket Gamer People's Choice Award 2026

Would you love to get a crash course on chess? Let Iwan enlighten you in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast [https://www.pocketgamer.com/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 [http://pocketgamer.biz] has just opened nominations for the Mobile Gaming Awards' People's Choice Award [https://www.mobilegamesawards.com/] this year, where nominations [https://www.pocketgamer.com/peoples-choice-award/2026/nominate/]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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/gambonanza/review/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/gambonanza/beginners-guide/]!). To keep things moving, I jump into the upcoming release of Nekomancer [https://www.pocketgamer.com/nekomancer/coming-soon-to-mobile/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/monopoly/return-of-cthulhu/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/spirit-crossing/out-now/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/dead-be-the-fallen/coming-to-mobile/], 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.

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 77 - Meg's Monster, Fruit Ninja Adventures, and Cookie Run: Kingdom

Did you grow up slicing away at virtual fruit in Fruit Ninja? And have you seen the latest Resident Evil trailer? This week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast [https://www.pocketgamer.com/podcast/] is once again sponsored by the lovely folks who love some tennis-related fun, so we dabble in a little bit of fun (and cringe) ourselves. To kick things off, we dive right into the epic return of the sponsored segment brought to you by Roland Garros eSeries 2026 by Renault - the world’s biggest and most thrilling eTennis competition, endorsed by the French Tennis Federation! If you don't want to miss out on all the action, be sure to tune in to the finals on May 23rd on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/RolandGarros]. What you might want to miss out on is Iwan's cringey tennis pun…but he makes up for it by segueing professionally into Racing Master [https://www.pocketgamer.com/racing-master/out-now-worldwide/], which is out now on iOS and Android. I fail to come up with any kind of commentary for that, given I know nothing about cars, so it's Felix the Reaper [https://www.pocketgamer.com/felix-the-reaper/coming-soon-android/] that I talk about instead! This is actually near and dear to my heart because it's the very first game I reviewed for Pocket Gamer back in 2020, so it's a big throwback to the good ol' days for me. It's in pre-registration on Android right now, where you play as a lovestruck reaper manipulating shadows to make sure mortals meet their ultimate demise. All this darkness inspires Will to segue into Meg's Monster [https://www.pocketgamer.com/megs-monster/out-now/], which is a heartwarming pixel-art RPG where you try your best to keep a little girl from crying - because when she does, the world ends (as it should). The mobile version is out now with plenty of warm and fuzzy feelings in its narrative too. Iwan then leaps into fruit-slicing with Fruit Ninja Adventures [https://www.pocketgamer.com/fruit-ninja-adventures/pre-registration-open-on-ios-and-android/] and its pre-registration phase, but not before making us feel old once again by recounting just how young he is. I can't complain, though, because Diablo Immortal [https://www.pocketgamer.com/diablo-immortal/starcraft-crossover/] is collaborating with my beloved StarCraft until June 10th - and it's nice to see Blizzard still giving Kerrigan some love after all this time. And speaking of time, Will walks us through Cookie Run: Kingdom’s Timeline of Fate update [https://www.pocketgamer.com/cookie-run-kingdom/timeline-of-fate-update/] and the two new Cookies that go along with it - including our guide on the best Timekeeper Cookie Toppings [https://www.pocketgamer.com/cookie-run-kingdom/timekeeper-cookie-toppings-beascuits/] and Beascuits! Before we wrap up, though, we gush about the new Resident Evil trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJPu1spHqfk] that's just come out - have a look yourself and let us know what you think!

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 76 - Gamescom LatAm, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and MapleStory: Idle RPG

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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/epic-games-store/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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/maplestory-idle-rpg/half-anniversary/]'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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/gamescom-latam/game-preview-roundup-2026/]! 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/pokemon-go/alan-mandujano-gamescom-latam-interview/], along with Airdorf [https://www.pocketgamer.com/gamescom-latam/devs-tell-us-what-makes-gaming-so-special-2026/] 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/rogue-reigns/tiago-laffer-interview/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/gamescom-latam/game-preview-roundup-2026/], 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 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/hello-kitty-island-adventure/meh-may-2026/], 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).