The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 87 - Torchlight Infinite, video game conventions, and the unsolvable power creep problem

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 87 - Torchlight Infinite, video game conventions, and the unsolvable power creep problem

Have you ever tried coming back to a game you've abandoned for so long? How do you feel about end-game content and live ops in general? This week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast [https://www.pocketgamer.com/podcast/] is a duo discussion between Will and me about everything from messy user interfaces to problematic power creep. As I was away last episode due to TorchCon [https://www.pocketgamer.com/torchlight-infinite/torchcon-2026/], I kick things off with a quick recap of everything that went down in Shanghai for the weekend - the highlight of which was the Torchlight Infinite [https://www.pocketgamer.com/torchlight-infinite/what-to-expect-afterlight-season/]devs lining up on stage to take questions from the audience. The players wasted no time in grilling them on the RPG's issues, but they bravely took it all in stride, which is extremely admirable. Will shares his own experience playing the [https://www.pocketgamer.com/torchlight-infinite/review/]RPG when he reviewed it three years ago, which inevitably leads to the issue of how challenging it can be for developers to balance end-game content to keep things fresh for veteran players with newbie-friendly quests to keep barriers to entry low.  We segue into cluttered menus and the difficulty of cramming UI elements into a small screen, with references to World of Warcraft, Diablo Immortal, Warframe [https://www.pocketgamer.com/warframe/tennocon-2026/], and Black Desert Mobile [https://www.pocketgamer.com/black-desert-mobile/coupon-codes/]. Mobile optimisations and ports [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/season-of-the-port/] flow into the conversation, before the omnipresent problem of power creep, well, creeps in. I talk about returning to Last Cloudia again after five years [https://www.pocketgamer.com/last-cloudia/opinion/] and feeling lost and overwhelmed, while Will shares his experience coming back to Raid: Shadow Legends [https://www.pocketgamer.com/raid-shadow-legends/redeem-codes/] and beating the main campaign. Before we wrap up, though, we ponder the ins and outs of developers holding their own conventions for their franchises, and we end with the lovely thought of devs working passionately for these games with as much love as the players have for them too.

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 86 - Mario Kart Tour end of service, Square Enix mobile woes, and a possible Nintendo peripheral

Have you been a recent victim of one of your favourite mobile games shutting down and leaving you in the dust? How do you feel about a possible Nintendo peripheral you can attach to your phone GameBoy-style (patent pending)? Iwan and Will launch into an in-depth conversation about all things Nintendo in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast [https://www.pocketgamer.com/podcast/], where they go from pondering an Apple Arcade-esque subscription service [https://www.pocketgamer.com/apple-arcade/list-of-every-apple-arcade-game/] to throwing out a product proposal into the ether. Will wastes no time diving into the heart of the matter with Mario Kart Tour shutting down in September [https://www.pocketgamer.com/mario-kart-tour/shutting-down/], which means a lot of fans will soon have to look for other ways to feed their fandom before then. This leads Iwan to bring up his recent op-ed on Square Enix's own recent [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/why-does-square-enix-struggle-on-mobile/]shutdowns on mobile, as he goes into the ins and outs of the studio's JRPGs and mobile ports through the years. Will then sheds some light on Nintendo's strengths when it comes to retro adventures, and explains just how the e-shop and the company's online subscription work. It's all incredibly detailed, so if you've always been curious about the inner workings of the subscription, Will and Iwan both have you covered. Inevitably, the discussion flows into how Japanese companies work, Xbox layoffs [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/is-xbox-done-on-mobile-after-new-layoffs/], Iwan's coverage of 2024's Tokyo Game Show [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/tokyo-game-show-2024/], and a shoutout to his review of the GameSir Pocket Taco [https://www.pocketgamer.com/hardware-reviews/gamesir-pocket-taco/]. All this talk gives birth to a novel idea about a new Nintendo peripheral, which they probably should patent while they can? Suffice it to say, it's a fun little back-and-forth between the two, proving they don't really need me around! But if you're curious about where I've been, our coverage of TorchCon 2026 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/torchlight-infinite/torchcon-2026/] and Torchlight: Infinite's Afterlight season [https://www.pocketgamer.com/torchlight-infinite/what-to-expect-afterlight-season/] should give you an idea!

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 85 - Love and Deepspace controversy, Tears of Themis, and Bloons TD 6

There's really no right way to come out of controversies unscathed, but have you been keeping up with the recent Love and Deepspace issue, and how do you feel about the community backlash? 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, despite the serious nature of the topic, we still steer the discussion towards lighter and brighter things as the episode ends. Now, if you're not exactly in the know about everything that's been going on in Love and Deepspace [https://www.pocketgamer.com/love-and-deepspace/bringbackvalko-petition/], we do talk about it in great detail this week, so just giving this episode a listen should tell you everything you need to know. It's obviously got a few more sensitive issues in there too, and we'd love to know what you personally think. Here's something to ponder, for instance: do we need some way for the female lead to reject any unwanted advances, perhaps? Can you think of other "solutions" to this problem? Have you played any other otome games, though? How about Tears of Themis [https://www.pocketgamer.com/tears-of-themis/review/], HoYoverse's romance detective sim that I personally love? In any case, we somehow manage to shed light on how to install an Eject button on a spaceship before we move on to the golden era of Flash games [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/how-adobe-flash-defined-mobile-gaming/], and before the episode ends, Bloons TD 6 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/bloons-td-6/review/] gets a special mention since it went on sale on Google Play last week for a very, very low price.

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 84 - Call of Duty Mobile x The Boys, Songs of Conquest, and Persona 5

Is there really such a thing as the Persona 5 collab curse? And do you prefer turn-based combat or real-time action? 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 we ponder the mysteries of Boomers playing mobile games and Homelander possibly professing his love for candy. The big discussion for today is the apparent return of turn-based strategy as a trend [https://vocal.media/futurism/why-the-turn-based-strategy-games-market-is-booming-again] in mobile games, where Songs of Conquest [https://www.pocketgamer.com/songs-of-conquest/review/] features prominently in the topic. We also shed light on overgamification and overstimulation [https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/overgamification/] and whether or not turn-based strategy can actually be incredibly relaxing. This reminds me of just how much I've been enjoying Grabby Crab [https://www.pocketgamer.com/grabby-crab/hands-on/] recently, a premium puzzler where you can take your time and strategise the best movements to clear each stage. Will and I chat a little bit about developer Tepes Ovidiu and his previous works, Is This Yours? [https://www.pocketgamer.com/is-this-yours/review/] and Almost Out of Mana [https://www.pocketgamer.com/almost-out-of-mana/review/], before Iwan segues into the new Call of Duty Mobile crossover with Persona 5. [https://www.pocketgamer.com/call-of-duty-mobile/persona-5-collaboration/]  Now, apparently, there's this supposed curse that's been going on where games tend to shut down shortly after doing a collab with Persona 5 - is this a real thing, or does the franchise just have incredibly terrible luck? We'll find out soon enough, I suppose, if COD Mobile will indeed be the next casualty. Although, it's not likely that it'll go down any time soon, especially since it's also done a crossover with the popular TV show The Boys. Our very own Iwan got to sit down with Erin Moriarty (Starlight) [https://www.pocketgamer.com/call-of-duty-mobile/erin-moriarty-interview/], and if you're curious about how it all went down, you can check out his interview to get all the deets. In any case, did you know, by the way, that Google Play actually holds big discounts on premium games from time to time? I definitely didn't, so I've probably been living under a rock all this time (although, to be fair, Iwan does mention that both Google Play and the App Store have a knack for failing to advertise their sales as much as Steam does).

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 83 - Hill Climb Racing 3 chaos, Brawl Stars kicks, and Case Solved clicks

How do you feel about real-world collabs? How about anime game adaptations - yay or nay? 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 we chat about everything from unsolved murder cases to respecting your BFF's favourite Supercell game. Iwan gets right to it with the soft launch of Hill Climb Racing 3 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/hill-climb-racing-3/soft-launch-impressions/], which you can read all about in his first impressions piece. Suffice it to say that both he and Will find it refreshing to have something so lovably reminiscent of Flash games, and with the discussion on competitive gaming comes all the number-crunching [https://www.pocketgamer.biz/data/] too.  This is how they segue into Vietnam, which is reported to be second in ranking [https://vovworld.vn/news/vietnam-ranks-second-worldwide-in-mobile-game-downloads-2444381.vov5] when it comes to downloads in the world of mobile. It's inevitable that they shed some light on the nature of possible bot farms as well, but if it's all truly organic, then that's definitely a good indication of how and where the market is going. As for upcoming projects to watch out for, a new Chainsaw Man mobile game [https://www.pocketgamer.com/chainsaw-man/mobile-game-announced/] is coming out, and while details are a little hush-hush at the moment, the teaser trailer should at least give you an idea of how it'll go. Iwan and Will then ponder the mysteries of anime adaptations on mobile, ranging from Kaiju No. 8 [https://www.pocketgamer.com/kaiju-no-8-the-game/tier-list/] to One Punch Man [https://www.pocketgamer.com/one-punch-man-the-strongest-53078/tier-list/]. Speaking of mysteries, Case Solved: The London Files [https://www.pocketgamer.com/case-solved/announcement/] is coming to iOS and Android too this summer, so if you fancy some pointing and clicking with a side of cosy paper cutout-esque visuals, this is one to add to your radar. A bit of waffling about being hit on the head with a bag of fish and chips somehow leads to Brawl Stars' collaboration with Adidas [https://www.pocketgamer.com/brawl-stars/adidas-collaboration/], and whether or not that connects with you, depending on your age, will determine just how this crossover will go. Don't pick a fight with your besties over your kicks, though - that's just not cool!