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

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!

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 82 - Dave the Diver's mobile launch, Kenan and Kel's match-3 puzzle, and AI use in games

What's your stance on the AI rabbit hole in games? 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 Netflix, 90s kids, and making sushi. Iwan starts off all the excitement with the announcement of Dave the Diver [https://www.pocketgamer.com/dave-the-diver/coming-to-mobile-worldwide/] coming to mobile, which spirals into discussions on cooking games and recipe accuracy IRL (plus shoutouts to Tales of the Neon Sea [https://www.pocketgamer.com/tales-of-the-neon-sea/review/] and Burrito Bison [https://www.pocketgamer.com/burrito-bison/review/]). There's also a lot of real-world stuff going on in Orange Pop! [https://www.pocketgamer.com/orange-pop/kenan-and-kel-new-game/], which is intriguing enough given TV's Kenan and Kel are behind the match-3 puzzler. Will talks about the legacy of these two 90s icons, including the charitable cause the game is connected to once it's officially launched. There are a lot of cheeky references in there too, especially when it comes to Kel's favourite drink [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2DQjCxTdNk] (IYKYK). It's nice to see the seemingly wholesome energy here as opposed to just making a mobile game for marketing purposes. Is it possible the dynamic duo might want to appear in a future podcast episode to talk about Orange Pop? This is an open invitation if so! In any case, we dive back into the catalogue of games on Netflix with Tomb of the Mask [https://www.pocketgamer.com/tomb-of-the-mask-netflix/coming-soon/], reminding us that there's hope yet for the streaming platform and its growing library (Budget John Marston makes a comeback to the podcast too, whether we like it or not).  Iwan caps it all off by opening a can of worms, so to speak, as he goes into detail about the use of AI in Neural Dawn [https://www.pocketgamer.com/neural-dawn/tech-demo-coming-soon/]. Have a look at the trailer and let us know what you think - we'd love to know! You can listen to the podcast below, through the Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1HrJu05HUm3OPrgBXUNn7q] 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 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4809abab-c46c-4325-ae46-6958eb12659b/the-pocket-gamer-podcast] or on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-pocket-gamer-podcast/id1837503271] too - because life is hard enough already, and we wouldn't want you to struggle with finding us!

The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 81 - Vampire Survivors rebrand, Where Winds Meet on mobile, and limited-time events vs DLCs

Did you catch all the summer games reveals over the weekend? 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're buzzing about all the new stuff that's dropped in the wonderful world of gaming. I get the ball rolling with the announcement for Hidden Folks 2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCFAvbl2AzI], which will be landing on mobile sometime in 2027. That might seem like it's still a long way to go, but I think it's definitely worth the wait given its lovely hand-drawn aesthetics and its mouth-based sound effects. This brings us to a discussion on hidden objects, pixel hunting, and blending in too well with the background, but before Iwan goes on a rant about that, he gets distracted by the latest round of updates for Vampire Survivors. It's now being renamed as Vampire Survivors - First Survivaton [https://www.pocketgamer.com/vampire-survivors/legacy-of-bloodmoon-expansion/], which goes hand-in-hand with the upcoming string of new developments that poncle will be launching around the brand. It's got Will and Iwan pretty pumped about its future on the platform, which is just one of the things that we feel works really well on mobile. This reminds Will of Gigabash Mobile [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_7I0ZCV2OQ], a kaiju-based fighting game that's also been announced to arrive on mobile. We do ponder what it means to make more mobile-optimised ports, which leads us to Where Winds Meet [https://www.pocketgamer.com/where-winds-meet/why-you-should-play-it-on-mobile/], and Netease's upcoming third-person action-adventure, Blood Message [https://www.neteasegames.com/news/20260608/37000_1303293.html]. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to adapting stuff to the mobile platform and catering to mobile trends, which is why Will raises the important issue of whether or not it's healthy for games to push more limited-time events as opposed to more "traditional" DLC expansions. This will always be a point of argument for a lot of people - but what do you think, though? Do you prefer your constant stream of monthly updates and limited-time perks, or would you rather just do the one-and-done thing of buying an expansion pack and going at your own pace?

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/]?