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, 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?

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