The Wrapp - Relatively laid back battle royales and multiplayer tower defense

Last week's edition of The Wrapp saw Iwan take the brave and noble decision to dive into the world of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I don't think it's changed him as a person yet, but the lasting effects of racing anime horse girls might take hold slowly. Elsewhere, Catherine and Will pondered the merits of Crunchyoll's gaming subscription while Dave waxed lyrical about Marvel Snap.

As always, a varied menu, and this week is no different. We see Dann make an epic return to Monster Hunter Now, while Mihail is less enthused about Marvel Snap than Dave. Elsewhere, Catherine's daring to leave her home (she's braver than I) and will dabble in a spot of Kingdom Rush Battles when she returns. That's just a sneak peek, of course. Read on to see what else we're up to.

Dann Sullivan

Editor in Chief

After quite a substantial amount of time away, I’ve redownloaded Monster Hunter Now. It’s changed a fair bit since I last played. There are at least half a dozen new large monsters (and their matching equipment and weapons), as well as items for tracking down out-of-season monsters and a lot more. I think it knew that I’d been away for a while, too, because when I started playing again, there were a lot of rewards specifically geared towards Malachite, which was the upgrade material that I’d eventually given up on the game, as I couldn’t hoard enough of it.

I’ll probably be playing a fair bit of it while I’m out on the weekend for Pokémon Go (fossil event and D-Max days). I’m also planning on keeping on at After Inc., which I’ve now bought the lifetime season pass for, as I was really enjoying the extra scenarios.

In non-mobile news, I’m gradually copying everything over from my PC HDDs to SSDs. One of the few negatives of being a PC player — aside from the unexpected renewal of technology — is the fail rate that sometimes comes with the components. We may lament that mobile phone lifespans and technology are unpredictable, but when my OS locks up on my gaming and work computer, it’s much more disruptive than having to get a new phone every couple of years.

Catherine Dellosa

Reviews Editor

I’m heading out this Friday to have dinner with some folks (gasp), and because introvert me can only handle one social obligation at a time, the weekend is going to be spent quietly cooped up at home with a cup of tea. 

That said, thanks to the magic of soft launches, I’ve downloaded Kingdom Rush Battles and will dive into it this weekend, effectively risking incurring Will’s wrath at the aforementioned regional release. I hope it’s every bit as good as he believes it to be!

Toni Oisin H.C.

Freelance Writer

I’m a little late, but this weekend I’m going to try out To a T. I’ve been looking forward to it since it was first announced, but somehow I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

It’s a cute little adventure-puzzler made by the creators of Katamari Damacy, all about the perils of being stuck in a permanent T-pose. It looks heaps better than I might be making it sound!

Will Quick

Freelance Writer

So, even though I've done my Fate Trigger preview, I'm still curious to see how it'll evolve and adapt to the different platforms. It's still in its early stages, so there will likely be numerous new additions and updates in the coming months. I'll play along to see how it evolves and gauge the general response. It feels less intense than other battle royales, but that could change.

More importantly, with the soft launch of Kingdom Rush Battles, I need to figure out the best way for me to get my hands on it since it's out of my region for the moment. Cat's already got a head start, so I'll need to ask her about it.

Mihail Katsoris

Staff Writer

This weekend, I’ll divide my free time between Marvel Snap and the newly released Silver and Blood. The Marvel Snap community has grown increasingly frustrated with the developers’ choices and the game’s direction over the past few months. A growing number of powerful meta cards are locked behind paywalls, driving many players away.

As a casual player, I still find the game enjoyable for now. However, for competitive-minded people, it’s a different story—without those premium cards, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the latest meta decks.

Silver and Blood is a dark, gothic RPG with gacha mechanics. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it introduces some intriguing gameplay elements. So far, all events have been accessible to every player, the story is engaging, and both PvP battles and boss fights have been highly enjoyable.

Stephen Gregson-Wood

Deputy & Special Projects Editor

Of course, I have to mention that there's a brand-new expansion out now for Pokémon TCG Pocket, since that's a good 32% of what The Wrapp is all about. However, aside from opening my free packs, I doubt I'll dive into ranked much this weekend. While I'm sitting on a healthy stack of Pack Hourglasses, I'm waiting for the meta to settle before I start spending them.

So, that's more of a small, daily commitment, much like the latest addition to my rotation, Pokémon Friends. I've found myself drawn to puzzlers more and more lately. Whether that's to combat my abysmal memory or because they tend to demand less from me in terms of reaction speed, I don't know. Either way, I'm enjoying creating plushies and placing them in my virtual digs. The puzzles themselves aren't too difficult, instead feeling more like straightforward minigames, although they may ramp up over time.

Because that'll only take up five minutes at most, I'll continue feeding my newfound love for brainteasers with Prickle. Given that I'm a fan of Sokoban-style games, minimalist design and hedgehogs, I fail to see how this can be anything besides a massive hit.

Finally, mostly born from morbid curiosity, I'm going to check out Miracle Tea's Tong. It's a multiplayer affair that sees you participating in a food fight where your tongue is your primary weapon. Sounds unpleasant, right? Well, it is, and the deliberately garish art style only doubles down on that vibe. Hence my morbid curiosity.

Iwan Morris

Staff Writer

My Disco Elysium mobile review is now live! I still stand by the rather high score I gave it, as much as I know that may be controversial. But I’ll also be sinking more time into it ahead of the official launch on the fifth to see whether it holds up just as well throughout. Bottom line is that it’s pretty much Disco Elysium…just on mobile.

Shaun Walton

Staff Writer

I have been in the mood for something fast-paced and action-oriented, so I can put my Razer Kishi controller to work. Sadly, I don’t have an iPhone with a USB-C, so it can’t be Warframe. I am also not feeling a Genshin or Wuthering Waves type. As such, I shall be going through Google Play and finding something that strikes my fancy.