The Wrapp - Jazz cats a-leaping, giant bugs a-slaying, and a kaiju in a pear tree

Welcome back to The Wrapp! It's the last edition of the year as we all head off to enjoy Christmas. Of course, that doesn't mean the gaming stops. Over the festive break, Dann will work on creating cult, while Catherine heads off to Hogwarts to learn a spell or two. Elsewhere, Toni has met some musically gifted cats, and Shaun has decided to hang out with a blue hedgehog and an oversized lizard. [staff id="308"]

Last week’s Cult of the Lamb (Apple Arcade) release is likely to keep me entertained in the brief, quiet moments that’ll pepper this weekend. I’ll be out for Pokémon Go’s Research Day event on Saturday, and I’m knee-deep in working through the new Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket solo battles.

Outside of mobile, I’ve recently rediscovered State of Decay and have been playing that with some close buddies in recent evenings. Hopefully, I’ll get to dedicate some more to that as it’s been an absolute hoot so far.

Toni Oisin H.C.

Freelance Writer

My main plans for the holidays are to relax as much as humanly possible and catch up on some gaming - especially multiplayer. I’ve just convinced some pals to grab Jumping Jazz Cats for a bit of platformer partying. I’ve had my eye on it since it launched earlier this year, so I’m pretty excited about the prospect of living my best life as a little musical kitty.

Sure, there isn’t anything explicitly festive about swinging around like Tom O’Malley Cat, but I think the soundtrack is going to give me a much-needed break from my endless Last Christmas earworm. Plus, what says silly season like cats throwing themselves around causing chaos? At least it keeps them from climbing the tree.

Assuming we all still get along after that, we also have some other multiplayer plans. We’ve had a tradition of playing Mario Kart on Boxing Day, so I’m going to spend a lot of time trying to get into shape to wipe the floor with everyone. What says the holidays quite like making your friends angry with you by throwing bananas at them? Merry Mountain, here I come!

Will Quick

Freelance Writer

Happy holidays, everyone! Here's hoping that if it's snowing in your area, it's the soft and pleasant kind that so many films have tricked us into thinking is the snowy norm, even though our team worked so very hard to find out if any new and accessible seasonal games have a bit more festivity other than having snow and lights. It's a difficult challenge and maybe one day in the future… We will receive such games as gifts.

While I may not have found anything new, Snowbreak: Containment Zone has a lot of snow and a seasonal event, and don't forget about Wildfrost with all its colourful flair. Woo!

Catherine Dellosa

Reviews Editor

I haven’t been successful in avoiding the holiday rush outside, and while I’d love to just stay home with a good book and a warm cup of tea, merrymaking mayhem is always an endearing part of December. During the quiet moments, though, I hope to give Hogwarts Legacy a go (finally), which I downloaded for free on the Epic Games Store thanks to Will’s hot tip last week (that’s a whopping $60 saved!). Sure, it was a staggering 95GB swallowed whole from my struggling PC, and I’m not even sure if my tennis elbows will be able to handle the game itself, but it’s free, and that’s all the motivation I need.

If you’re looking for other adventures to dive into this season, we’ve got a short-but-sweet Christmas Special coming up on the Pocket Gamer Podcast, as well as a lovely Year-End Special that’ll wrap up 2025 with a nice little bow. Thank you for sticking around and hanging out with us this year - here’s to more years of celebrating mobile and beyond!

Shaun Walton

Staff Writer

My plan for this weekend was to pick the least Christmassy game and play that. Something like Resident Evil or that. However, I am quite excited to instead try out the new Godzilla level on Sonic Rumble. The one life restriction is interesting, and I am also curious how they have implemented the actual mechanics for Godzilla Survival.

I shall also be continuing the festival cheer by playing Warframe and enjoying the new Uriel character. Although thanks to the move that lets him fly through the sky on fire, I can't help singing “I came in like a meteor” whenever I play him. Still, he's a cool guy.

Iwan Morris

Staff Writer

For once, the CRKD Atom has failed me! Alright, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but after grabbing Dead Cells for free on the Epic Games Store last week, I found that it doesn’t play too well with the Atom. It's a shame because otherwise, Dead Cells is an absolute bargain to get for precisely nothing.

Still, I’m not about to shelve it just yet. And with this week’s freebie being the grippingly named Shotgun King, I’ll have plenty to play this festive season.

And speaking of which, Merry Christmas! And happy whichever seasonal holiday you celebrate otherwise. I’ll probably be writing my next Wrapp in the New Year, so I’ll see you all then! And have plenty of fun gaming this Christmas.

Stephen Gregson-Wood

Deputy Editor

Apparently, the joy of punching a skyscraper-sized insect in the face with a mech's fist hasn't lost its allure all these years later. Following my return to Into the Breach, I've once again become obsessed with it. This isn't' Earth Defence Force Whatever-Number. You can't slap these giant bugs to kingdom come without a second's thought. Strategy is important. And despite Into the Breach letting you know what and where enemies will attack and in which order, it still challenges your intellect at every turn, gradually increasing the difficulty as your mech's improve. It's absolutely brilliant, and I can't recommend it enough if you have a Netflix subscription.

However, I will force myself away from it for a while because Dadish 4 is finally here! Thomas K Young really struck gold after deciding that retro-inspired platforming and sassy root veggies made a perfect pair. The latest instalment sees DJ heading off in search of his missing father; a twist on the usual formula, indeed. I expect more of the same platforming action, and I don't care one iota if nothing new is introduced. It's just a lovely world to spend time in.