The Wrapp - Speedy slugs, Digimon disappointment and comfort games

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Wrapp. Yes, it's that time again when we share our weekend gaming plans with you all. This week, Shaun and Iwan are sticking to their comfort picks while Will has become intrigued by the cost of gaming. Elsewhere, Catherine is checking out something new and shiny as I pick up one of her recommendations. 

Will Quick

Freelance Writer

Hey folks, I want you to do something for me: Think about the most you've ever spent on a mobile game. To be transparent, I'll say that the most I've spent on one is between 15 and 20 monies (insert your relative currency). And to me, that's a fair amount to spend on digital assets that don't exist outside a world that could be wiped out by a rebellious server. But, here I sit and see that Moonlight Peaks (which we've mentioned before) has the starting price of around 35 monies!

That's wild, and it's got me thinking… Are there mobile games over 10 monies that are worth their price tag? I'm intrigued by Moonlight Peaks, but not enough to drop that much. So, I shall investigate and see what other high-roller price tags I can find (that hopefully aren't ports) and see whether they look worth it.

Catherine Dellosa

Reviews Editor

Now that I’m back from TorchCon, I can finally get started with the Honkai: Nexus Anima Evolution Test that HoYoverse so kindly sent over last week! I’ve honestly been looking forward to this one, especially since the Bonding feature for the creature-collecting aspect has got me properly intrigued since it was first teased. I’ve already started with the massive download size on my phone - I’m just hoping it’ll finish loading in time for the weekend…

Dann Sullivan

Editor in Chief

I’m back from the stony shores of Brighton, having spent the past few days there for Develop. For those who aren’t in the know, it’s a large industry-focused event (much like our own Pocket Gamer Connects) and normally a decent way to get a decent handle on the feelings of the people who make games. 

When it comes to mobile, I had some really interesting sneak peeks at a few very early projects, including an exciting one that breaks rule one of movie theatres. However, aside from this, the mood was pretty gloomy due to industry layoffs… but, I must say, a fair few people were talking about porting games to mobile, and there was a lot of hope for an indie resurgence on our portable platforms of choice.

Iwan Morris

Staff Writer

Well, you’ll be seeing a bit less of me over the next two weeks, primarily because I’ll be on holiday. There’ll be the occasional news story, of course, but more than likely I’ll be giving my weary fingers a rest, especially with a big trip coming up at the end of July; bet you can’t guess where.

In either case, my new phone has been pretty great so far. Admittedly, it’s big enough to cause some serious damage if thrown, but the enhanced performance is more than worth it. More than likely, it’ll be Vampire Survivors and Balatro I’ll be having a go at on the plane, but I am curious about Metal Slug Rush, and I also have a certain Club-themed Sokoban puzzler in the pipeline to review. So watch this space.

Shaun Walton

Staff Writer

We usually use this article to talk about what we will be playing, and for me, that will be Warframe again. I well and truly caught the bug after TennoCon. Not that I wasn’t playing it a lot before, but I have just doubled down. My Dante build is coming along nicely; I just have to spam the Thermia Fissures for two mods before the event ends.

However, I need to make a special mention of what I won’t be playing. This week, Digimon Up launched, a game that I was so excited for. Since launch, our fearless deputy editor Stephen and I have been talking a fair bit about how hateful and disappointing it has been. You can read his article on the matter; it really sums it up well. Or mine on 148Apps; I will cross-promote this one time to get across how bad this game turned out to be, relative to expectations. But still, a terrible game. 

Stephen Gregson-Wood

Deputy Editor

As you can guess from Shaun's entry, I won't be playing Digimon Up this week. Not that you can 'play' it in any meaningful sense of the word. Instead, Catherine's enthusiasm for Metal Slug Rush might just pull me in. I've not played anything in the series before, with my go-to run-and-gun shooter being Alien Hominid. Still, I'm all for a ton of explosions and mindless violence regardless of the source material, so I won't let unfamiliarity hold me back.