The Wrapp: Weekend Gaming Plans, N-Gage Nostalgia, and Train Travel Favorites

Hello and welcome back to The Wrapp, our weekly feature where the team sits down to discuss what we are playing, what events we are attending, and our gaming plans for the days ahead. This week, the team is mixing things up quite a bit. Iwan is sticking to his guns, quietly and steadily plugging away at Kingdom Rush, while Catherine can likely be heard echoing the classic lament of "My Kingdom for a Lunchbreak" as she dives headfirst into a brand-new card battler. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew is balancing packed real-world schedules, upcoming events, train travel, and even a little bit of unexpected retro handheld nostalgia.

Jupiter Hadley and the Busy Weekend Ahead

Staff writer Jupiter Hadley is facing a weekend away from her usual mobile gaming routines, largely driven by a bustling professional schedule. Although the mobile gaming community is currently gearing up for a bustling Pokémon GO Community Day, Jupiter will be steering clear of the streets to focus on a major real-world event. She is running the Brilliant Indie Treasures event aboard a boat in London, showcasing a curated selection of independent games to attendees. Once the event wraps up, she plans to unwind and celebrate its success with a well-deserved trip to the spa.

Because of the intense preparation leading up to the London boat showcase and general day-to-day business, mobile gaming has taken a temporary backseat on her phone this week. However, she hasn’t entirely stepped away from her mobile screen. Instead of playing traditional games, she has been utilizing the learning app Anna to study sign language. Jupiter has been taking a formal sign language course and relies on the app to support her studies on the go. She notes that the experience closely mirrors the gamified learning style popularized by platforms like Duolingo, making it an engaging and practical tool to fit into a busy lifestyle.

Catherine Dellosa Switches Up Lunchbreak Tactics

Reviews editor Catherine Dellosa is taking a fresh approach to her gaming habits this weekend following a brief setback. After failing in her previous attempts to master Dragon Raja Re:Rise over the past weekend, she has decided to completely switch up her tactics—specifically, her Lunchbreak Tactics.

Catherine admits to being a self-professed sucker for a well-designed card battler, though she jokingly points the finger of blame at colleague Iwan Morris for name-dropping Hearthstone in a previous headline when that game launched. Beyond the genre’s strategic appeal, however, she is honest about her initial attraction, noting that she loves the visual aesthetic of the game. Embracing her inner "shallow" side when it comes to judging a game by its proverbial cover, she is ready to dive into the strategic depth of card battles during her break times.

Iwan Morris Tackles Trolls and Retro N-Gage Curiosities

Iwan Morris is diving right back into familiar territory this weekend, dipping his toes into Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis once again. While he has been thoroughly enjoying the core experience, he notes that certain levels featuring trolls can be thoroughly frustrating. Sharing a quick piece of hard-earned advice for fellow players, he points out that dealing with regenerating enemies is rarely a fun mechanic.

Alongside his tower defense exploits, Iwan has also been trying out Newtro Boxing. However, he has found it a bit more difficult to sink his teeth into this particular title. The game’s control scheme introduces a notable layer of friction, making it harder to execute the fast-paced, back-and-forth fisticuffs that the arcade-style boxing experience clearly intends to deliver.

In a curious twist of gaming archaeology, Iwan has also been looking into MobyGames’ documentation for the classic mobile title Rifts: Promise of Power. The retro deep-dive was sparked by his ongoing work running the same tabletop roleplaying game setting for his local gaming group. Finding the intersection between his tabletop campaign and mobile history amusing, he acknowledges that because Rifts: Promise of Power was famously an N-Gage exclusive, actually playing the original title firsthand is likely out of the question. Nevertheless, he considers it a fascinating artifact from a unique era of handheld gaming history.

Dann Sullivan Prepares for Train Travel and Glorantha Adventures

Editor-in-Chief Dann Sullivan is heading into a heavily packed weekend, leaving his exact amount of available gaming time somewhat uncertain. However, his schedule includes a fair amount of train travel, which will provide the ideal window to crack open some of his current offline favorites.

During his journeys, Dann plans to spend time playing Tents and Trees and Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out! His ongoing immersion in the mythical world of Glorantha has recently been reignited by the release of Thousand Hells. He expressed a strong hope that the new content or related titles might eventually see a mobile port, noting that the platform seems absolutely perfect for the style and pacing of the experience.