The Wrapp: Weekend Gaming Plans, N-Gage Nostalgia, and Learning Sign Language On-The-Go

Welcome back to The Wrapp, our weekly feature where the editorial team sits down to discuss what we are playing, what events we are attending, and how our gaming habits are shifting as the weekend approaches. This week, the team is mixing things up across a wide variety of platforms and genres, touching on everything from mobile strategy and indie card battlers to educational apps and even a blast from the past involving long-forgotten mobile hardware. While some team members are preparing for major real-world events and train journeys, others are diving headfirst into tactical challenges and stubborn enemy mechanics.

Jupiter Hadley’s Weekend: Brilliant Indie Treasures and Offline Learning

For Staff Writer Jupiter Hadley, the upcoming weekend is not just about relaxing with a handheld device, though plenty of mobile gaming is usually on the cards. While many mobile gamers might be occupied with community events in titles like Pokemon Go, Jupiter is taking a very different route. Instead of chasing digital monsters, she is busy running the Brilliant Indie Treasures event aboard a boat in London. Once the event wraps up, she plans to head straight to the spa to celebrate its success.

Reflecting on her recent mobile habits, Jupiter notes that she has not actually been gaming much on her phone over the past week. This slowdown is largely due to the intense preparations leading up to the London boat event and a generally busy schedule. However, her smartphone is still seeing plenty of active use through an educational application called Anna, which is designed for learning sign language. Jupiter has been taking a sign language course and relies on the app to support her studies outside of formal lessons. She describes the experience as feeling very similar to learning with Duolingo, making bite-sized language acquisition accessible during a hectic week.

Catherine Dellosa: Switching Up Lunchbreak Tactics

Reviews Editor Catherine Dellosa is also looking to switch up her routine after encountering a roadblock last weekend. Having struggled in her attempts to master Dragon Raja Re:Rise, Catherine has decided to change her approach entirely—specifically, her Lunchbreak Tactics. As a self-proclaimed fan of card battlers, she admits she was easily swayed by the genre after Iwan dropped a reference to Hearthstone in a previous headline.

True to her playful admission, Catherine confesses that part of her draw to the new card battler comes down to pure aesthetics. When it comes to judging a game by its cover, she happily describes herself as a very shallow person who loves a title that simply looks fantastic in motion. This week’s gaming sessions will see her testing whether a fresh aesthetic and a strategic shift can deliver the satisfying lunchbreak victory she has been looking for.

Iwan Morris: Trolls in Kingdom Rush and N-Gage History

Staff writer Iwan Morris is sticking to his guns in some areas while branching out into unexpected historical curiosities in others. He will be diving back into Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis, a tower defense title he has been thoroughly enjoying, despite encountering some frustrating roadblocks. Specifically, Iwan notes that the levels involving trolls are a complete headache, offering a top tip for fellow players that regenerating enemies are rarely a fun mechanic to deal with.

In addition to his tower defense adventures, Iwan has been trying out Newtro Boxing. However, he admits that it has been somewhat difficult to sink his teeth into the experience. The game’s control scheme makes for a rather tricky time when trying to execute what is clearly intended to be a quick, snappy back-and-forth exchange of punches.

Beyond current releases, Iwan has also been taking a nostalgic look backward. Inspired by his tabletop roleplaying group, where he is currently running a campaign using a specific setting, he has been researching Rifts: Promise of Power via Moby Games. Interestingly, the title was an exclusive for Nokia’s ill-fated N-Gage handheld device. While the historical intersection of his tabletop campaign and mobile gaming history is fascinating, Iwan acknowledges that the N-Gage exclusivity means he is unlikely to actually play the original title himself, leaving it as an interesting moment in gaming history to examine.

Dann Sullivan: Train Travel and Offline Favorites

Editor-in-Chief Dann Sullivan faces a heavily packed weekend schedule, leaving the exact amount of available gaming time uncertain. However, his travel plans include a train journey that will provide the ideal window to whip out some of his current offline favorites, including Tents and Trees and Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out!.

Dann notes that he is not entirely sure when he will finally step away from his deep dive into the world of Glorantha. His interest in the setting was recently reignited by the release of Thousand Hells, and he expresses a strong hope that the title will eventually receive a mobile port, as it feels like an absolute natural fit for the platform. As the team balances real-world events, travel, and stubborn in-game trolls, the weekend promises a diverse mix of play styles and platforms across the board.