Subnautica, Wargroove 2, and more; The Games I've Been Playing - July 2025

 

Each month, I want to share some less formal thoughts about the games I've been playing and my impressions of them.

As an individual person covering a storefront that is shoveling titles onto its store each day, I have time to dip my toes into a lot of it, but I can't always spend the time needed for a review. With recaps like this, I can give some games their due, even if I can't get a full review. I can also add additional thoughts to things I did decide to write about or even honor older games I just decided to back to for some reason or another. 

Subnautica ($9.99)

It’s been interesting to hop to Subnautica after being somewhat fresh off another underwater survival game in Feed the Deep. There’s much more to like with Subnautica thanks to its scope, ambition, and scary sense of mystery, though I am having trouble bringing myself back to it thanks to the current mess unfolding between Unknown Worlds and Krafton.

Click here to read more about Subnautica on Pocket Gamer

Wargroove 2: Pocket Edition ($8.99)

This Advance Wars-inspired turn-based tactics game has a ton going for it and is probably the deepest game of its kind on mobile, but it’s also frustratingly unoptimized. There are some incredible mobile-friendly quality-of-life features in this port, but the game also crashes frequently, has some buttons that are so tiny as to be practically unusable, is very inefficient in how it uses screen space and essentially doesn’t explain how any of its controls work.

I think this makes it a questionable value proposition currently, though I am still grinding my way through it because of how good it is despite these problems.

Click here to read our Wargroove 2: Pocket Edition review on Pocket Gamer

Rollercoaster Racer (Free)

Hey, the first game on this list I have zero issues with! Rollercoaster Racer’s simple concept and design makes for a game that is fast and fun without any of the mess that can come with expanded scopes or complicating things. This is just an excellent arcade game at the sweet, sweet price of $0.

Click here to read our Rollercoaster Racer review

Monster Walk

I’ve been on the hunt for a pedometer rpg and Monster Walk is very close to what I am looking for. This Pokemon-inspired game has you battling and collecting monsters as you explore new lands using stamina, a resource that gets replenished by your real-world step count.

I think there’s more that could be done to make the steps more of just a currency you spend, but still, the concept is interesting and I intend to keep checking in on it.

Click here to read more about Monster Walk on Pocket Gamer

Merge Maestro (Free)

One of the high points of last month’s gaming was whipping out runs of Merge Maestro at every opportunity. This has become my go-to roguelike at the moment thanks to how easy it to hop in and out of as well as the sheer variety of ways to mix up runs. This is definitely worth taking a look at if you’re like me and think Balatro has lost some its shine.

Click here to read our Merge Maestro review

Zenless Zone Zero (Free)

I play ZZZ every day, but I listed it this month because July was the game’s one-year anniversary, and I wrote some thoughts as a completely free-to-play player about how it has progressed over that time.

Although I am not in love with how some aspects of the game’s roots have been left behind, I’m willing to stick with it purely because of how good the combat still feels. 

Click here to read our Zenless Zone Zero review

Ultimate Chicken Horse (Free)

This is one of the few games I can be full-on laughing out loud within a few seconds of firing it up. This chaotic multiplayer platformer specializes in what I like to call emergent slapstick comedy. Just make sure you play with a controller, unless you want the sluggish touch controls to make you the butt of every joke.

Click here to read our Ultimate Chicken Horse review on Pocket Gamer