Create a Pixel Perfect Masterpiece With This New Coloring App
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Masterpiece Coloring (Free) by Simple Simple is a pixel perfect adult coloring book. If you've been wanting a creative new way to find your zen, and you appreciate pixel art, then this may be your perfect match.
The trend of adult coloring books seems to have died down a bit, at least from what I've noticed. They're still pretty popular among those who use them to relax, but I definitely don't see them mentioned as much anymore. Still, they're fun and tranquil ways to take your mind off of things for a bit. I fell in love with Pigment a few years ago, but I've always wondered — when can I just color in some pixel art? And now I got my wish with Masterpiece Coloring.
Pigment - Adult Coloring Book
Pixite LLC
Masterpiece has a simple and clean interface that makes it easy to pick up, get some coloring in, and then get out. There's a brief intro that shows up on the first launch of the app, which explains the basics, but then it's out of the way and gone forever. Masterpiece has three sections in the app that are laid out in the bottom toolbar: Library, My Artwork, and Settings. No frills, no fuss to deal with. Just scroll through your selection of pixel drawings, find one you like, and just color. It's simple, fast, and incredibly responsive with no lag. The developers have done an excellent job making this one incredibly accessible for everyone.
The first step with Masterpiece is to find something to color in. The free download gets you some drawings for free, but you can also opt for the full collection of art with Masterpiece Premium, an in-app purchase subscription. It costs $2.99 per week, $7.99 per month, or $39.99 a year, and grants you access to all art for the duration of your subscription.
Once you find a drawing that piques your interest, just tap it to select it, and then you're in the Painting screen. Each drawing has a predetermined color palette, and you'll see all of the colors appropriately numbered at the bottom.
The colors are numbered because they go in certain places for the best result. To see what I mean, perform a multitouch pinching gesture to zoom in on the pixel art, and you'll find numbered boxes, which represent an individual pixel. The colors are labeled as such to show you where they go on the drawing.
You can tap each block to color the pixel individually, or touch-and-drag to paint in the color as you normally would. If you color out of the boundary, there's haptic feedback to let you know. At the bottom is an undo button, and you can also use the eraser to erase unwanted color. I love the haptic feedback, because otherwise I would not know that I strayed past the lines.
There's a nice variety of drawings in Masterpiece that range from simple ones with a few colors to more complex and intricate ones with many more hues to paint with. This means you can pick something up to keep yourself busy while waiting around in line or spend a few hours with, nitpicking over every last pixel. It's a good selection and offers something for all skill levels.
When you finish coloring a drawing, Masterpiece shows you a time lapse video of you painting it. It's fun and entertaining to watch, and you can save the video clip to your Camera Roll. You can also send it to Instagram or share it via the Share Sheet. If you choose to Edit again, you'll erase all the colors and start over. Any finished or in-progress drawings end up in the "My Artwork" section.
Masterpiece Coloring combines retro pixel art and adult coloring techniques into a true zen experience.
The Good
Masterpiece Coloring is a charming and unique adult coloring book that I find simple and intuitive. The app is simple, fast, and incredibly easy to use. The drawings are a nice variety of objects, and there's a nice range for colors to paint with. The celebratory animation when you're finished painting is cute, and the time lapse clips are entertaining.
The Bad
While Masterpiece Coloring is a great coloring app, it feels a bit restrictive with the predetermined color palettes for each drawing. I think there should be an option to have your own color palette if you want to truly get creative with things. Hopefully this can be considered in the future.
I'm also not a big fan of subscriptions for coloring apps, honestly, but the price seems fair if you get a lot of value from the app. Fortunately, Masterpiece comes with over 100 drawings for free, which should keep you busy for a while before you need to consider subbing.
Another note is the fact that the app is iPhone only, so you can't paint pixel perfect drawings on your iPad for now.
The verdict
I tend to get stressed out easily, so I'm always looking for new ways to help me relax. Masterpiece is helpful in doing that, and it's going in my repertoire of things to help me calm down. I love pixel art to begin with, so this coloring app is perfect for my needs. There's a lot of variety too, from simple drawings that only take minutes to more complex ones that require more time. The celebration animation and time lapse videos are also a nice touch, bringing a smile to my face each time. A stylus is recommended.
I just hope to see the option for custom color palettes in the future. An iPad version would also be perfect.
Masterpiece Coloring is available on the iPhone App Store for free. There are in-app purchases.
9.3
OVERALL
User Interface 10
Lasting appeal 9.5
iPhone Integration 9
Is engaging 9
Does it well 9
Masterpiece Color by Number
Simple Simple
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Fix the Glitches and Save the World in Reed
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Reed ($1.99) by PXLink and published by Crescent Moon Games is the iOS version of the previously Android-only quick reflexes platformer. If you enjoy other games that require you to be on your feet at all times, such as Temple of Spikes and Thumper: Pocket Edition, then Reed is another game made for you.
Platformers have been a passion of mine ever since childhood. That's because when you grow up with an NES and Sega Genesis as your forms of entertainment when you're a bored child, you end up playing a lot of different platformer games. While I'll always prefer physical controls for the genre, I still check out the latest platformer offerings on mobile, even though I think the Mikey Shorts games perfected the platformer touch controls. Reed is one of those games that happen to have slipped past my radar in the past, because it's only been on Android. But now that it's on iOS, I had to give a try myself. It's definitely one that doesn't disappoint if you appreciate challenges.
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
TIGRIDO, INC.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Visually, Reed is a cute, pixelated gem. The game is rendered fully in 2D with a 16-bit aesthetic, so it serves up that nostalgia nicely. Despite the chunky pixel art, the environments are pretty detailed and nicely textured with some dynamic lighting effects. The color palette in Reed consists mostly of muted, earthy tones with some nice contrasting brights, so it's nothing too crazy but easy on the eyes. The character sprites are adorable and charming, though the game's typeface is like trying to read a foreign language (but that's the point). Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient soundtrack is rather atmospheric, creating a soothing and immersive experience.
In typical platformer fashion, Reed is level-based, and players must clear each stage before moving on to the next. It's fairly linear, with no option to skip ahead. And with the challenging twitch-like reflexes that are needed, sometimes it may take a while before you clear that roadblock. Believe me — you're going to fail and die in this game quite a bit. But it's easy to get back up and try again, since it's literally just a tap away.
The story of Reed is pretty interesting. Players control Reed, who is a tiny cat-like creature and last creation of an old supercomputer. But the supercomputer is experiencing glitches and slowly dying, as the cubes have escaped. Without the supercomputer, the world will end. It's up to Reed to collect the cubes, fix the glitch, and save the world.
The goal in each stage is straightforward enough: collect the cube and reach the exit portal that opens up upon collection. But there's plenty of traps, obstacles, and other dangerous critters (like chickens) that stand in your way, so it's all easier said than done. For completionists, there are even secret levels to find, which add to the replay value.
Controls in Reed are fairly easy and intuitive. The two buttons in the bottom left allow for horizontal movement. A button in the bottom right lets you jump, and you can double tap it to jump again in midair.
But since the game revolves heavily around being fast and having good reflexes, the controls sometimes work against you. Timing is everything, and sometimes the game doesn't register my touch in time to avoid being shot by an arrow. Or you move too fast and take an extra step and fall off a ledge and into a pit of spikes. The sensitivity on the controls is either too low or too high, at least for me, so I would like to see optimization made in the future, or at least give players some customization. This would also be a great game to play with MFi controllers, so hopefully support gets added for that.
A hardcore retro inspired platformer.
The Good
Reed is a challenging platformer that is not for the faint-of-heart. You need to be fast and skilled to survive in this tough-as-nails gam. It feels so rewarding once you get past that tough level you've been stuck on. The graphics are charming, pleasant, and the sound is excellent. There are plenty of levels to keep one busy for a while too, which is nice.
The Bad
While Reed is a great option for those who like challenging games, it's not for those who get frustrated easily. The controls also do feel wonky at times, and for a game that requires skillful reflexes, that's a little disappointing. Hopefully the controls can be further optimized and streamlined for flawless play.
The verdict
As someone who likes a challenge, Reed is an excellent addition to the iOS platformer game collection. I find Reed's cat-like creature to be endearing and rather fitting, seeing as how the internet loves cats. The graphics are a nice tribute to the old classic games, and the tranquil music helps you focus on the game.
While the controls work for the most part, they do feel a bit off at times. However, I'm sure that it just requires more patience and practice as well, but still, customization for button placements and sensitivity would be nice.
Reed is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.5
OVERALL
Sound/Music 9
Replayability 8.5
Game Controls 8
Graphics 8.5
Gameplay 8.5
Reed ^_^
Crescent Moon Games
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Blocktactic is a Surprisingly Challenging Match-Three Strategy Game
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Blocktactic (Free) by A To Play is a strategic score attack game that combines the mechanics of a match-three puzzle and block drop arcade game into one. If you enjoyed other puzzle games like Swapperoo and Ruya, then you'll enjoy what Blocktactic offers.
While most of my gaming time is spent on Monster Hunter: World these days, sometimes I need a break and just kick back with a puzzle game of some kind on my iPhone. Even though I feel like I have every match-three puzzle game on my device already, I can't help but keep my eyes peeled for new ones. While nothing has particularly piqued my interest in recent releases, I stumbled on Blocktactic while checking new games these past few days, and it's definitely a hidden gem that doesn't disappoint if you like match-three block dropping games.
Swapperoo
Fallen Tree Games Ltd
Ruya
MIRACLE TEA STUDIOS LTD
Visually, Blocktactic is full of retro charm. The pixelated 16-bit graphics are rendered in 2D and are complete with low frame rates that you'd expect from old-school games. Blocktactic is full of bright and vivid colors that are eye-catching, and the various game blocks that it uses on the board are all unique and distinctive. There are four total block sets that you can use, but three of them must be unlocked by reaching a certain point threshold. The icons all represent some kind of force of nature, and are easy to tell apart from one another. Animations are smooth and fluid, but don't expect something like 60 fps here — it's old-timey, with slow blinking and flashes. For someone like me, it's pretty nostalgic, actually.
To go along with the whole classic 16-bit schtick, Blocktactic has three different music tracks that you can choose from. Each one has some retro flair to it, and they're all rather upbeat and catchy. You can sample them before starting a game, so take your pick and dive in.
There's only one game mode in Blocktactic, but that's all you need since it's a high score chaser. The goal is simple and straightforward: match like-colored blocks to clear them out in clusters of at least three or more, and rack up as many points as you can. After you make each move, more blocks fall in from the top. A number in the bottom right corner tells you how many new blocks are coming, and it serves as a warning to how many open spaces you need on the board for them.
The controls in Blocktactic are easy and intuitive. To move a block, just swipe on it in the direction you want it to move to. It can be swapped with adjacent blocks, or just moved to an empty space. The laws of gravity apply, so you can't move a block upwards without an adjacent block, and they will fall if you move them to the next column and it's lower.
While the gameplay concept in Blocktactic sounds simple enough, it's truly deceptive in the fact that strategy and careful planning is involved. Since new blocks come in after you make each move, the board can fill up pretty quickly. You want to think about getting consecutive matches and combos in order to keep the board from filling up, as you constantly need space for the next batch of blocks.
Once the board is too full, it's game over. Your score gets tallied up and is dependent on the number of matches you make. The larger the match, and the more combos you do, end up as bonus points that get tacked on to your final score.
Blocktactic is a mashup of match-three and tactical score attack and it works out surprisingly well.
The Good
Blocktactic is a real hidden gem of a game. The visuals give players a sense of nostalgia, and the music is just fun to listen to. The gameplay mechanic is a great mashup of match-three and block dropping, and it's deceptively simple and addictive. Controls are easy and intuitive, so anyone can pick this game up and enjoy it. The only way to get the other block sets, which are purely cosmetic, is to be skilled enough to rack up scores high enough to unlock them, since there are no in-app purchases. There are banner ads, but they're unobtrusive and you barely notice them.
The Bad
There's more good to Blocktactic than bad, but I suppose that the game could feel a bit repetitive over time. Since there's only one game mode, it doesn't offer much variety in terms of gameplay. I also wish that the point threshold for unlocking the other blocks wasn't so high, because the game can be pretty difficult and it's hard to get up there.
And if you hate ads, then the ad banner may get annoying after a while, and unfortunately, you can't get rid of it since there's no in-app purchases.
The verdict
For what it's worth, Blocktactic is a fun time killer. The pixelated graphics are cute, the music is delightful, and the gameplay is simple but challenging. It should appeal to anyone who likes match-three games and high score chasers that require a bit of strategy. I'm surprised it's free, with minimal advertising and no in-app purchases.
Blocktactic is available on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and iPad for free.
8.7
OVERALL
Game Controls 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8.5
Graphics 8
Blocktactic
A To Play Ltd.
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Keep All of Your Ideas and Inspirations Together With Collections - Photo Bookmarks
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Collections ($2.99) by Yakow! Limited is a beautiful and simple app for keeping your visual notes all in one place. Think of it "as if Apple's Photos and Notes apps had a lovechild together," because that's essentially what Collections is. Another way to look at it is like having your own personal and private Pinterest, without all of the social networking fluff.
Things have been rather hectic for me this year, with a wedding to plan and all that jazz. I get ideas, but it can get pretty hard to keep track of everything, and it's even become rather overwhelming for me at times. I've taken photos of the venues we've checked out, but they sit in my Camera Roll, and I end up forgetting where they are (I have a lot of pics). And what about wedding themes, colors, and centerpieces? Accessories for my dress?
It's just so much, and while I have photos of things, I forget to organize them and share ideas with my bridesmaids and even fiancé sometimes. That's why when I saw info on Collections hit my inbox, I knew that this could prove incredibly useful, and I'm right.
Pinterest, Inc.
Rego Pro: Bookmarks for places
MakaluMedia Inc.
The developer wasn't kidding when they claimed that Collections is like a combination of Photos and Notes, because it just looks and feels like a native Apple app from the get-go. Collections features a super simple and clean minimalistic interface that's fast, responsive, and even provides audible and haptic feedback (if enabled). I didn't like Apple's decision to have big, bold headers at the top for all their apps, but this style has grown on me (not like I had a choice), and it's also apparent in Collections, so it fits in.
There's a clear focus on visuals, made clear by the large thumbnail images used for individual collections, while text appears secondary. The app is pretty straightforward as well, with easy-to-recognize icons and intuitive navigation. Overall, the developers did a lot of things right with Collections in terms of design.
The first thing to do in Collections is to, well, create collections to catalog your ideas and inspirations instantly. Making a collection is easy: just tap the button in the bottom right of the main screen (folder with the plus icon) and then give the collection a name. It can be a broad idea or a more specific one — that's completely up to you. Examples are "Gift Ideas," "Amazing Recipes," "Clothes to Buy," "Home Styling," and more. Make it what you want to be, as it's a way to organize anything interesting you come across and photograph (or screenshot). For example, I've created collections specifically for "Bridal Accessories and Shoes" and "Wedding Centerpieces."
To add an item to any of your collections, just tap on the "Add" button in the bottom center, regardless of where you are in the app. When you add a new item, Collections fires up the camera for you to take a photo. Underneath the viewfinder, though, is a scrollable ribbon of your Camera Roll, so you can add previous photos and screenshots as well. There's no limit to the number of images you can include in your bookmark, and all of them get added in a single group in the collection, which is convenient.
Along with your visuals, Collections allows users to add in some details about the item to refer to later. Give it a name (the only requirement, along with a collection to go in), add some notes about it (as much detail as you want), a price, link, and location if desired. Once you've recorded all of the information you want, just tap on "Save Item." Your item is added to the collection, and you can tap on it to view the image(s) and other tidbits.
I love the fact that multiple photos get grouped together in a single item, and can be expanded when you view it. Along with that, you can edit or add even more images later if needed. Items can also be favorited, though there's no way to quickly access all of your favorites at once.
One of the best things about Collections is the sharing and collaboration. You can invite others to your collections, so that they can view it. But it doesn't stop there — they can also add to your collections, making it perfect for sharing ideas back and forth and keeping everyone on the same page.
While Collections is meant to be private, it is possible to share individual items on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, complete with the details you provided. And since Collections uses iCloud for syncing, all of your data is backed up automatically so nothing gets lost, regardless of device.
Collectios - Photo Bookmarks is a beautiful app to help you keep your ideas, inspirations, and other desires in one place.
The Good
Collections is a simple app that I didn't know I needed. The interface for the app itself is slick and intuitive to use. Having the ability to add single or multiple photos together as a group for one item is a lifesaver, since it helps reduce digital clutter. The notes and details that you can add to items is super helpful too, as it makes it easy to refer back to something when you need to.
I also found it fast, and it syncs quickly so my data is always backed up, which is nice. I've shared collections with others, and get notifications instantly when there are changes made.
The Bad
While Collections is a great app, it's still only the first version and tweaks can be made to improve it.
For one, the large thumbnail images on collections right now cannot be changed, so it limits the number of collections you can view at once from the main view. Even with my large iPhone 8 Plus screen, I have to scroll a bit to see the handful of collections that I've started. Being able to condense the thumbnail image for a collection would help with seeing more at once, so I hope to see this implemented in the future.
Another issue that arose for me was having to scroll through the Camera Roll ribbon to get to older images I have saved on my device. I think adding Photo Library access would make it easier to go back in your photos and adding in something that you saved a while back. With the current implementation, I could spend minutes scrolling through before I find what I want, if I even remember how long ago I had the picture saved.
Fortunately, a workaround for the photo picker issue right now is to use the Photo Extension for Collections. This lets you add a photo directly into Collections from the iOS Share Sheet, as if you're sharing the photo. You can also use iOS Drag-and-Drop to get images from other apps directly into Collections itself, at least on an iPad.
These were my only issues with Collections at the moment, but they don't stop me from using the app right now.
The verdict
I've been using Collections for the past week or so, and I'm finding it incredibly useful in my day-to-day life. I was never a big fan of Pinterest because it seemed like the social network for moms to me, but Collections, while similar, is a much more private experience that I appreciate. Creating collections is easy, and adding items to them is a simple process. I love the fact that multiple photos get added as one cluster for an item too, so it's less of a mess, and you can get multiple angles for a single item that way. Keeping notes on little details about the item is helpful too, especially when I'm ready to purchase something later on — a tap on the link is all it takes.
Collections is a fantastic app to have around, especially with my wedding planning. Even beyond that, it's fun to just keep ideas and inspirations in one place with an intuitive interface.
Collections is available on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99.
9.1
OVERALL
Lasting appeal 9
iPhone Integration 9.5
User Interface 9
Is engaging 9
Does it well 9
Collections - Photos & Notes
Yakow! Limited
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Life is Short, So Cause Some Chaos in Death Coming
November 22, 2020 by RSS Feed
Death Coming ($1.99) by Sixjoy is a dark and humorous puzzle game about death. If you enjoyed games like Party Hard Go, Slayaway Camp and Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle, then you will love Death Coming, since it falls into the same kind of genre.
These days, most of my gaming time has been with Monster Hunter: World on my PS4. However, when I need a break, I've been looking for games on my iPhone to keep me busy. If you've been following me on AppAdvice, then you'll know that I'm a sucker for puzzle games of all kinds. In fact, it's hard to think about a puzzle game that I have yet to try out on the platform. And I like cheesy horror flicks, so games like Slayaway Camp were perfect. But that came out a while ago, and I need something new. So when the news of Death Coming hit my inbox, I was intrigued. The game came out on PC last year, but I had never heard of it until now. And I'm glad I found out about it, because it does not disappoint.
Party Hard Go
TINYBUILD LLC
Slayaway Camp
Blue Wizard Digital LP
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle
Blue Wizard Digital LP
Visually, Death Coming features beautiful pixel art that reminds me of various Kairosoft games, as well as the opening sequence for the HBO show, Silicon Valley. Despite going with a pixelated aesthetic, Death Coming manages to pack in a ton of detail for the various environments and characters. It also utilizes a top-down isometric perspective, as you're essentially like a god...of death. This makes it easy to see everything in a single glance, and you can zoom in freely with multitouch gestures. The frame rate for the game is smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppiness on my iPhone 8 Plus. The soundtrack is oddly upbeat and quirky considering the dark nature of the game, but that just makes it more humorous to me. Plus the sound effects are delightful.
You're just an average old guy living his life, until one day you die in a freak accident. Not knowing what happened, you don't realize you're dead until Death reveals himself to you. Death makes a promise that if you help him harvest enough souls, he'll revive you, leaving you no choice. You end up becoming an agent of Death: a Reaper.
Since Death Coming is essentially a puzzle game, you'll go through the story in a linear fashion with levels. To unlock the next area, you must have cleared the one before it. However, solving the puzzles themselves don't have to be in linear order — just trigger the death traps as you please and get your kills, with weather permitting of course. Your goal in each stage is to kill a minimum number of people (indicated at the top right corner), but you do so by making it all look like accidents. Eventually, the Angels show up and act like police — if they catch you in the act, then you're "arrested" and lose a heart. Once all three are gone, then it's game over, and you have to restart.
The controls in Death Coming on mobile are simple and intuitive. Because each stage can be pretty vast, you can freely pan the camera around with one finger. To zoom in or out, just do the pinching gesture. Your new Reaper powers grant you the "Reaper's Eye," which lets you notice death traps in the environment, such as water and electric poles, flower pots, billboards, dangerous boxes piled high on shelves, and more. If you notice something that could be triggered, just tap on it. It'll be red if it's a death trap, while also highlighting areas that it will affect in red. Tap it again to trigger it, and hope that you catch some some unsuspecting victims.
Again, watch out for the Angels, as they'll arrest you if your Reaper Eye highlights a potential trigger and gets caught in their scanning range. Death Coming also features areas with more elaborate death traps, where you have to get rid of security patrols before it can be used.
The levels become more complex as you go, requiring more brainpower and multiple attempts. Observing the behavioral patterns and idiosyncracies of the NPCs is important, as it helps you figure out the right moment to trigger a death trap, which is key to killing efficiently. When you meet the bare minimum of required kills to clear a stage, you can stop and move forward. But another option is to stay and strive for gold, because why not master a stage?
Another fun thing about Death Coming is the fact that there are unique stories for each stage. For example, the second area on the map features the "Glorious Leader" who resembles Kim Jong Un in a satirical fashion, and you're in a factory that's working on restoring power to a nuclear missile. There's spies trying to sabotage the Glorious Leader, but Death doesn't take sides — just get him those souls.
Play as death, and manipulate the surroundings to bring judgement time to others.
The Good
Death Coming is definitely a unique puzzle game that stands out from the rest. It's packed with gorgeous and detailed pixel art with an eccentric soundtrack to boot. The controls are simple to pick up and intuitive for touch screen devices, so it works out well. The stages are pretty elaborate, full of surprises, and it can be fairly challenging to beat, so prepare yourself for multiple attempts and high replay value. The dark humor is more silly than anything, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys some satire.
The Bad
While Death Coming is great, the levels can take up quite a bit of time, and that's the only drawback to the game. I don't think it's something that you can just pick up and play when you have a few moments. Death Coming is best suited for those longer gaming sessions, due to the amount of observing, planning, and execution involved in clearing stages.
The verdict
As someone who loves a bit of dark humor and puzzles, Death Coming is just perfect and right up my alley. The graphics are visually impressive with the modernized pixel art, and the sound design is fun to listen to. It's also worth taking the time to read Death's quips to your character, because who knew Death could have a sense of humor anyway? The puzzles themselves are challenging, and the Final Destination style accidents are downright entertaining.
Death Coming is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.
9.4
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9
Gameplay 9
Death Coming
Sixjoy Hong Kong Limited
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