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TouchPal Keyboard is a Perfect Choice for an All-Around Keyboard App

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

Ever since Apple allowed third-party keyboards starting with iOS 8, users have been able to select from a wide variety of different options that bring additional features​ compared to the stock version.

Getting Started

TouchPal Emoji Keyboard

Now almost four years later, there are so many keyboard options available, it’s hard to know where to start.

But if you’re looking for an all-around choice with a number of great features, take a look at TouchPal Keyboard.

After downloading the app, you’ll need to activate it for use. Head to Settings > General > Keyboard and then choose TouchPal Keyboard.

Then select Allow Full Access.

That will allow users to access all of the different features include language switching and themes.

Tons of Great Features

TouchPal Emoji Keyboard

The most important part of any keyboard, typing, is easy with the app. With special technology, you can simply slide your finger from one letter to another to form a word. Your​ finger will never lift from the screen. You can also type normally or even select from a T9 or T+ keyboard layout.

To make sure your typing is error free, smart prediction technology learns your writing style and then predicts more accurately what is coming up next. At least for me, the predictions were even more accurate than on Apple’s own keyboard.

There are more than a few ways to customize the keyboard. Various themes you can select include a Super Mario-esque Super Game and others. If none of those suit your fancy, or you can even select a picture from your own gallery for the keyboard background.

Any emoji fans should also be very happy using the keyboard as there are more than 1,500 to select from. And there’s no need to switch keyboards. Just hold the Enter key to bring up the different options.

Coming Soon: Talia

TouchPal Emoji Keyboard

And coming soon, the keyboard will add even more smarts with a personal assistant named Talia.

With that feature, users will be able to​ quickly access their keyboard to paste in information.

It will also predict a relevant emoji based on the text. You’ll also be able to search and send anything directly from the keyboard.

TouchPal Keyboard is designed for the iPhone and all iPad models.

It can be downloaded now on the App Store for free.

For more information about the keyboard, you can also visit the official TouchPal Keyboard site.

The Verdict

If you've grown bored with Apple's stock keyboard for an iPhone or iPad, TouchPal Keyboard is a nice option to definitely consider.

The swipe typing feature is accurate and smart prediction helps make sure that you stay error-free. Additional features like the different themes, emojis, multiple language support, and more, are a fun bonus and make the app even better.

8.0

OVERALL

iPhone Integration 9

Is engaging 8

Does it well 8.5

Lasting appeal 7.5

User Interface 7

FREE

TouchPal Emoji Keyboard

TouchPal HK Co., Ltd.

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Super Chuckie Egg Review

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

For a generation of British school kids, Chuckie Egg has some incredibly positive associations. You see, its home was the BBC Micro, and the BBC Micro’s home was at school.

Super Chuckie Egg

That meant most of us only ever played Chuckie Egg on that most glorious of occasions: the last day of term. For the rest of the year, the game sat silent and tantalizingly out of reach in its metal prison.

But rose-tinted spectacles are a dangerous thing. They are associated with numerous cases of crushing disappointment every single day as aging gamers dust off their fondly remembered vintage games only to discover that they are, and were always complete and utter garbage.

Can Chuckie Egg escape this fate?

Developed in the early 80s by a teenager called Nigel Alderton, Chuckie Egg sees you climbing ladders, navigating platforms, and avoiding enemies as you attempt to collect all of the eggs in each stage.

Super Chuckie Egg naturally embellishes on the original. It embellishes on last year’s Chuckie Egg 2017 as well, replacing the slow, deliberate, tricky gameplay of that remake with faster, easier, and more modern gameplay in which you race along collecting a string of eggs, the camera zooming in and out dynamically like in a Bourne film.

It contains 36 stages across the four seasons of the year, and five difficulty levels. Unusually, you can play any stage you like from the outset, and once you’ve completed the game you’ll get a chance to play the Title levels for additional kudos.

The Good

Super Chuckie Egg

Super Chuckie Egg is a genuine update, and it feels much fresher than last year’s Chuckie Egg outing, with significantly improved graphics and gameplay.

As you work your way outwards from the center of the season clock the stages get more difficult, but even at ‘challenging’, they’re no harder than the early levels in Chuckie Egg 2017. This is a game that wants you to kick back and have a good time.

The tighter controls help, as do the zoomed-in graphics, which together give you a greater sense of control over little Harry, encouraging you to attempt more exciting and dynamic jumps.

Also, it’s just a lot more satisfying to collect long strings of eggs rather than individual eggs dotted around. The addition of silver eggs gives the game a bit of extra texture too since you can decide whether or not to clear up or just collect the golden eggs you need to complete the stage.

The Bad

Super Chuckie Egg

While we enjoy the novel way the game lets you play pretty much every stage from the outset, 36 is a small number of levels in a modern platformer. Yes, you can play them all at five different difficulties, which materially affects how they play, but we would have liked to see more unique stages.

Likewise, while there’s no question that Super Chuckie Egg is a massive improvement on its far less ambitious predecessor, we feel more could have added to the franchise to bring it up to date.

For instance, there’s only one gameplay mode. Developer Downsideup Games has some experience experimenting with mini-game variations on Chuckie Egg with this year’s Chuckie Egg Pop!, so it’s a shame not to see more of that creativity here.

The verdict

Super Chuckie Egg is a major leap forward for the venerable franchise, taking a character from the prehistoric age of videogames and giving it a chance to shine in a polished, playable, fun platformer.

We’re only hoping that Downsideup Games can pull out even more stops for the next Chuckie Egg spin-off. With a few more modes and a little bit more ambition, little Harry might even find himself in the Premier League of platformers again.

8.0

OVERALL

Replayability 8

Game Controls 8

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8

Gameplay 8

$2.99

Super Chuckie Egg

Downsideup Games

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GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile Review

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

The one thing action-RPGs lack these days, at least on mobile devices, is action. Canny developers have worked out that a finely tuned progress mechanic is sufficient to keep players hooked, so the combat in most current action-RPGs tends to just involve tapping the screen, or even tapping the ‘auto’ button and sitting back.

That’s why GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile is such a treat. It has everything you’d find in a decent action-RPG in terms of upgrades and currencies and so on, but it doesn’t scrimp on the action. In fact, the combat sections of GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile could easily be a standalone arcade game -- and a pretty great one too. The game is also available on Google Play.

The game consists of 100 story-driven missions, spread across 17 sectors. There’s a nicely illustrated, well-written narrative to follow, though you probably won’t pay too much attention since it’s necessary to go back and replay levels multiple times. It’s hard to hold onto the thread.

Long story short: you’re taking on the Baron and his army.

There are basically two phases to this: battles, and distributing the spoils of battle back on your ship. Whenever you complete a stage you return with Salvage, the main in-game currency. Most of the time you’ll also nab a relic by defeating a boss. These relics need to be decrypted, and they contain Salvage, Fragments, and Crash Coins.

Salvage repairs ships and buys upgrades, Fragments actually create the upgrades, and Crash Coins let you do nifty things like expedite the relic decryption process, come back to life when you’re killed in a mission, and also buy new bots and slots to put them in.

But what are these bots? They’re basically creatures, with four different classes: Tank, Offense, Speed, and Resource. You can level them up by cannibalizing others, and assign them to slots on your craft to increase your strength in different areas.

Those are the basics, but GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile has plenty of details and nuances to its RPG mechanics that we simply don’t have space to cover here.

There’s also a very basic multiplayer component, whereby you can attack other players’ AI controlled defense bots to earn Bot Parts and trophies. Your own bots are also vulnerable to attack, and a global leaderboard lets you keep track of how you’re doing.

The Good

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile

The RPG ecosystem in GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile is rich and well-balanced. Rewards, loot, and other items do not come thick and fast, as they do in other mobile action-RPGs, but that fits with the style of the game.

In contrast with the more casual fare that tends to come to mobile, GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile feels like a traditional arcade game given a coat of cutting edge, arcade-colored paint.

The combat is outstanding, whether you take the mech or the fighter into battle.

The mech is a close-quarters attacker, wielding a giant laser sword and a shield that protects you from head-on attacks. Whenever you lunge with your sword, however, you drop your shield for a moment, making you vulnerable to counterattack.

The fighter is a ranged attacker, firing missiles. You have no shield in the fighter other than the general one that applies to the whole craft. When you take a hit the shield takes damage first. When that’s gone your health starts to suffer, but if you can escape the bullets for a few seconds your shield regenerates.

Both vehicles have special attacks, and each of the environments you fight in is filled with features that can assist or harm you depending on how you use them. Sometimes you’ll come across lakes of lava, or crates full of dynamite, or giant ship-eating worms, any of which can ruin your day -- or your enemy’s.

All this makes combat incredibly tactical and layered. You need to balance assault and retreat, somehow weaving between terrifyingly accurate missiles, using the environment to inflict a bit of extra damage or box your opponents in when you can.

The controls and vehicle physics are tight and intuitive, and it’s totally possible to overcome a difficult level through good old-fashioned arcade skills. There are even juking dodges and reverse movement, giving you huge scope for mastery.

Yes, this is an RPG, and you probably won’t get far without staying on top of levelling and upgrades, but even so GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile is one of the few games in this genre that understand the importance of action in an action-RPG.

The Bad

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile is not an easy game. Whereas many action-RPGs on mobile can be played on an almost absentee basis, with combat sections that play out automatically, this is a game that requires your full attention.

This isn’t likely to be a problem for the core and mid-core gamers the developer clearly has in mind, but if you’re in the market for another mobile action-RPG to romp through on autopilot, GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile may give you a shock.

The Verdict

As you can tell, we like GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile. After years of playing increasingly casual, increasingly automated action-RPGs that emphasize addictive progress mechanics over everything else, it’s a real treat to see those mechanics being used to make a great arcade shooter even better.

There’s not a lot to grumble about. It’s clear that a lot of love and attention has gone into everything from the finely balanced gameplay to the gorgeous Anime-style presentation, slick graphics, and thumping soundtrack.

Just go and download it.

8.2

OVERALL

Replayability 9

Game Controls 8

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8

Gameplay 8.2

FREE

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile

GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

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One Hour One Life Review

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

You can get a lot done in an hour. You can bake a cake, watch almost three episodes of The Simpsons, or -- if you really concentrate -- remove a new USB stick from its packaging. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even live an entire lifetime.

You are Hope

That’s the premise of One Hour One Life, a mobile version of Jason Rohrer’s acclaimed PC game in which each minute of gameplay translates to one year of virtual existence.

It’s an ingenious concept, but the real joy of the game is in the multiplayer experience. While you can only ever live for 60 minutes at a time, you can do things that have a lasting effect on the world you leave behind for others.

Objects that you make in One Hour One Life stay behind after your life is over. Your children, as well as other players, are free to play with these objects, just as you’ll end up playing with other players’ creations when you get reincarnated as their children.

This system encourages you to treat others fairly and make a positive contribution. Because you’re bound to be reincarnated, it makes sense to create a world that’s worth being reincarnated into.

That said, if you’re an inveterate troublemaker there’s nothing to stop you running wild.

The Good

You are Hope

One Hour One Life’s simple presentational style belies an incredible level of richness and detail. You’ll encounter stones, animals, plants, and innumerable other items on your travels through the game. Everything you pick up can be broken down to its core elements, which in turn can be used to create new items, such as tools and supplies.

It’s crafting, but not as you know it. Because each game only lasts an hour, there’s no time for cumbersome details like recipes and crafting tables. To create a new item you just have to hold a finger down on an object to see all of the ways you can turn it into another object.

This slick interface makes it terrifyingly easy to vanish down a rabbit hole as you explore the many branches of the tech tree in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, there’s always an alert to refocus your attention, generally reminding you to eat.

One of the most intriguing things about One Hour One Life is the way it handles communication with other players. There’s chat, but you can only express yourself properly once you reach adulthood. During the early stages of each life you’re limited to a few characters, just like a real human infant.

This eccentric novelty underlines the developer’s determination to create an authentic experience that encourages real social behaviour.

And it works. If you take the time to observe how other players carry on, you’ll see that they generally cooperate with activities like looking after children until conditions become more difficult, at which point they become insular and self-centred.

The Bad

You are Hope

Unfortunately, a couple of minor flaws rob One Hour One Life of its perfect sheen. While the controls are generally intuitive, but some moves can be a bit tricky to pull off at first. There is a tutorial, but it’s still something that irks when you start off.

You’ll get the hang of it over time though, and it doesn’t really affect your progress since all you’re aiming to accomplish with every life is to learn a few more things, make some stuff, and leave the world a better place. The basic aesthetics may also put off some players.

The Verdict

One Hour One Life isn’t your typical mobile game. In fact, it’s completely unique, and it contains a profound message about how to spend the time you have. You should spend some of it playing this. You can download it now on the App Store (and Google Play).

8.5

OVERALL

Replayability 9

Gameplay 9.2

Game Controls 8.5

Sound/Music 8.1

Graphics 7.8

$3.99

You are Hope

Wereviz

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

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Rise of Civilizations Review

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

We’ve gained a little more respect for Julius Caesar and Hannibal since we started playing Rise of Civilizations. It turns out that running an empire is a serious multitasking exercise.

Rise of Kingdoms

Not only do you have to keep expanding your interests, wiping out barbarian tribes and overcoming well-organised enemies, but you have to keep the home front ticking over too.

Rise of Civilizations sees you taking the reins of a burgeoning empire, giving you the choice of Rome, Spain, Britain, France, Germany, China, Japan and Korea

You start with a modest walled city with very little in it, but as you upgrade your City Hall and the buildings around it you unlock more building types. Upgrading these lets you upgrade your City Hall in turn, making more building types available, and so on.

Eventually you’ll have a farm, an archery range, a workshop, a barracks, a lumber mill, an academy, and many more buildings besides. Between them they keep your people sheltered, fed, trained, educated, armed, healthy, safe, and prosperous.

Upgrading buildings takes time, but you can speed up the process with consumable cards. You have to exercise a little bit of restraint with these, since you don’t have an unlimited supply, but you have enough that you can expedite a few building, training, and research periods per session, allowing you to get some good progress out of a quick game.

Of course, this just covers the very basics of attending to your own city. Zoom out and you’ll discover a staggeringly huge game world. Your city is just a tiny dot in a vast region, which itself just one of nine regions, separated by mountain ranges and accessible through pathways that you need to find with your scouts.

What’s more, the vast majority of this map is shrouded in fog, so there’s a huge amount to discover. We dread to think how long it would take you to clear every wisp of fog, but every time you send out a scout you uncover new stuff to befriend, explore, conquer, plunder, or kill.

Naturally, killing stuff is a big part of being an emperor. To this end,​ you have troops, which you recruit and train in your city, but you also have commanders. These are based on real historical figures like Julius Caesar, and you can level them up with their own individual skill trees, RPG-style.

You can have multiple commanders, too, giving you even more to think about when assigning skill points, as well as allowing you to fight on multiple fronts.

The Good

Rise of Kingdoms

Rise of Civilizations also has its own exhaustive alliance system, complete with messaging. Joining an alliance gives you access to communal assets such as research, alliance gifts, and earnings from resources. It also lets you call on alliance members for assistance in completing research, building, and training projects in your city.

Naturally, you can help the alliance too, by pledging your troops in wars, contributing to research costs, and so on.

Believe it or not, we haven’t really scratched the surface of Rise of Civilizations. There’s so much to do, and so many ways to do it, and so much room to do it in, that it would take you days to get to grips with the game’s subtle intricacies.

It would risk becoming overwhelming if not for the inexhaustible supply of missions and tasks. The best way to progress, certainly at first, is to just go to the missions screen and keep taking them on.

For example, accepting a barbarian hunting mission will take you straight to the search function, where you can search for barbarians, among other things, at whatever level you like. Once you’ve found a squad of barbarians it’s just a matter of a couple of taps before you’re wiping them out with swords, arrows, and siege weapons.

As a result of accepting this mission,​ you’ll learn how the search function works, level your troops up, and earn some resources. There are many different mission types, all of them productive and profitable, so it makes sense to stay on this path until you’re ready to face the big bad world without training wheels.

The Bad

Rise of Kingdoms

The slight downside of Rise of Civilization’s huge scope is that it can look a little plain. The graphics are polished and slick, but there’s only so much character a developer can squeeze into an ant-sized sprite. The interface can become cluttered, too, and it’s not uncommon to tap on the wrong building while working in your city.

But these are minor issues, and a small price to pay for the sheer detail and abundance that Rise of Civilizations contains.

The Verdict

If you have any interest in the genre, you ought to check Rise of Civilizations out. You can download it via the App Store and Google Play.

8.3

OVERALL

Replayability 8.8

Game Controls 8.6

Gameplay 8.5

Graphics 7.8

Sound/Music 7.9

FREE

Rise of Kingdoms

Lilith Games

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

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