"If there is an app for that"

Throw Axes and Slay Your Foes in AXE.IO

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

AXE.IO (Free) by Crescent Moon Games is a brutal battleground arena game. If you enjoy games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, but want something a bit less serious and more comical, then AXE.IO is a good choice.

When I need to take my mind off of things for a bit, I turn to video games. Whether it's puzzles or some arcade action, it usually helps ease my mind. But lately, I've been needing something a bit more action-packed, something that lets me take my anger out in a non-harmful way. So when I saw AXE.IO on the App Store, I knew it was going to be a good fit.

Free

Fortnite

Epic Games, Inc.

Free

PUBG MOBILE

Tencent Mobile International Limited

Visually, AXE.IO has a distinctive, low-poly art style that seems popular these days, especially since Horizon Chase. It reminds me a tiny bit of Fortnite, since it's rather cartoony, but the characters are modeled after fantasy and medieval designs, rather than modern young adults. The arenas are not vast and huge as PUBG and Fortnite, but there's still plenty of space to move around as you try to survive. The colors are bright and colorful, with some muted earthy tones thrown in to the mix. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, though I get some lag and frame rate issues when a lot is going on. The soundtrack is rather exhilarating and action-packed too.

There's four game modes in AXE.IO: Arena, Deathmatch, Battleground, and Dragon Hunter. Arena is the default mode, and lets you partake in small 6-player arenas, where you fight for as long as you can. Deathmatch puts you up against players in real-time, and you can keep reviving and trying again until time's up. Battleground puts 50 players on a map and you fight to be the lone survivor. Dragon Hunter is more of a co-op mode, where you team up with others (instead of fighting them) to defeat huge dragons.

No matter which mode you choose, AXE.IO is just brutal multiplayer fun with throwing axes and other melee weapons. The controls are easy to pick up as well. To move around in the arena, just use the virtual joystick in the bottom left corner. Opposite of that, in the right corner, you have buttons for throwing your axe, rolling to evade, and even a sword attack if you have a sword equipped.

AXE.IO, as the name implies, involves throwing axes to kill your enemies. To do this, you'll want to make sure that green arrow in front of your character is aimed towards your target, and then you just tap on that axe button to throw, hopefully hitting them. Those axes land in their skulls for some nice, brutal kills, which is exactly what the game was going for. But since you just threw your axe, you'll become vulnerable until you pick up another axe laying around, ready to strike your next target.

As you get kills in the arenas, you'll earn experience points, represented by the gold coin drops from fallen foes. The higher your level is, the more advantages you'll have in battle. That's because there are tons of items just laying around, such as multiple axes, swords, and shields, but they require a higher level to use. Having such items protect you from more hits, and let you dish out more hits without having to find another axe laying around.

You have the opportunity to earn crystals as you play, which can be spent on new character unlocks. Each character has their own unique trait. There are also skills that get unlocked, and if you use them with the right character, their abilities get boosted. It's important to match the right skill with the proper character for maximum efficiency.

If you die, you can spend some gems to revive with all of your existing items and level, or watch an ad for the same purpose. Otherwise, if you revive, you start back at level one and all items are lost. Be careful though — you only get one continue, so use it wisely.

AXE.IO is an intense and brutal multiplayer battlegrounds arena game that is perfect for bite-size mobile gaming sessions.

The Good

AXE.IO is a fun and entertaining pocket battleground game that's sure to keep you busy for some time. The graphics are nice, the music is fun, and the gameplay is challenging, considering that it's against other real players from all over the world. The controls work out nicely, and it's hard to stop once you get used to the system, even if you end up dying a lot.

The Bad

Like other battleground games, you're going to die a lot in AXE.IO. If you get frustrated because of a lot of deaths, then perhaps AXE.IO is not the type of game for you. However, it's all really in good fun, so you shouldn't be too serious about it. Plus even if you don't usually play these types of games, AXE.IO is a lot easier than games like Fortnite and PUBG, so it gives everyone a more fair chance of playing and rising in the ranks quickly.

The verdict

I've never played any .IO games before, but AXE.IO is a pretty fun one, I must admit. I enjoy low-poly graphics, so the visuals appeal to me, and the cartoonish style works considering the nature of the game. The music is fun and delightful, along with the sound effects. Controls are intuitive and not too complicated, considering the battlegrounds theme, so it's friendly enough for everyone. I just wish that there wasn't so much lag when the action gets pretty intense, as that has screwed me up a few times in the middle of combat. Not that big of a deal though, since it's so fast-paced, but some optimizations would be nice.

AXE.IO is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There are in-app purchases for characters and gems.

8.4

OVERALL

Game Controls 9

Replayability 8.7

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8

Gameplay 8.5

FREE

AXE.IO

Crescent Moon Games

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

Light Up The Darkness and Let Life Flourish in Ilu

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

Ilu (Free) by Brainium Studios LLC is a puzzle game that balances light and darkness. I know, it's a little cliché, but it's tastefully done in ilu. If you enjoyed other recent titles like Fliplomacy or even Umiro, then you'll like what ilu offers.

When I'm under a lot of stress, I need to take some time out to relax and take my mind off of things. Usually, my go-to game type is a puzzle because it helps me calm down and also keeps my brain busy, which is always welcome. And while I feel like I've played every kind of puzzle game there is on the App Store, I can't help but always be on the lookout for new ones. And so ilu was definitely one that caught my attention this week, and I must say that it does not disappoint.

$0.99

Fliplomacy

Shobhit Samaria

$2.99

Umiro

GHI Media, LLC

Visually, ilu is beautiful. The game contains a minimalistic aesthetic style that's completely rendered in 2D. It uses simple shapes to represent the board and the pieces, as well as a soft color palette that is full of soothing gradients. Each of the infinite stages contains a board that lights up yellow, to represent the light in the darkness. And as you solve each puzzle, lush green life blooms and flourishes, proving to be the icing on the cake on this already gorgeous game. All animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, and the game has an ambient and atmospheric soundtrack that's tranquil and zen-like. The sound effects are whimsical and create a dynamic track on it's own as light fills the board.

The great thing about ilu is the fact that the game is free and contains an infinite number of levels that are generated as you progress. Since the game itself is a free download, there are some ads that show up every now and then, but you can get rid of them with an in-app purchase. However, I was not bothered by the ads since they don't interrupt the gameplay, but I appreciate having the option to get rid of them completely.

The goal in ilu is simple: light up the dark board and make sure that no tile gets unlit. However, some tiles have dots on them — these dots signify that an adjacent square must be the source of the light, and all of the dots on a tile must be lit up accordingly. So if a square has one dot, it only needs one adjacent tile to be the light source. If it has three or four, then three or four adjacent spaces must be the source of the light.

While this sounds like a simple task, things get complicated as the board gets bigger and features more intricate layouts. Each time you place a light down, the entire row or column is lit up accordingly. Be careful not to overlap the lights though, as the dots can be cancelled out too. With ilu, it's all about the logic and sequence of the lights.

Controls in ilu are simple and intuitive. To place a light in a square, just tap on it. The light flows into the rest of the row or column, and if an adjacent tile has dots, they'll light up. The goal is to get all of the dots lit up, as well as the rest of the grid, in order to solve the puzzle and restore life. You can undo a light by tapping on the square, and there are buttons in the bottom left corner for resetting the puzzle or undoing your last move.

At the top of each puzzle is a bar that shows you how well you're doing in solving it. You can even see the difficulty level at the start, in case you're curious. However, don't worry about stars or anything, because the game doesn't use that system. Instead, the number of moves you do to solve it is calculated into the progress bar, as well as your overall, cumulative score. You can earn "perfect" on a puzzle, and it's shown in your stats, but it's not completely necessary.

Once you've completed all of the puzzles on a planet, you'll earn crystals. These crystals are to upgrade your suit and ship. Both of these are more like cosmetic upgrades, as they don't affect solving the puzzles — that's all logic. They affect how the world looks after you terraform them, as a result of restoring light and balance.

Ilu is a gorgeous logic puzzle game about balancing light and dark and restoring life.

The Good

Ilu is definitely a good game to check out for fans of logic puzzles. The graphics look sharp and crisp on Retina screens, the dynamic music and sound effects are fun, and the controls are simple enough for anyone to understand. However, the puzzles are a great mix of straightforward and intricate, and it just becomes more entertaining as you go. And while it's a free game with ads, they do not get in the way of the game itself, and there's an infinite number of stages that can be generated, giving you a lot of bang for your buck.

The Bad

Honestly, even though I'm not usually big on freemium games, ilu doesn't have the annoyances of the typical free game, which is a nice breath of fresh air. There's no energy system so you can play as long as you want, and the ads never get in the way. Perhaps if I must point out a fault, it's the fact that the upgrades can be a little pricey, and they don't change the gameplay at all.

The verdict

As a fan of relaxing puzzle games, ilu is definitely one I'm going to be keeping around on my devices. The game's visuals are breathtaking, especially as life blooms on each planet, and the dynamic music is fun and delightful. I love logical puzzles, and these are the kind that make you go, "Aha! That all makes sense now" quite often. The ads don't get in the way of enjoying the game, but I think I'll be sending some money to the devs in the future to show support for this elegant little gem.

You can find ilu on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There are in-app purchases for ad removal and cosmetic upgrades.

9.0

OVERALL

Replayability 9

Game Controls 9

Graphics 9

Sound/Music 9

Gameplay 9

FREE

ilu

Brainium Studios LLC

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

Flitter is a New Twitter App With Potential

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

Flitter ($2.99) by Shihab Mehboob is a new app for getting your Twitter fix. If you're tired of just having Tweetbot or Twitterrific as third-party options for Twitter on iOS, then you're in luck with Flitter.

As we all probably know by now, Twitter originally came out in March 2006. That's over 12 years ago now. Personally, I signed up for Twitter in 2007, and it's been my go-to social network for years. I've made a few good friends from Twitter, and some I've even met in person (crazy, I know). For years, I've been using Tweetbot as my main Twitter client on both iOS and Mac, with Twitterrific being a close second choice each time an update comes out. In a time where it seems like new third-party Twitter apps are scarce due to the changes in the API, it's a surprise that Flitter was released at all. Still, as I'm always curious about new apps, I had to check it out for myself.

$4.99

Tweetbot 4 for Twitter

Tapbots

Free

Twitterrific 5 for Twitter

The Iconfactory

Free

Twitter

Twitter, Inc.

Visually, Flitter is a simple and clean app that carries a minimalist design that should appeal to plenty. It carries an aesthetic that reminds me of most native Apple apps, and everything is laid out in a neat and organized manner. Despite the simplicity on the surface, Flitter also gives users plenty of options for customizing the app's appearance to their own liking, including some themes, accent hues, and even different app icons. Flitter is also fairly fast and easy to navigate.

To use Flitter, you'll need a Twitter account. Just log in with your credentials and then everything gets loaded up. Flitter has quick access to four main sections in the bottom toolbar: Home (Timeline), Mentions, Direct Messages, and Your Profile. Also at the bottom is a "+" button that lets you compose a new tweet.

Now, about that compose button. It's one of Flitter's best features, because you can move it to anywhere that's comfortable for you. To do this, just long press that button and then drag it anywhere you want. IT can float above the toolbar, or go in any of the four corners of your screen so that it's within easy reach of your thumb.

Composing a new tweet is your typical fare, where you have a text box to write a message up to 240 characters. One thing I do like about Flitter is the fact that there is a button on the toolbar that gives you fast access to the emoticons with unique characters. You know, things like the shrug "¯_(ツ)/¯" and the table flip "(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)". I love using these emotes quite often, but it's always a pain to type out. So Flitter having these is a nice addition.

Since many get their news from Twitter, viewing trending topics is a must. With Flitter, trending topics is easily viewed by tapping on the icon in the upper left corner. It defaults to worldwide trends, but you can fine-tune it to a specific region that interests you. Flitter's search button is in the upper right corner, and you can do quick searches in your timeline, comb through global tweets, or find specific users.

Going back to your timeline, tweets are organized in chronological order, with newest at the top. If you tap on a tweet, you can view it in more detail, including full threaded conversations. I especially like Flitter's way of handling this because when a tweet is part of a thread, the tweet you viewed gets pushed down to reveal the beginning of the thread at the top, and you read it from top-to-bottom.

Other details Flitter handles well in the tweet detail screen are the number of likes and retweets that a tweet has. It even adds a nice little bit of commentary, such as "triple digits!" or "it's about to enter double digits!" for the number of likes and retweets. It's fun and cute, though it could also be considered distracting for some.

To reply, just tap on the speech bubble icon. To like something, just tap on the heart. Retweet is done with the "recycle" icon, and you can do a normal retweet or quote. There are also other options for sharing, or viewing the original user's profile, adding a bookmark to the user, and more.

Flitter's profile view is also pretty nice. You get a nice big area for the header image, avatar, and bio details. Above the username will be the number of tweets they've made. It's not a big deal, but the emphasis is kind of fun if you care about numbers. Underneath the following and follower counts is a scrollable ribbon of recent media posted by the user, and underneath all of that are recent tweets.

You also access the app's settings from your profile view as well. Just tap on the gear icon. From here, you can change the app icon, tweak general settings (time display, how to show links, etc.), appearance and display (themes, font size, image size, etc.), sounds and haptics, Touch ID and Passcode, and Accounts. Flitter is pretty generous with giving users the ability to customize their Twitter experience, which is nice.

Flitter is a new Twitter app that has a lot of potential, but not quite there yet.

The Good

Flitter is a pretty nice app in terms of visuals and functionality. I love the ability to change the aesthetics to fit my needs, and the way it shows threaded conversations is much better than that in Tweetbot (I have to scroll up to read previous replies).

The Bad

Unfortunately, I have more issues with Flitter that prevent me from using it full time. For one, I noticed that the app has a lot of lag and freezing when you return to it after the device is locked and Flitter was still running. This is especially true if you have it set to automatically change between a dark and light theme. I'm also not a big fan of not being able to use swipe gestures on tweets in the timeline to do quick actions like like or reply. I'm used to this in Tweetbot, and I feel it's much faster than going into a tweet detail screen to do.

And since I use Tweetbot on both my Mac and iOS, I use iCloud for tweet syncing. Flitter doesn't have any kind of timeline syncing (i.e. Tweet Marker), and it always seems to scroll up to the newest tweet when I come back. This is annoying and results in wasted time as I try to find where I last left off.

I've also encountered a lot of crashes during my testing of the app, which prevents me from using it out of frustration.

The verdict

I've long considered myself a Twitter power user, and while Flitter looks nice, I can't commit to using it right now. At least not in its current state. It's still too buggy, inconsistent, and not as reliable as Tweetbot or Twitterrific. There are other nice features, such as the emoticons and the way the threads are displayed, but there's more cons than pros.

7.3

OVERALL

User Interface 8

Lasting appeal 7

iPhone Integration 7

Is engaging 7.5

Does it well 7

FREE

Bluebird - Be Social

Shihab Mehboob

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

Get Your Daily News Fix With Cappuccino

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

Cappuccino (Free) by Nebula is a gorgeous newsreader app for those who want a personalized and customizable news-reading experience. It's similar to other popular apps like Unread and Reeder, except for the whole RSS thing.

Ever since I got into journalism in my college years, I grew addicted to the news. Yeah, I'm a total news junkie. I've lived and breathed the news for years through RSS feeds, various apps, and social media. Though I'm taking a break from current world affairs for some self-care, I still need my fix of technology and other news, at least. And while I mostly use RSS feeds, that gets backed up like an unchecked email inbox quite often. It just gets a bit hard to maintain at times, so I like to seek other solutions. Cappuccino was an interesting surprise.

Free

Unread: RSS Reader

John Brayton

$4.99

Reeder 3

Silvio Rizzi

Visually, Cappuccino's design reminds me a lot of Unread. It's simple and clean with a digital magazine-like aesthetic. Cappuccino places emphasis on visuals, so half of the display is taken up by the headline image for articles, reiterating the magazine-like feel. The typography is pleasant to the eyes, which is great since it's an app for reading. If you opt for the premium subscription in Cappuccino ($0.99 a month or $9.99 a year), you'll get access to a variety of themes that have their own unique headline font. Unfortunately, you can't mix-and-match the themes with the headline fonts, which is a shame.

Unlike Unread and Reeder, Cappuccino is a news reader that does not rely on RSS. In fact, there's nothing to sign into at all here, aside from your iCloud account. To add news sources, just swipe right to reveal the side drawer, and then click "Add." This brings up the Discovery screen.

In Discovery, you'll find various news categories, including current events, international and local news, and various categories such as technology, sports, fashion, finance, and more. Just tap on the broad topic you're interested in, and many sites and blogs are displayed. To add them to your feed, just tap on the "Add" button underneath their description.

What I like about Cappuccino is the fact that you're bound to find and discover new sites that you may not have heard of before. This app is great at getting you out of your usual comfort zone and into something new.

Once you've picked out some sources, the side drawer gets populated with individual feeds, or you can just go through all articles, only unread, or what's new today. Each article gets displayed on the screen with the header image, headline, and short excerpt. To view the article in its entirety, just tap on it to bring up the built-in browser.

Without a premium subscription, Cappuccino is pretty bare-bones. If you do opt to subscribe, there's a few nice perks that go along with it, aside from beautiful themes. With Cappuccino Premium, you'll get a daily generated mail with a summary of your chosen news sources at a time that you specify. You can even get push notifications for specific news, mute sources if need be, and a Dark Mode. The premium subscription also works with the Mac version of the app, so you just pay once for both versions. The iCloud sync should also keep your settings and news intact across both platforms.

Cappuccino is a news reader that's focused on simplicity and elegance.

The Good

Cappuccino is a nice news reader with an elegant design and provides ample ways to discover some new sources to get your daily news. The free version of Cappuccino is pretty bare-bones, but should be good enough for anyone who just wants a way to get their daily news fix. However, the subscription model isn't too badly priced and gives you a lot of theme options that look great, and having a daily news digest that's tailored to your tastes is nice to have.

The Good

If you're already using something like an RSS reader, or even Apple News, then Cappuccino seems a bit redundant. It doesn't offer anything too groundbreaking from the competition, and the premium subscription may turn some people off from using the app.

I also had issues with getting the subscription activated on the Mac version, and the sync did not seem to work. So it was a bit buggy for me.

The verdict

I'm all for discovering new news, so Cappuccino is a nice addition to my daily news arsenal. I love the simplicity of the app, and it's super fast and responsive. The themes look gorgeous, and the headline typefaces that are unique to each one is a nice touch. I'm not sure if this will replace Reeder for me, but it's a good way to discover news sources I may not have thought about before.

Cappuccino is on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and Mac for free. There is also a Mac version available. There are in-app purchases.

8.5

OVERALL

User Interface 9

Lasting appeal 8.5

iPhone Integration 8.5

Is engaging 8.5

Does it well 8

FREE

Cappuccino

Nebula SRL

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

"Ooh, the Claw!" Lives On With Part Time UFO

November 21, 2020 by RSS Feed

Part Time UFO ($3.99) by Hal Laboratory is a charming little arcade game that is sure to win you over with personality and wholesome fun. If you enjoyed other games like Orbia and Trick Shot 2, then you'll enjoy what Part Time UFO brings to the table.

While I've gone through a lot of games during my time here at AppAdvice, I think the ones that have the most charm and personality are my favorites. That's because they stand out from the rest and are rather memorable among all the competition on the App Store. While browsing the App Store for some fresh material, I stumbled on Part Time UFO being featured on the front page. I was intrigued by the visuals and concept of the game, so I had to check it out. Needless to say, I'm not disappointed.

Free

Orbia

JOX Development LLC

$2.99

Trick Shot 2

Jonathan Topf

In terms of visuals, Part Time UFO is delightful with it's Nitrome-like pixel art style. Everything is rendered in 2D but still incredibly detailed. The various character sprites, including your own little UFO alien, are cute and breathe life into the game. Part Time UFO's color palette sports a nice range of bright and vibrant hues that are appealing to the eyes. And the way the costume pieces affect your UFO are just downright adorable. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus with no lag whatsoever. The soundtrack is also whimsical and bustling with character, and the sound effects are a nice touch on top of it all. Overall, Part Time UFO is just lovely with the visual and audio design.

Like other arcade style games out there, Part Time UFO is level-based, but you need to hold a certain number of medals in order to unlock more stages. The game starts off with a farmer transporting a load of oranges when he sees a bright and shiny unidentified object in the distance (you, the UFO alien), and ends up crashing and the cargo is everywhere. The alien shows up, and the farmer gives you a lecture about how you should earn your keep and help him get his oranges back in the truck.

You do so (this is the tutorial), and he ends up paying you, though it's clear you don't know what being paid means. But now that you got the hang of it, you're going around as an alien with a claw arm (think of the claw machine games in arcades) and looking for work through the classifieds. Each job counts as a level, and you can earn up to three medals by completing the secret objectives, which are shown before you start the job. You'll need a certain number of medals to gain access to the next page of jobs, so the objectives aren't just for show.

The controls in Part Time UFO are simple and intuitive, and there are two methods, giving players choice. The default method involves a virtual joystick in the bottom left, which you use to control the UFO's movement. The button in the bottom right allows the claw to be lowered to grab items and let whatever you have go. It's straightforward enough.

The other method lets players enjoy Part Time UFO with just one hand. The setting is in the options, and the one-handed controls are even easier. You move around by swiping your finger, and just tap anywhere on the screen to activate the claw mechanism. Personally, I felt that it's easier to move with the one-handed controls, whereas the joystick felt a tad restrictive and felt slower.

Each job involves a different task, but they all require the use of your awesome claw arms to be successful. For example, the first stage involves getting all of the orange cargo back on the truck. The second stage involves building a structure with straight pillars and a roof. And the third job has you catching a certain number of fish and loading them onto the boat.

There's opportunities to earn up to three medals on each job if you can meet all objectives. By default you earn a medal for completion, but the other two need you to pay attention to what they are and try to do them. Because of this, you may need to replay a stage a few times before you obtain all medals.

Upon completion of each job, your little alien gets paid with precious gold coin. These coins can be spent in the shop for various outfits. Some are just to look fancy, but others have some useful effects that can make jobs easier. But regardless, each new costume makes your hard-working alien cuter than ever before. And while some outfits may seem a bit pricey, you can do jobs over again for quick cash.

Play as a cute UFO with a claw that is ready to do a variety of odd jobs.

The Good

Part Time UFO is a fun and challenging little arcade game that will no doubt delight people of all ages. It's hard to resist such a lovable little alien who just wants to earn his keep on planet Earth, and hey, if you got it (that claw arm, that is), then you should work it! The sound is great, and both control methods work out well and give you choice. There's a lot of jobs to do, and the replay value here is pretty high since you need medals to unlock more jobs and there are useful outfits to obtain.

The Bad

Honestly, there's not really anything bad about this game. It's unique, has an interesting concept and execution, and works out incredibly well. In fact, I wish there were more games like this.

The verdict

I only found Part Time UFO by chance, but I'm so glad I did. The graphics are sweet and enchanting, the sound design is amazing, and the controls are responsive. It does take some practice to master the physics sometimes, but it's still enjoyable. Plus, playing dress up is fun and gives you some useful abilities.

Part Time UFO is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.

9.3

OVERALL

Graphics 10

Replayability 9

Game Controls 9.5

Sound/Music 9

Gameplay 9

$3.99

Part Time UFO

HAL Laboratory, Inc.

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