"If there is an app for that"

Google Translate for iOS is Your Bae for International Travel

July 25, 2018 by RSS Feed

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/07/google-translate-for-ios-is-your-bae-for-international-travel/

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile Review

July 24, 2018 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

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 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

FREE

GALAK-Z: Variant Mobile

GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc.

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

Drew and the Cyber Bully Teaches Kids About Social Media Etiquette

July 19, 2018 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

As technology continues to become embedded into our lives, kids are learning how to use devices at an incredible rate of speed.

However, with great knowledge comes great responsibility, and it’s never too early to educate kids on how to properly interact with others when using social media.

Drew and the Cyber Bully is an exceptional must-have free interactive storybook that helps kids understand the importance of being kind to others while communicating online.

The excellent ebook by Charter Road Productions is a great resource for parents who are allowing their kids the use of online apps and games.

Concept and Functionality:

Drew is a fantastic and lovable character who has been around for quite awhile. We’ve featured a few reviews of other books featuring him, including Drew’s Dancing Drum and Drew Meets Boo.

Like the others, Drew and the Cyber Bully is built around a very important lesson – effective communication and dealing with internet bullies.

I won’t go too far into the story so it’s not spoiled, but I will say that Drew and the Cyber Bully includes all of the interactive elements we’ve liked in other books.

Almost everything on the screen becomes animated when tapped, which is great for kiddos who love to explore things on the screen. It’s very easy to navigate thanks to arrow buttons, and there’s enough content to keep kids involved for an extended period of time.

Though narration isn’t something you’ll find in this particular book, I don’t believe it’s a drawback. After all, this story is directed towards children who are old enough to be trusted with social media and in-game communication.

Features:

Drew and the Cyber Bully iPhone App

Along with interactive elements, music, and cute sound effects, Drew and the Cyber Bully includes a very useful way of exploring individual pages.

By tapping on the puzzle button located on the title page, you can easily navigate to any page in the book, which is perfect if you have to stop reading.

Drew and the Cyber Bully also includes language support for Spanish and Chinese, which can be changed on the title page.

Although not a big deal, it’s worth noting that there’s no visible option for English – it’s just blank.

Value:

Drew and the Cyber Bully is available to download from the App Store for free and is universally compatible with iPhone and iPad. There are no ads or in-app purchases, which is a huge plus. More developers who are creating apps for kids should follow their lead in this regard.

Overall, I believe Drew and the Cyber Bully would make a great addition to any iLibrary, mainly because it covers a topic that’s very important. It’s an opportunity for parents to teach proper communication etiquette while using the book as an example.

Drew and the Cyber Bully requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/07/drew-and-the-cyber-bully-iphone-app/

Super Phantom Cat 2 is One Game You’ll Play Over and Over Again

July 05, 2018 by RSS Feed

Super Phantom Cat 2 iPhone Game

If you loved playing Super Mario Bros and have a warm place in your heart for that style of game-play, you’ll be thrilled to learn about this game.

Super Phantom Cat 2 is a delightful, challenging and just plain fun game that is easy to pick up and enjoy right away but will also keep you coming back again and again.

Features:

Super Phantom Cat 2, from developer Veewo Games, has just the right mix of ease-of-use, challenges and upgrades to make this game stand out from the crowd.

As you move along to the right you’ll be jumping onto platforms, jumping up under things to reveal coins, and all the while collecting daily bonuses and trying your best to just keep moving.

A very nice touch is that there are quite a few different landscapes with seven levels in each to play in. Mystic Forest is the first on you’ll encounter followed by Lost Garden, Torrid Oasis, Glacial Valley and Dark Spire. You can’t move to a higher level though until you’ve completed the one you’re in.

Social connections and a chat room add to the fun as you interact with other players.

Be careful as you scoot ahead, though, you lose a heart every time you run into any damage. As straightforward and somewhat familiar (for longtime gamers) as it is, it also has an easy introduction to the game via a tutorial mode that works very well.

While not a groundbreaking new type of gaming mechanic, Super Phantom Cat 2 is a fun new addition and will keep you busy for hours.

Appearance and Layout:

Super Phantom Cat 2 iPhone Game

The block-style graphics of Super Phantom Cat 2 go great with the lively arcade-ish background theme music. We highly recommend that you play with the sound turned up, we enjoyed playing along with it quite a bit.

Two thumb control gives your horizontally oriented iPhone (the only way it works) a very capable gaming interface that the developers did a great job with.

While the overall minimalist appearance of Super Phantom Cat 2 is pretty typical for an game of its type, the movement is very smooth and the various challenges along the way will engross you better than much more detailed graphics that can be heavy and slow.

Overall this game is an excellent combination of factors – visual, auditory, mechanics, and game features that come together to make a terrific game that we love!

Value:

Super Phantom Cat 2 is a free game with a variety of 10 different IAPs. You can play without buying any of them although with a game this much fun and with so much to offer we like to encourage players to support the developers who deliver this goods, such as Veewo Games. Even if it’s just the “Ad-free experience for $0.99, it let’s the developers know you appreciate their work.

All that said, none of the IAP purchases are necessary for enjoying the game making this a nice one to try.

Super Phantom Cat 2 is definitely a game you can play for free without feeling like you’re missing out on any special features. Plus the fact that it will instantly feel familiar since at its core it’s an updated version of, and in our humble opinion an improvement on, Mario Bros so you can enjoy it right away.

Super Phantom Cat 2 iPhone app requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s Rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/05/super-phantom-cat-2-iphone-game/

9 of the Most Popular Games for iPhone

July 05, 2018 by RSS Feed

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/05/9-of-the-most-popular-games-for-iphone/