Kalimba is a Cute and Delightful Puzzle Platformer
July 07, 2017 by RSS Feed
Kalimba ($3.99) by Flashbulb ApS is a cheerful and charming puzzle platformer that’s sure to delight players of all ages. If you liked titles such as Mr Future Ninja and Sally’s Law, then you’ll enjoy what Kalimba has to offer.
As someone who grew up in the golden age of gaming with the NES and Genesis consoles, platformers have a special place in my heart. Nearly all of the games I’ve played as a kid were platformers, so it’s not surprising that I’m always eager to check new ones out. Another genre that I love are puzzles, because they keep my mind stimulated. So when the two are combined, I can’t resist. That’s why when I saw Kalimba on the App Store, I had to check it out for myself. Needless to say, this is one that does not disappoint.
App Feels Like
Mr Future Ninja
Appsolute Games LLC
Sally's Law
Nanali Inc.
Visually, Kalimba is gorgeous. The game features an aesthetically pleasing minimalist design that is full of geometric shapes that come to life. Everything is rendered in 2-D with bright and vibrant colors and amazing textures. The totems and narrator have distinctive appearances so it’s always easy to tell each character apart from one another. Environments dynamically change once the toggles get activated, and it’s all done in a seamless transition that’s rather mesmerizing with particle effects. Animations in Kalimba are buttery smooth and fluid, with zero lag on my iPhone 7. There’s also voice acting through the narration, and it’s incredibly well done. A quirky soundtrack plays in the background, which fits in with the overall quirky theme of the game. Overall, Kalimba is beautifully designed inside and out in terms of visual and audio.
Like many other puzzle platformers, Kalimba is level-based, and players must progress through the game one stage at a time. The story of Kalimba involves a good and evil shaman, with the latter overcoming the former and spreading darkness throughout the land. But the spirit of the good shaman is able to possess totems in order to restore the light to the land. And that’s where the player comes in.
To help the shaman with the ultimate goal, one must help guide the two totems simultaneously through treacherous environments to rebuild the original totem pole. Your score on each stage is determined by the number of pickups you’ve collected, and any deaths will deduct from that. Otherwise, there are no stars to collect, and no time limit, so you can enjoy Kalimba at your own pace.
The controls in Kalimba are easy and intuitive. In the bottom left corner are directional buttons that let the totem pieces move left and right. On the other side are the action buttons, letting players make the totem pieces jump and swap places. Remember — the totems move together simultaneously, so when you need one to jump, the other one does too. And sometimes only one totem can pass through a specific colored barrier, so the timing of swapping is key.
My testing of the game was with my iPhone. But for iPad players, there’s an iPad-only co-op mode where two players can work together on one device. I wasn’t able to test this out, but the developers say it can “make or break any friendship,” so take heed!
The real challenge with Kalimba is collecting all of the golden totems. These elusive totems are only earned by collecting all pickups on a stage without dying. Considering the difficulty of the game as you go, this is much easier said than done. To keep players coming back, there are secret challenge rooms too, in case you’re looking for more replay value.
Kalimba is a true gem of a puzzle platformer on the App Store. The game has a stunning aesthetic that is true eye candy, and the music is just delightful. The controls are easy to work with and responsive, so there was no problem with accidental deaths or mistakes. The concept of the game is simple enough, but having both characters moving together makes everything much more challenging, which is always welcome. The co-op mode for iPad players is a nice addition.
While Kalimba is an excellent game, it’s definitely one that can easily frustrate less-skilled players who may not have a lot of patience. I also wish that co-op was available on iPhones as well, but I can see why it’s an iPad-only feature.
I have only recently started Kalimba, but I can see this as being a title I return to until I beat it. Kalimba is perfect for sitting down with and enjoying a longer play session. And as a fan of beautiful aesthetics, I will enjoy every minute of playing it. The music is zen-like, and the controls are super responsive. The levels are pretty lengthy, and you get a lot of content for your money, so the value is there. Kalimba is definitely one that shouldn’t be missed.
I recommend grabbing Kalimba if you’re a fan of puzzle platformer games. Kalimba is on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone and iPad for $3.99.
9.4
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Graphics 10
Replayability 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Kalimba™
Flashbulb ApS
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Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow Creates Love/Hate Relationships
July 07, 2017 by RSS Feed
Futurama fans rejoiced recently, as the latest installment in the story of the Planet Express Ship was released. This time, though, it wasn't a new season. Instead, it was a new game with all of their favorite characters. How well does the game shape up to the competition, though? Let's take a look.
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Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff
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The Simpsons™: Tapped Out
Electronic Arts Inc.
In the latest installment of the Futurama story, the world (the universe, in fact) is in peril. It seems that when two Hypnotoads mate, it can cause a rift in the prophylactic membrane. Or, as Amy Wong's father puts it, a space hole.
That's exactly what happened. Two Hypnofrogs were making out, and the universe got torn apart. Now, New New York is half-embraced in a death grip of Hypnowaves, and it's up to Fry and the rest of the crew of the Planet Express Ship to save the city and the galaxy.
As you control the various Futurama characters, you'll lead them on missions around New New York and throughout the galaxy. You'll seek out artifacts, fight dangerous aliens, and try to mine meteorites.
All in the name of science, right? Well, the Professor might try to say that, but the truth is that your crew is all pretty broke since the planet got torn apart by a space vortex. So there's a definite financial incentive to save the world and the galaxy.
Futurama has plenty to love, beyond just the characters. Sure, the story line might be a bit cliché and cheesy, but the missions are straight out of the Futurama universe. That's definitely worth something to fans of the franchise.
The game provides plenty of opportunities to earn cold hard cash and experience points. That's a good thing, because you'll need it. Experience points level up not just your characters, but the Planet Express team as a whole. As your team levels up, you earn more fuel to take the Planet Express Ship on space missions.
The voice acting is great, with the original cast stepping in to provide catch phrases and quotes. I just wish there was more of it, especially in the "cut scenes."
Each character can also level up, and can unlock special outfits. Strangely, these different costumes have their own levels, so a Level 7 Fry isn't the same as a Level 3 Robot Fry.
With the various costumes come new actions, which means more ways to make money and experience points. When you aren't going on missions in outer space, you'll be collecting rent and sending your Futurama characters to do actions. You need the money and experience points to rebuild and save New New York.
After all, building a city don't come cheap.
The game isn't perfect, unfortunately. Like similar titles, there's too much focus on completing actions and earning money or experience points.
There's also a bewildering array of in-game currencies. There's Pizza Slices, which you can use to speed up actions and unlock items. You also have cash, which is used in leveling up your characters and purchasing buildings (when you aren't using Pizza Slices for that).
If that wasn't enough, you also have to keep track of fuel for your space ship and Hypnotons for clearing the Hypnowaves from New New York. It's all just too much, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the game.
While Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow is free to play, enjoying the game without spending any real money might be a challenge. Things happen slowly, and the impatient will end up dropping a lot of cold hard cash to speed things along.
There's also no mechanism to trade one form of currency for another. I'd love to see a way to buy pizza slices with in-game Nixonbucks, for example, or vice versa. That's not possible, however. If you have plenty of Pizza and are out of Nixbonbucks, you have to buy Nixonbucks separately or wait until you build your cash reserves back up for that next big purchase.
Finally, some missions have to be completed multiple times to fully finish them. This seems silly to me. I should only have to complete ranch tasks in the right order once. After that, it gets boringly repititious.
If you're a fan of the Futurama franchise, this is definitely a must-have game. If not, you might not understand many of the nuances or character interactions. The game doesn't provide any real back-story, expecting you to already know about Bender's attitude towards human women (especially Amy Wong) and why other characters behave the way they do.
With that said, the game can be enjoyed even without that understanding. It's a fun game, if you're willing to invest more than just time into it. You also have to be willing to endure a lot of repetition. I wish there was less need for in-app purchases, but I've come to understand that developers have to make their money somehow. I'd rather have a free game I enjoy that I can pay money into when I want than a game I have to pay for and possibly hate.
8.0
OVERALL
Game Controls 9
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 8
Replayability 5
Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow
TinyCo, Inc.
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Safari Kart Brings Kart Racing Action to iOS
July 06, 2017 by RSS Feed
Safari Kart ($2.99) by Mobiteos is a kart racer game that is sure to appeal to the fun and silly racing game fans. If you enjoy games like Mario Kart, then you may like what Safari Kart has to offer, though things are a bit different from what you’d expect from Nintendo’s signature racing game. Think of Horizon Chase, but with karts and cute animals.
Let’s face it — Mario Kart is one of those games that you know everyone’s played at least a few times in their life, and it’s fun as heck. If you have a Nintendo Switch, then chances are pretty high that you have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which you probably take with you while out-and-about for your kart racing fix. However, not everyone’s lucky enough to have a Switch, and may just have an iPhone. Fortunately, Safari Kart is a game that tries to fill that void. If you can get past the limitations and the fact that this is not Mario Kart, then it’s could be an enjoyable experience.
App Feels Like
Horizon Chase - World Tour
Aquiris Realidade Virtual LTDA
Visually, Safari Kart looks like an older Wii or PlayStation 2 title, due to the rough and jagged edges of the 3-D rendered objects and environments. The textures of the roads are also a bit dated, compared to other iOS games that are available. In general, Safari Kart’s graphics have a bit of a low-poly aesthetic, but personally, I just find that it adds to the charm of the game — these are karts, not exotic sports car racing we’re talking about. The color palette in Safari Kart has a nice range, as it features plenty of bold and vibrant hues as well as earthy tones, depending on the environment you’re racing through. Animations are fairly smooth and fluid, with no lag or choppiness on my iPhone 7. There’s an upbeat and eccentric soundtrack to go along with each track, and the sound effects are fun. While Safari Kart certainly doesn’t beat out other games in terms of graphics, I think the end result is decent enough for what it is — a quirky kart racer.
At the moment, Safari Kart has two game modes: Cup Race and Practice. There’s three difficulty levels as well: Normal, Fast, and Super Fast, though the last two are locked until you clear Normal. I’d recommend starting with the Practice Mode first, at least to get the hang of things. But if you’ve played games like Mario Kart before, then you should already know what to expect.
In the Cup Race, players go through a series of four races on different tracks, and points are earned depending on what rank you end up in for each race. The winner of the Cup is determined by the total number of points accumulated from all of the races. There’s three Cups right now: Earth, Water, and Fire. Hopefully more get added in the future.
Controls in Safari Kart are as simple as they come. The game makes you accelerate automatically, so you just worry about steering left and right with the buttons in the bottom corners. The “!” buttons adjacent to the directional steering are the brakes. Like I said, the basic controls are pretty easy to pick up. Racers can pick up random power-ups from the purple boxes, and then activate them by tapping on the power-ups icon on the screen.
Racers can drift in Safari Kart, but it’s not too clear on how this is done. There is no tutorial that explains the controls, and the game never tells you how you drift. Unless the drifting are the tight turns that your kart makes when you hold down the directional button, then I feel like I’m missing something. Personally, when I think of drifting in a kart racer, I expect to see some kind of sparks flying from the tires to indicate a drift or boost, just like in Mario Kart, and that’s surprisingly absent here.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that the physics in the game are not the best. I’ve gotten stuck numerous times and as I’m attempting to maneuver back into the race, my kart flips over as I’m trying to steer away from a wall. Other times it felt like my kart wasn’t moving at all even though my thumb was on the steering controls. The physics engine in the game is not at all realistic (unlike Mario Kart) and can end up costing you big time if you were in the lead.
There’s also no map of the track available as you’re racing, so you’ll have to practice on each track a few times before you get the layout down. The game only shows you the top four in the lead, so there’s no way of knowing who or what’s coming up behind you.
Safari Kart has decent graphics for what it is. The game also has a simple control scheme that anyone can pick up. There's enough variety in the racers to keep you coming back, and the tracks are fun to race on. This is the closest you're going to get to Mario Kart on iOS, so it's acceptable.
However, there are more cons about Safari Kart than there are positives. The graphics are a bit dated compared to other games on the platform. Safari Kart also never explains to players how to properly drift, and the physics engine feels a bit wonky at times, causing more frustration than fun. There's no customization either. While this is clearly inspired by Mario Kart, it definitely does not compare.
I’ve only just started Safari Kart, but so far I can say that is definitely does not compare to Mario Kart. While it may be good enough for someone who does not have a Switch and is itching for some mobile kart racing, there’s enough flaws that prevent me from fully enjoying it. The graphics look like an outdated console game, the physics engine is a bit wonky and flawed, and the game is not clear on how you drift through corners on the track. I wanted to like Safari Kart, but it’s one of those games that is lacking, at least for me.
If you don’t have a Switch and want some kart racing action, then Safari Kart may be good enough for you. But if you do have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then this is a title you can skip over.
Safari Kart is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
6.6
OVERALL
Replayability 7
Sound/Music 7
Gameplay 7
Game Controls 6
Graphics 6
Safari Kart
Mobiteos
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Watch Your Music Come to Life with DanceDancePlayer
July 06, 2017 by RSS Feed
Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon
DanceDancePlayer is an innovative and entertaining app that let’s you experience music in a whole new way. If you love music you have to check it out.
Created by Pavel Krasnov, this awesome music app for iPhone and iPad not only lets you listen to music, but you can watch a person dance to it.
Concept and Functionality: 
As an avid music lover, I’ve tried most of the popular audio apps that are available on the App Store.
While all of them allow me to listen to my favorite tunes, DanceDancePlayer is the first app where I’ve been able to watch someone dance to the music (outside of a music video, of course).
DanceDancePlayer features simplistic controls and a great layout that focuses on the dancing doll and the stage behind her.
Music controls and app settings are at the bottom of the screen. From here you can select songs to listen to that are either on your device or on iTunes Radio.
One of the things I want to mention about DanceDancePlayer is I experienced a bit of trouble with a lack of audio when I first started using the app. The way I solve this was by toggling my ringer switch on.
Features:
DanceDancePlayer iPhone App
DanceDancePlayer is a really cool music app not only because it allows you to access songs on your device and on the radio, but you can also customize your doll and stage. You can even change the color scheme of the control bar at the bottom of the screen.
One of the main reasons why I like being able to customize things is because it means the developer has the option to add new dolls and stages in future updates.
This means that DanceDancePlayer will hopefully be an ever-changing app where new features could added fairly frequently.
Value:
DanceDancePlayer is available to download from the App Store for free and is universally compatible with iPhone and iPad. I couldn’t find any advertisements or in-app purchases, which means that this is a completely free app.
Overall, DanceDancePlayer gives you a unique opportunity to watch AND listen to your favorite music. The layout is very intuitive and the app is downright fun to use.
I highly recommend checking it out if you’re interested in experiencing music in a brand-new way.
DanceDancePlayer requires iOS 10.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Source link:http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2017/07/dancedanceplayer-iphone-app-review/
credit : theiphoneappreview
Enlight 2 Photofox Is Like Having Photoshop in Your Pocket
July 06, 2017 by RSS Feed
Serious photographic artists know how important software tools are. Photoshop has been the de facto standard for years, but Lightricks' Enlight has made impressive strides toward eliminating the need for the desktop app. Some things were missing, like layers support, though. The latest version of Enlight, dubbed Photofox, has taken the game one step (or maybe three steps) closer to eliminating the need for desktop Photoshop.
App Feels Like
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for iPad
Adobe Systems, Inc.
Adobe Photoshop Fix
Adobe Systems, Inc.
Pixelmator
UAB Pixelmator Team
Enlight Photofox is the second generation of one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use photo editors available for your iPhone and iPad. It supports terrific photo mixing, the ability to superimpose images, create double exposures, and craft surreal iPhone art.
There are already plenty of features in the first version of Enlight, but Enlight Photofox expands on those and makes the app much more powerful. Now, you can enjoy RAW support and other professional editing tools.
When you add layers, for example, you have a full set of tools available to manipulate those layers. you can rotate, resize, transform, and warp your layers. Flip them horizontally or vertically, or blend them into your other layers. You can even use an Eraser tool to wipe away the background so you get the exact look you want.
Enlight 2 Photofox is for the iPhone and iPad almost exactly what Photoshop is for the desktop. You can do so much with the app that, even after using it since its Swedish soft-launch two weeks ago, I'm still learning its capabilities.
The most fantastic feature is the layer capability, but you also get a complete darkroom functionality in the Pro version of the app. Within the Darkroom, you can use various presets, from a cool look to a wash, and everything in between.
There's also a new Film mode, allowing you to give your digital image the appearance of having been printed on real film. You can get very creative, making transformations to your images you would have never thought possible, all right from your iPhone or iPad.
There is definitely plenty to love about Enlight Photofox. The app is full-featured, and is definitely a suitable replacement for Adobe Photoshop. What's especially nice is that it fits right in your pocket, on your iPhone.
It's not perfect, though. The Eraser tool, while nice, is a bit finicky. It sometimes erases precisely what you want it to, but other times goes too far. I've found that short strokes work best, as does saving in small chunks of work. That way, when you get it right, it stays right. When you make a mistake, you can undo it and start over.
Enlight Photofox is a free app on the App Store, but some features are locked to only a Pro version of the app. You can make a one-time purchase to unlock Pro features, or subscribe to an annual or monthly plan if you'll only be using the app for a short time.
I love being able to edit my photos right from my iPhone, and Enlight has always been my go-to app for jobs that didn't require layers or transparency. With Enlight Photofox, I've found that I'm almost never in the desktop version of any photo editing software anymore. The feature set is outstanding, and the ease of use is like nothing I've ever seen before. This is truly an essential app for my iPhone and iPad, and I think it will be for you, too.
Play with layers
With Enlight 2 Photofox, you can finally add layers to your compositions. A full toolbox lets you transform, blend, or do numerous other tasks with those layers.
Erase backgrounds
Don't like a background in your layer? Use the eraser tool to get rid of it. It's easy and intuitive to use. Forget Photoshopping - get Photofoxing!
Darkroom and Film Modes in Photofox
With these features, Photoshop really matures. Apply real-world darkroom and physical film effects to your images with ease.
Use filters to get creative
Easy-to-use filters allow you to create great text effects, right from your iPhone or iPad.
9.4
OVERALL
iPhone Integration 10
Is engaging 10
Lasting appeal 9
User Interface 9
Does it well 9
Enlight Photofox (Enlight 2)
Lightricks Ltd.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
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