This Charming Word Game Will Have You Under a Spell
April 14, 2017 by RSS Feed
Under a Spell (Free) by Happymagenta UAB is an educational word game that will appeal to any linguist out there who is seeking a challenge. If you’re a fan of games like Spelltower, TypeShift, and Alpha Omega, then you’re in for a real treat with Under a Spell.
I’ve been under a bit of stress these days, but I am able to calm down by spending time with my boyfriend or playing video games, but a lot of the time it’s a mix of both since we’re both gamers. I’ve mentioned it a lot here at AppAdvice, but one of my favorite game genres on iOS are puzzles, especially when it involves words. This is because I write for a living, of course, and I enjoy expanding and putting my vocabulary to use. While I’ve tried plenty of word games on my iPhone in recent years, I’m always looking out for new ones that have their own unique spin on the genre, and Under a Spell is rather captivating. It’s also a bit different from the developer’s other offerings, which include classics like Tomb of the Mask and Into the Dim. However, after playing Under a Spell, it’s definitely a hit that will not disappoint.
Visually speaking, Under a Spell features super polished graphics that look stunning on Retina screens. It has a rather cartoonish art style to everything, but I thought that it adds a nice and refreshing touch to your typical word game fare. And Under a Spell also packs in an incredible amount of detail, from the book cover that contains the world map of levels, the drawings to represent each chapter, the letter tiles themselves, and even the transitions between stages — Happymagenta didn’t leave any stone unturned in terms of graphical attributes in this game. Under a Spell also has a bright and vibrant color palette that is sure to be eye-catching, and all animations are buttery smooth and fluid, so I had no issues with lag on my iPhone 7. In the background is a soothing atmospheric soundtrack that even has some nature sounds, which are bound to help you relax and focus on solving the word puzzles in Under a Spell. Needless to say, I think Happymagenta did a standup job with the visual and audio design of Under a Spell, making it stand out above the rest.
Under a Spell is a bit different from most word games, instead following the suit of traditional puzzle games. Players will find a book that has a map spread out across several pages, and the number represents the chapter, which has about 10 levels each. In each stage, the letter tiles are arranged differently, and will even contain numerous layers stacked on top of one another. To clear a level, players have to find a certain number of words contained in the mix of tiles, but there are specific words that you need to find, and the game does not tell you what they are, so you have to discover them on your own through trial-and-error. The game does give you some hints, though, such as the number of letters that the word contains, and if there are any special colored tiles in the word, you’ll see them in the clue area. Under a Spell starts off easy enough, but things do get more challenging once you get to the further levels, as new game elements, such as frozen and bomb tiles, begin to appear, as well as more tile layers and complex words.
Playing Under a Spell is rather simple thanks to the intuitive and responsive controls. Like other word games, you can only spell out words with tiles that are adjacent to each other, and this can be done horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. To spell words, you can either swipe across the ones you want to pick with your finger, or just tap on them one-at-a-time. Honestly, I found it to be more accurate if you tap, because sometimes the swipe would pick the wrong letter instead, leading to some frustrating moments. If the word you spell is correct, the game proceeds to the next word; if it’s wrong, nothing happens and you just try again. Sometimes you may get the right word, but in the wrong order — if that’s the case, the game lets you know and tells you to reset from that point.
The coolest thing about Under a Spell is the fact that the game dictionary is rather vast, as there’s a specially designed AI that has picked up on many words from books, movies, and other forms of media throughout time. Because of this, you can even learn some new terms here and there, and the game is also multilingual. What the multilingual part means is the fact that you earn a higher score if you play the game in different languages, and the more languages you do, the better. Your score is indicated by the “Magic Power” number at the top of the screen, which increases each time you spell a correct word. If you’re stuck, you can always use a hint (bottom right corner) to reveal a letter of the word that you are currently on.
To keep things fresh and interesting, Under a Spell also has a mission system, where you can earn rewards by completing goals, such as scoring a certain number of points, reaching a specific level, and more. There is also a Daily Puzzle Challenge that gives you a new puzzle to solve each day, and you can compete with other players for the best completion time. And for hints, the game is rather generous, giving players free gifts every couple of hours, or you can get more by watching ads. There is also an in-game slot machine that is another way to earn prizes, and you get one daily spin. If you desire more, you can get a 10 daily spin subscription for $9.99 a month, though I think the price point for that is a bit high, but hey, if that’s what you want, then it’s there.
For what it’s worth, Under a Spell is a great word game that I have been finding to be highly enjoyable. I love the exquisite graphics, the music is superb, and the fact that you must look for specific words that are unknown to you from the get-go makes things challenging. I’ve gone through my fair share of word games, but Under a Spell truly stands out from the rest due to the vast dictionary and multilingual support giving you an incentive to try other languages and learn something new.
I recommend giving Under a Spell a try if you’re into word games and want to expand your own vocabulary while having some fun. You can find Under a Spell on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There are in-app purchases for more hints and a daily spin subscription.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Color Your Way to Zen in Polycolor’s Relaxing Puzzles
April 12, 2017 by RSS Feed
polycolor ($0.99) by alper iskender is a zen-like puzzle game about shapes and colors. If you’re in the mood for unwinding after a long day and enjoyed recent titles like Trilogic and KAMI 2, then chances are high that you will like what Polycolor has to offer.
Life gets pretty stressful (especially mine right now), but I have found that the best way for me to relax is with video games of some kind. No matter what platform I choose to de-stress with, it definitely helps take my mind off reality and help me calm down. On iOS, my preferred game genre is puzzle because they’re relaxing yet stimulating at the same time. I’ve mentioned it many times before, but while I like to relax, I prefer to keep my brain stimulated with some challenge so it doesn’t turn into mush. And while I feel like I’ve tried every puzzle game out there, I’m still always looking out for more, and Polycolor is one that intrigued me when I saw it on the App Store. After spending some time with it, I can say that it’s definitely a clever puzzle to unwind with.
Visually speaking, Polycolor features a super minimalistic design that will appeal to people of all types. Everything is rendered in a flat, 2-D aesthetic with plenty of straight lines all around. The game utilizes a dark gray background that makes the vibrant hues of fuchsia, yellow, and cyan blue stand out clearly, and the white lines make it clear where the spaces are that you have to fill in with the three colors. The game has very few animations, as it is mostly just transitions to the next level, but the few times you see animations, they’re pretty fluid. Polycolor also has a soothing, ambient soundtrack that plays in the background, and the whimsical sound effects are a nice touch. Even though Polycolor does not look like too much on the surface, I think the developer did well with the game’s overall visual and audio design.
Just like many other puzzle games, Polycolor is level-based and has four chapters with 18 stages each for players to make their way through. Even though the game bills itself as a relaxing game, you still have to go through the levels in chronological order, so the stage you’ve unlocked is the one you must clear before you can move on. Fortunately though, the game does not impose any time limits, so you can play each stage at your own pace. The goal of Polycolor is simple: each stage showcases an object that is composed of various polygonal shapes, and you must fill it in with color, but without having one color in two neighboring spaces. Eventually, you must change colors in a set number of moves before it’s cleared. It sounds simple enough, but as you get further in the game, things become a bit trickier.
Polycolor has simple controls that are fairly intuitive and responsive. In the beginning stages, the game shows you the three colors along the bottom of the screen, and you can tap on the one that you want to use. However, after the tutorial, these colors no longer show up at the bottom, but you can alternate between all three colors when you tap on a space to fill it in with color. The order goes pink, blue, and then yellow. If you forget the color that is currently selected, you can tell by the thin colored bar at the top of the screen. You can also tap this area to bring up the in-game menu, with options for going back to the title screen, toggling sound or music, or restarting the stage. If you have all of the spaces colored in, but the game does not tell you that it’s complete, it’s because there are two spaces that are next to each other and have the same color. When this is the case, you can go back and change the colors until you get it, or just restart from the beginning. Once all spaces have color and no adjacent spaces are alike, Polycolor tels you and allows you to move on to the next puzzle.
As stated before, Polycolor is a pretty minimalistic game. I am still in the early stages, but so far the game has proven to be a rather relaxing experience overall. I like the simple and clean visual style, the tranquil music is great and helps you focus on solving the puzzles, and the concept is basic but still challenging. I just wish that the game still kept the colors at the bottom because I feel it’s easier to switch between the colors this way — perhaps it should be considered as an option. Another thing I found weird was the loading times between stages — it seems a bit long for what it is, and I hope that the developer optimizes these loading times in the future. And finally, I would like to see are more levels added eventually, as it would increase the longevity of the game. Other than that, I think Polycolor is a pretty solid release so far.
I recommend giving Polycolor a try if you are in the mood for a calming puzzle experience. You can find Polycolor on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
6 iPhone chat apps you should download today
April 11, 2017 by RSS Feed
Everyone uses their phone to chat with friends and family. Sure we use our phones to make calls, which remains the central feature of every phone, but there are so many other features that are becoming more widely used than the calling itself.
Messaging has become an extremely popular and inexpensive medium to stay in touch with loved ones. Just look around you when you’re in a restaurant or bar, it’s very likely that half of the people will be busy messaging someone on their phones.
From big businesses to 13 year olds, everyone uses messaging platforms for different reasons.
Thanks to a ton of app developers out there, our choices are endless when it comes to chat apps. Luckily, most of them are free and have a ton of useful and unique features. Here we’re listing 6 of the best:
There is a reason why over 1 billion people worldwide use this app and why it was bought by Facebook for $19 billion. It is extremely easy to setup and use and is designed to be similar to the native messaging app on your iPhone.
Because it’s free to use and also ad-free and feature rich, it has become a favorite for the majority of people. Users can send texts, videos and image messages, documents and voice notes to other users around the world either separately or in-group chats.
Recent updates have added features such as voice and video calling too. Making international calls couldn’t get more easier!
It is great for privacy as there is complete end-to-end encryption between users. The WhatsApp Web feature lets users send and receive messages from their computer browser.
Skype is the second most used chat app across the globe. Besides offering free voice and video calls, it also includes a paid option that lets you call on any number, even non-Skype numbers and landlines anywhere in the world.
Moreover, you can also use the app for chatting purposes if it’s not convenient for your contacts to have an audio call with you, or if you are in a rush and simply want to get a message across. It lets you send text messages, photos, audio and video files.
What’s more, since the past two years, Skype has become even more alluring for workplace communication with its new feature Skype for Business. According to Microsoft, it is “a complete, enterprise-grade communications solution at global scale as part of Office 365.”
The app is also a good substitute for FaceTime due to its cross platform functionality (available for all mobile devices, PCs and even TVs) allowing you to message or video call anyone in the world using any device. It has support for group video calls too, for up-to 25 people.
This is an official Facebook app for users who don’t really want to waste time on Facebook, but want to use it to stay in touch with other people. This is one of the best and most useful messaging apps available on the internet simply because of Facebook’s large user base. You can message any of your hundreds of friends on Facebook and also those in your phone’s contact list.
You can send voice messages, photos, videos, smileys and many unique stickers and emojis. Voice calls are absolutely free all over the world. You can even use Messenger without a Facebook account by just adding numbers and contacts manually. The app is free but there are paid stickers available.
You can activate your location to let your friends know if you are nearby and you can alter app settings accordingly to let your friends know if you are available to talk or not. You can just click on a contact while talking to them and the app will direct you to their Facebook page from where you can take a glimpse of whatever is going on in their lives.
Kik has over 300 million users and is one of the best messaging apps available. You can send text messages, pictures, videos and even self-drawn sketches. You can edit pictures in the app itself and send them as memes.
The best thing about the app is that it protects your privacy. You don’t have to share your phone number or email address with anyone, just your user-name. You can have one on one or group chats and can also make new friends.
This is a free all in one messaging app. Unlike other apps, it’s not a dedicated messaging service, but instead it combines all the features of the various social accounts (such as Messenger, Skype, Facebook) and presents them to you in one platform.
This app also lets you send pictures and audios but the multimedia messages are first uploaded to IM servers after which the link is then sent from one user to the other.
Multimedia files can be automatically re-sized if you want to save data. The ’pro’ version comes with a ’neighbors’ function that allows you to find and communicate with new people in your area, who share similar interests. The app has Peer2Peer encrypted messaging to always assure privacy.
Twitter isn’t an app specifically made for messaging or chatting, but it is good at it. Everyone knows you can send out 140 character tweets which is a really interesting (and creative) way to communicate with your friends and family.
What’s unique is that you can even connect with people you don’t know if they share your interests. In theory, you could even message your favorite celebrities or other influential people and they could reply.
Besides sending directed tweets to communicate, you can also DM (direct message) them. Direct message lets you have a private chat with anyone and gives you the ability to also send multimedia files. A unique feature is that it gives you the option of live streaming videos too with the periscope button which you can share with everyone who follows you.
***
AUTHOR BIO
ABOUT Audrey Throne
Audrey Throne is a mother and a professional blogger by choice. She has completed her masters in English literature from university of Birmingham. As a blogger she wrote quite a few posts on health, technology as well as management. Currently, she is associate with citeninja Team.
Find her on Twitter: @audrey_throne.
Source link:http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2017/04/6-iphone-chat-apps-you-should-download-today/
credit : theiphoneappreview
Escape a Nightmare in Onirim, a Solitaire-Style Board Game
April 10, 2017 by RSS Feed
Onirim - Solitaire Card Game ($0.99) by Asmodee Digital is yet another board game that has been turned into a digital game for your mobile device. If you liked other titles such as Potion Explosion, Sushi Go!, and Exploding Kittens, then Onirim is a perfect addition to your digital board game collection.
Board games — we all love them, but let’s face it, sometimes it’s just hard to play them because you can’t get enough people gathered up in person to play them when you want to due to conflicting schedules or you just don’t want to plan everything out. This is the problem I personally have with board games, so I just end up not playing them as much as I’d like to, even though I enjoy them and the interaction I get with others while playing. This is one of the biggest reasons why I end up playing more video games over board games, because I can enjoy them myself without much fuss. So naturally, when I see popular and current board games getting brought over to digital versions, I’m intrigued, as it’s my chance to try out a board game I otherwise wouldn’t have even heard of. Having the digital versions also has helped me discover these games and go out to buy the physical versions to play at social gatherings too, so it definitely helps having a virtual board game as a “sampler,” per say. And as a fan of solitaire-style card games, Onirim certainly piqued my interest.
Visually, Onirim is gorgeous with the original painting-like artwork style, which is pulled directly from the Onirim base game. So if you’ve played the real game before, then you will recognize everything in an instant. The art looks hand-drawn and is beautiful to look at, even for newcomers, and the nightmares are somewhat mesmerizing and hypnotic. The color palette of Onirim features dark and gloomy colors that contrast nicely with the bright and vibrant colors of the colored cards themselves, so everything stands out as you play. Animations are fluid and smooth in the game, so there is no lag on my iPhone 7. The game also has a hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack that is a nice addition to a once physical-only board game and is also fun to listen to. The sound effects feature realistic card sounds, which just makes it feel even more realistic. Asmodee Digital has been doing a great job with their virtual board game releases, and Onirim is just another fantastic addition.
If you have played Onirim before, then you will be familiar with this game’s only mode, which is the base game in solitaire mode. Unfortunately, for die-hard Onirim fans, Asmodee Digital does not plan on adding expansions to this version of the game, so you are only going to have the base game solitaire mode available on your iOS device. However, the base solitaire version is great for quick-play sessions, so this does not bother me too much. For anyone who is a newbie to Onirim, the game is a unique take on solitaire. Players will be a Dreamwalker that is lost in a mysterious labyrinth, and the only way out of it is to discover the oneiric doors before the dream runs out — otherwise, you’re trapped forever.
With this in mind, the goal is simple: work against the game and find the eight doors before the deck runs out of cards. There are two doors for each color of card in the deck, and the ways to earn them are by playing three cards of the same color in a row, or discarding a key card in your hand when you draw a door card. However, there are also the devious Nightmare cards that are lurking in the deck as well, which trigger tough decisions when drawn (discard your hand, discard top five cards of the deck, discard a door or key card if available). The goal is to get all eight doors before you’re out of cards in the deck, which is much harder than it looks.
Controls in Onirim are simple and intuitive, though it does take a bit of time to get used to everything if you’re new. To play a card, just tap-and-drag it to the playing area, which is like a ribbon. After you have played enough cards, you can scroll through it horizontally if you want to see what you played. If you’re not able to play the card, it just goes back to your hand. Like solitaire, you can’t play a card if it has the same symbol (sun, moon, or key) as the last card you put in the stack. To discard an unnecessary card, just drag it to the discard pile in the bottom right corner. Any time a card is moved from your hand, you draw another card from the draw pile so you always have five cards ready. If you throw a key card away, you’ll be able to see the next five cards in the deck and rearrange them to a better order, as well as discard one (hopefully a nightmare). When you draw a Nightmare card, you’ll have to make a tough choice, and if you draw a door card, it will go into the “reshuffle” pile, you draw another card, and then anything in the reshuffle stack goes back into the deck. Everything in Onirim is automated, so it’s easy to learn the game even if you’re completely new to it.
For newcomers, the game does take a bit of getting used to, but once you understand the rules, it becomes rather addictive and hard to put down. And because of the intricate rules, there is quite a bit of strategy and depth to the game. There is also a statistics section that lets you know how you’re doing in the game since you’ve started, in case you’re wondering about your game records.
I’ve been playing Onirim over the weekend and have been thoroughly enjoying it, despite still not winning a game just yet (have come close though!). I love the beautiful visual style and music, and the fact that everything is mostly automatic makes it easy to see what’s happening and understand. It’s a bit disappointing that the developers don’t plan on adding the expansions to this version, or even adding more game modes in the future. But if you’re looking for a great solitaire game for quick sessions, then Onirim is a pretty good fit for the price of a dollar.
I recommend giving Onirim a try if you are a fan of the physical game or just enjoy solitaire-style card games in general. Onirim is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Slayaway Camp is the Horror Puzzle Game You’ve Always Wanted
April 07, 2017 by RSS Feed
Slayaway Camp ($2.99) by Blue Wizard Digital is a puzzle game with the theme of 80’s horror films. If you love the thrill of a good slasher movie but also have a thing for puzzles, then Slayaway Camp is the perfect mix of the two. The game is brought to you by some of the guys behind classics like Bejeweled and Peggle.
Back in the day, when PopCap still existed as a sole entity, I remember when Bejeweled and Peggle used to be great. However, ever since EA bought them, the quality of their recent releases has gone down, and the more recent versions of Bejeweled Stars, Peggle Blast, and even Plants vs. Zombies 2 became forgettable to me. However, I think it’s amazing that the original guys behind classic puzzle games Bejeweled and Peggle are still out there making games, and Slayaway Camp is the result of this. While I don’t consider myself a horror movie connoisseur, I still enjoy a good horror thriller every so often, especially around Halloween, but Slayaway Camp was too unique to turn down. Since Slayaway Camp comes from some great minds in the industry, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this game does not disappoint. It’s a mobile port of the Steam game (PC and Mac), which is also available for free on Kongregate (with ads).
Visually speaking, Slayaway Camp features blocky voxel graphics that are reminiscent of Minecraft and similar games. While some people may be tired of this type of art style, I still enjoy the 3-D pixelated look because it reminds me of the games that I grew up with, except it’s rendered in 3-D. Despite the jagged, blocky aesthetic, Slayaway Camp still packs in an incredible amount of detail, from the textures of the camp environment, to character appearances, to gory kill scenes, and even the lighting and VHS video effects. The color palette used in the game features dark and moody scenarios that are lit up with bright and vibrant colors of campfires and colorful characters that you’re out to get rid of as Skullface. Animations are buttery smooth and fluid in the game, so there was no lag issues on my iPhone 7. The game also has a synth-infused metal soundtrack that fits the mood of the game perfectly, and it’s rather fun to listen to as you play the role of a horror movie killer. The sound effects are akin to what you’d expect in a slasher film and a video store, and the voice acting (Mark Meer from Mass Effect and Derek Mears of Friday the 13th) is superb. For their first game as Blue Wizard Digital, Slayaway Camp features top-notch visual and audio design.
Since Slayaway Camp is still a puzzle game, it’s level-based like many others. However, it does things a bit differently. As Slayaway Camp is themed like 80’s horror movies, the level packs are split up into 11 movie videotapes, and each film features at least a dozen scenes that serve as the puzzles themselves. Every “movie” features a different costume for Skullface, and there are other killers that you can unlock later on as well. Once all of the scenes are completed, the movie is finished and goes on the shelf of the slasher horror collection, but you can replay levels as you desire. The goal of the game is pretty straightforward: kill all of the people in each scenario and then get to the portal to get out of there. While there aren’t any move restrictions on most stages, some do require you to complete them in a certain number of moves, which helps keep things interesting. And if the gratuitous amount of violence and gore is too much for you, then there is an option to turn it down to a PG level, rather than R.
Controls in Slayaway Camp are intuitive and responsive. To make your killer move around, just slide your finger in the direction you want him to go in. He will continue sliding until he hits an obstacle, such as a wall or fence, or even a person. You can also push objects over and crush others with them, such as large bookcases. With this in mind, players will have to plan their moves ahead of time because some scenes have tricky, intricate layouts that will take some skillful maneuvering to get around. We’re talking about six-feet deep holes, bonfires, and cops who are just waiting to bust you. But once you maneuver the killer to a person, you get an optional kill scene that’s pretty fun to watch. Murder scares other people who were adjacent to the victim, so you can use that to your advantage by having them run into holes, fire, or even into the water. If you make a mistake, you can always hit the “rewind” button to undo your last move (all the way back to the beginning if need be). There is also a restart button, and you can “fast forward” through a scene if you are stuck, but hints cost you some shiny gold coins.
Speaking of coins, after each scene will be a bonus opportunity kill. There will be a bar along the bottom of the screen with a section of it colored red. A marker will move horizontally along the bar and if you tap on the screen while it’s in the red zone, you’ll be awarded with another kill scene and bonus coins. The coins can be spent in the shop for “Gorepacks,” which are basically different ways that your killer will perform the kill scenes. Getting them all will take some time, as they’re all a bit pricey, but at least there’s plenty of chances to get some coins (and no in-app purchases). Another way to spend your coins is by getting the Mystery Box in the “Killers” section, which will get you a random playable killer that you can use. If you’re a horror movie buff, prepare to be delighted as there are some characters that are based on cult classics.
I’ve only just started Slayaway Camp so I’m still in the beginning movies, but man, this game is downright fun. While I’m not a huge horror movie fanatic, the game is still incredibly enjoyable. I love the graphics, the music is amazing, the dialogue for kill scenes is hilarious, the Gorepacks are fun to watch, and the puzzles themselves are challenging. The best thing about the game is the fact that there are no in-app purchases, so even though getting all killers and Gorepacks is expensive, it’s great that you can’t just buy your coins to get them before other people. It keeps players coming back for more gory horror movie fun while earning coins to get optional collectible content. And while I prefer to keep the game in R-mode, it’s nice that they included a less bloody PG-mode to keep even the squeamish satisfied.
I highly recommend Slayaway Camp if you’re a fan of horror and puzzles. You can find Slayaway Camp on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Follow Mid Atlantic Consulting
Subscribe Mid Atlantic Consulting
APP review today