Take Down the Overseer in Neon Chrome, a Dystopian Shooter
December 07, 2016 by macjeff
Neon Chrome ($4.99) by 10tons Ltd is an infinite dual-stick shooter with a dash of RPG elements thrown into the mix. If you liked other games like Space Marshals 2 and Implosion: Never Lose Hope, then Neon Chrome could be right up your alley.
When I feel a bit stressed, there’s nothing I like doing more than picking up a game and just going on a destructive rampage and eliminating all of the threats that stand in my way. For these stressful times in my life, I prefer picking up a dual-stick shooter of some kind where I can just unleash my rage and still be somewhat productive about it as I rack up points and get through tough levels. Another thing I love about video games lately are procedurally generated stages, so that it’s never the same experience twice. So when I heard about Neon Chrome a few weeks ago, I knew that it was a game that I had to check out for myself as something therapeutic for pent up frustrations. Needless to say, Neon Chrome does not disappoint, especially if you’re a fan of procedurally generated third-person shooter games.
Visually speaking, Neon Chrome is a gorgeous game. Everything is rendered in 3-D, but players see everything from a top-down perspective. The game takes place in a dystopian-like futuristic setting, so the randomly generated levels look like something you’ve seen from a sci-fi series or movie. Because of the somewhat gloomy tone of a dystopia, most of the world features darker colors, but the bright and vivid lights act as a nice contrast to it. Plus, things get pretty lit up once you start shooting things and even detonate explosives and see a big ball of fire on the screen, after all. Another cool thing about the game is the fact that the environment is completely destructible, so it just adds to the game’s overall dynamic. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 7 with no lag, and while the game is compatible as far back as the iPhone 5 and first-gen iPad mini, it is best to play on devices that have been released less than two years ago. The game also has an ambient techno-like soundtrack that is rather fitting for the overall theme, and the sound effects are just the icing on the cake.
In Neon Chrome, players will connect into the game world and then blast their way through a series of stages that are all randomly generated with each run. At the beginning of a game, players will get to choose one of three randomly generated characters, all of which have their own unique class (soldier, techie, psycho, hacker, etc.) and special abilities. It’s important to take a look at what each character can do, as some will reflect a better play style for you, but it also gives you the chance to experiment and try something new as well. Plus, sometimes you will need a specific class in order to interact with things in the game, such as Hacker for getting into the computer systems that you may come across. Once you have your character selected, you’ll be thrown into a futuristic dystopia world where your main objective is to make it through 31 levels to bring down the Overseer, and you do this again and again. Once you die or disconnect, you’ll be returned to the main room where you get hooked up into the machine, and you can start another round. Each run you do is procedurally generated, so it will never be the same thing, which means the replay value of Neon Chrome is high.
The controls in Neon Chrome are fairly simple to understand, especially if you have played dual-stick shooters before. The bottom left corner has the virtual joystick for moving your character around on the screen. The bottom right area has another large joystick button for aiming your character and a button in the middle to shoot your ranged weapon. Auto-aim is on by default, but you can turn it off if you prefer. A smaller button above this virtual joystick lets you interact with the environment and objects, or you can also use it to perform a melee attack. Another small button to the left of the aiming joystick lets you use your character’s special ability, which requires energy to use, though the energy cells can be found by looting crates or just scattered around along with gold currency. The money can be spent on unlocking powerful upgrades, enhancements, and weapons for your characters. If you prefer physical controls for these type of games, Neon Chrome also has full MFi controller support.
As you make your way through the stages to find the portal that takes you to the next level, you will find various things in the environment that you can interact with. This includes various cybernetic pods that you can use to gain one perk from four random ones. You can tap on each one to read what it does before making a selection, but since you can’t change your mind after, it’s important to read the fine print for each and find the one that fits your play style the best.
I’ve only just started playing Neon Chrome, but I can see this as a title I return to often for my mobile gaming sessions. The game looks beautiful and the music is captivating and immersive. Controls work out well, and having the option for MFi controllers is a nice bonus if you have one laying around somewhere. I also truly love procedurally generated games because it keeps everything fresh, and that’s just what you get with Neon Chrome — it’s always a new experience each time you start a game so it’s never boring. Plus, the AI can get pretty smart so it’s rather challenging. On top of it all, the upgrade system is fun and offers a lot of customization, so you can play the game how you want to. Once you start Neon Chrome, you’ll find that it’s hard to put down.
I highly recommend giving Neon Chrome a try if you love procedurally generated infinite dual-stick shooter games. You can find Neon Chrome on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone and iPad for just $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is One Sweet Platformer
December 06, 2016 by macjeff
Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire ($2.99) by Play Pretend LLC is a challenging platformer that serves as a fantastic tribute to the classics. If you enjoy tough-as-nails games and love a test of your platforming skills, then Le Parker is one that you must check out. If you liked games like VVVVVV and RunGunJumpGun, then you will love what Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire brings to the genre.
As a ‘90s kid, I pretty much grew up with the classic platformers that everyone knows nowadays. This includes the Super Mario Bros. games and even Sonic the Hedgehog, which was a personal favorite. Even though I wasn’t the fastest at completing stages, I still thoroughly enjoyed platformer games because of the challenges that they usually bring when it comes to complex levels and epic boss fights. It took me several tries to complete a stage, but I always had fun doing it when it eventually happens. I’ve always had a soft spot for platformers since a kid, so naturally I’m inclined to try out any new platformer game on iOS when it comes up, even though the controls can be rather tricky to get right with touch screens (the Mikey Shorts games are the only ones that have nailed it). When I saw Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire on the App Store, I was intrigued, mostly because of my affinity for all sweet things (literally) and the awesome art style. Needless to say, I was not disappointed with this one.
Visually, Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is stunning and beautiful. The game features a retro aesthetic that makes you feel right at home if you grew up with the classic consoles back in the day. While it’s a pixelated art style, Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire still packs in an incredible amount of detail, from the serene backdrops to textured environments in the foreground to the delectable macarons that you’ll want to collect, and all of the character sprites, including Le Parker himself and the various critters that you’ll come across, are rendered nicely and bubbling with charm. The game consists of a fantastically rich color palette that ranges from soft pastels to bolder and vibrant hues, and there are some nice lighting effects, including day and night times, that make the game appear to be like a dreamscape. Animations are buttery smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 7, and the completely original soundtrack is rather atmospheric and soothing, fully pulling you into Le Parker’s world. Sound effects are also delightful to listen to as you collect sweet treats and stomp enemies.
However, the only thing that bothers me is the fact that the game overrides any other audio you have in the background. Hopefully the developer can change that in the future. Otherwise, Play Pretend has knocked it out of the park in terms of visuals and audio.
Like many platformer games, Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is split up into various worlds that have a unique setting, and each chapter features eight levels, with the final stage being an epic boss battle. The game holds up to three save files at once, so multiple people can play the game on a single device if needed.
The story of the game goes like this: Le Parker is a sous chef who can craft the lightest meringue of them all, which is so light that it literally floats. However, the recipe is with the Princess, but the King and his men have raided the chambers of the Princess and stolen the recipe, using the power of the meringue for evil and banishes Parker from the kingdom. The objective in the game is to help guide Parker on a quest to rescue the Princess, gather up all of his necessary culinary utensils, and then defeat the King once and for all. Each stage has a storage unit at the end to signify the goal, but getting there is the hard part — there will be numerous enemies that will try to stop you, and there are also plenty of environmental obstacles that you’ll want to avoid if you want to complete the objective.
On top of the main goal, there are secondary objectives for every level as well: Time Attack (finish as fast as possible), Macaron Collection (get them all), and Secret Kitchen Utensils that are scattered about and it’s up to you to find them. These add a nice layer of replay value to the game if you are a completionist. Each game starts you off with three lives, and you lose a life if you get hit or fall. You can earn extra lives for every 100 macarons you collect, so make sure to grab those sweet French cookies when you see them!
Controls in Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire are simple and intuitive, though the positioning could be a bit better. In the bottom left will be directional buttons for moving left and right, and then there is an “A” button in the bottom right for making Parker jump. You can do a light tap for a hop, hold down the button for a longer jump, and tap it twice for a double jump. While the controls do work alright for the most part, I did find that sometimes my thumb would be slightly off on the directional buttons so I wouldn’t move as I intended to. There is an option to turn off the visibility of the buttons though, which may work better if you’re a bit finicky about the positioning like I am. Fortunately, though, the game has full support for MFi controllers, so if you have one of those around, you can use it with Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire for the optimal platformer experience.
I’ve played a ton of platformers on iOS during my time here at AppAdvice, but Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is one of the better ones I’ve found. The game is absolutely gorgeous with dreamy landscapes and endearing character models, plus the music and sounds are fun to listen to. The controls work well enough, and the game is fairly challenging, even for seasoned platformer veterans. Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is definitely one of the better games I’ve picked up on iOS this year.
I highly recommend giving Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire a try if you are in the mood for a sweet and challenging platformer treat. Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Unleash Your Inner Train Conductor in Conduct THIS!
December 05, 2016 by macjeff
Conduct THIS! (Free) by Northplay is a new action puzzle game that is all about conducting and managing a train system so that there are as few accidents as possible, hopefully. If you enjoyed games like Mini Metro, then you will love Conduct THIS! as well. It is from the same guys behind Robocat, who have now launched a new independent game studio.
While most of my time these days is spent on either my PlayStation 4 or 3DS for games, every now and then I like to take a break and just unwind with a mobile game before bed. And when it comes to mobile games, my favorite genre are puzzles, of course, and while most puzzles are relaxing, sometimes you just need a bit of explosive action to shake things up a bit. I’ve grown a fondness of trains over the past decade since I began to take the trains and subways more here in Los Angeles, so Mini Metro was a perfect fit for me, and now Northplay has released another puzzle game about trains so I knew I had to have it. Fortunately, it does not disappoint.
In terms of visuals, Northplay has hit it out of the park. The game features stunning, brightly colored low-poly 3-D worlds that are definite eye candy. Players get an angled top-down view that provides a nice birds-eye view of everything that is happening on the map, so it’s not hard to see upcoming obstacles that you have to avoid while playing. And while the game itself is in low-poly graphical style, there are still plenty of fine details that you can spot in the map layouts themselves, such as textures, objects, and lighting effects that give everything a bit of extra oomph. The animations are buttery smooth so I experienced zero lag on my iPhone 7, and the music itself (composed by Simon Kölle) is rather charming and delightful. Sound effects are fairly realistic, and the haptic feedback on newer devices gives you a nice surprise when you make a tiny mistake that you didn’t even see. Overall, Northplay did an excellent job with how Conduct THIS! looks, feels, and sounds.
As with many other puzzle games out there, Conduct THIS! is level-based with seven different areas that have a handful of stages for players to conduct their train business on. The main objective in each stage is to get all of the passengers at each station to their destination safely and earn coins doing so, but there is a time limit on each stage that you must race against as well, which makes everything a bit more hectic and stressful. And on top of that, you’ll have to be aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes peeled on other vehicles on the road that intersect with the train tracks, more incoming trains on the tracks, control switches, and plenty of other realistic hazards. So while the game sounds easy at first, when more dangers are thrown at you, things can get a bit more challenging and insane. Depending on your performance (the more efficient you are the better), up to three stars can be earned on each stage.
Controls in Conduct THIS! are simple enough. Each stage starts out automated in terms of train movement along the tracks. However, you can stop a train by tapping on it, and another tap will start it up again. This is important to master because you’ll have to do a lot of stopping of trains to avoid crashing into one another or even other vehicles that are crossing the tracks, since you can’t stop them. When there are things that you can interact with, such as the control switches, just tap on them to activate. It’s fairly simple to learn, but mastering the timing of your taps is everything. Even the smallest mistake can cost you, but the reward is a fun, satisfying explosive crash to witness, and you can share your crash on Twitter for the laughs.
As you play, you’ll collect more coins from efficient conducting. The coins can be used to gain access to nearby regions for more levels to play. Eventually, you’ll also be able to unlock more trains for your company, including real life train models such as the French TGV and even Japanese Shinkansen. To access the trains you have, just visit your HQ from the main menu, and then choose the train that you want to use.
Since Conduct THIS! is a free download, there are ads that will pop up every now and then, though they are relatively short and not that bad. However, if you prefer to get rid of them completely, there is an in-app purchase of $4.99 to remove all ads. And if you’re impatient, you can also unlock all levels and trains for $9.99.
As a fan of trains in general and puzzle games with some action, I’m enjoying Conduct THIS! a lot so far, even though it can be rather challenging and unforgiving with the smallest mistakes in your management. The low-poly visuals are gorgeous, the music is incredibly well done, and the puzzles themselves are clever and challenging. For Northplay’s first indie game release, they’ve done an outstanding job.
I highly recommend checking out Conduct THIS! if you’re a fan of fun and stimulating puzzle games that throw in some awesome explosive crashes into the mix. You can find Conduct THIS! on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free with occasional ads. There is an in-app purchase to remove ads or unlock all stages and trains for $4.99 and $9.99, respectively.
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It’s Always Partly Sunny in This Gorgeous Weather App
December 02, 2016 by macjeff
Partly Sunny - Weather Forecasts ($2.99) by Joseph Hribar is a simple and clean weather app that is powered by Dark Sky. If you’ve been in the market for a quick but effective weather app to help you keep track of the forecast, then Partly Sunny is definitely one you should consider. It joins the ranks of other fine weather apps on iOS, including CARROT Weather and Weather Underground.
Even though the most effective way to check the weather is to take a glance out the window or take a step outside, I consider myself a weather nerd and prefer to see all of the data available on a computer or mobile device. Over the years, I’ve gone through several different weather apps on my iPhone, but lately I’ve been using CARROT Weather over one of my old favorites, BeWeather 2, because the latter became a bit broken the last few times I checked. While I’ve become mostly content with the weather apps I’ve been using, I couldn’t help but check out Partly Sunny once I stumbled upon it on the App Store, because what can I say? I love minimalism, and Partly Sunny serves it up beautifully.
If you are looking for minimalism in your weather app, then Partly Sunny will satisfy your cravings. The interface is fairly barebones, as the main view is just a list composed of alternating cells that contain the main weather information that you need to know at-a-glance with a gorgeous typeface. And since the cells alternate hues, it’s easy to tell them apart even if you’re not looking closely. There are easily recognizable icons used to represent the various weather conditions that you’ll come across so you don’t even need to check all of the finer details if you don’t want to, and even more detailed views are available with just a tap. I found Partly Sunny to be incredibly fast at refreshing weather data, and it’s responsive to touch so there’s no lag when switching between different views on my iPhone 7. While it may lack power features like radar and an Apple Watch companion app, I don’t mind because the clean interface makes it easy to get the forecast in a glance.
When you launch the app for the first time, it will ask you for your permission to use your current location, of course. It will also have some other locations already added for you, but you can edit the list and remove them if you want to. To add new locations, just tap on the button in the upper right corner — users can add up to nine locations, and you can rearrange the order that they appear in by the drag-and-drop method. Another nice thing about Partly Sunny is that you can fine-tune each individual location by tapping on the “i” button, and then panning the map around to pinpoint the specific location you want weather data for. Plus, you can even rename the location if you want to be specific, such as “Home” or “Work.” Once you have all of your necessary locations added to the app, all of the basic details (current temperature, high/low for the day, and precipitation chance) will show up on the main screen, and it refreshes constantly so you’ll always have the most up-to-date info from Dark Sky.
While you should be able to get most of your necessary information from the main screen, if you want to drill down to more forecast details for a specific location, just tap on the one you want to view. In this view, you’ll be able to get all info, including what was on the main screen, along with sunrise and sunset time, feels like temperature, wind, humidity, cloud cover, and visibility. There is also an hourly forecast that you can scroll through, and a one week forecast if you pull the screen upwards. For easier navigation, you can scroll horizontally (not in the hourly forecast) to switch between locations without having to go back to the main view. You can also tap on a specific day for even more forecast information. If there are any weather alerts for your area, you can view them by tapping on the three vertical line button in the top right corner. For allergy info, tap on the flower button in the bottom left corner. You can also get quick access to the NOAA site for the location you’re on by tapping the button in the bottom right corner.
Even though the default settings should work fine for most people, if you need to tinker around with options, just tap on the button in the top left corner of the main view. The options let you choose Imperial or metric units for temperature, measurements, and wind. There is also a dark theme available if you don’t like the bright white, and you can choose what data is shown in the hourly graph. The app’s Today View widget is also quite handy.
As mentioned several times, Partly Sunny is powered by Dark Sky. So you may be wondering why one would use Partly Sunny over Dark Sky. The answer is simple: Partly Sunny offers the information you need in a more concise and flexible way, whereas Dark Sky needs you to dig through various screens to get the information you want. When you use both side-by-side, it’s clear that Partly Sunny is much more intuitive to use.
I’ve only used Partly Sunny for the past day or so, but so far I think I have found a nice replacement for my weather app needs. I am in love with the minimalistic design of Partly Sunny, and it’s super fast and responsive with up-to-date information from Dark Sky. It’s intuitive to use and being able to do things like fine-tune the exact location is pretty nice, and it’s just jam packed with the data that matters to me. The only thing I’m missing is radar, but since it hardly rains where I live, it’s not a deal breaker. Plus, I have other apps for radar if I need it.
I highly recommend giving Partly Sunny a try if you are in search of a new and simple weather app for your forecast needs. You can find Partly Sunny on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99.
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Puzzle Platformer Sally’s Law Brings a Series of Fortunate Events
December 01, 2016 by macjeff
Sally's Law ($0.99) by Nanali is a roll-and-jump style puzzle platformer that tells a heartfelt story between a girl and her critically ill father. If you don’t mind a bit of “the feels” and enjoyed other touching games like Stay, Mum, then Sally’s Law is definitely one that you need to add to the “feels” collection.
When I was a child, I had my classic consoles like the NES and Sega Genesis on-hand, and I remember having mostly platformer games on them to play when I had the opportunity to. Because I grew up with them, I have a definite soft spot in my heart for platformers of any kind, and I also love a good story, so when I saw Sally’s Law on the App Store a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. I also like the use of play on words, so when I read that Sally’s Law is essentially the opposite of Murphy’s law, I had to give it a chance, considering some of the good luck I’ve had recently myself. Needless to say, I was not disappointed with this purchase.
Visually, Sally’s Law is beautiful. The game features a somewhat minimalist aesthetic due to the flatness of the graphics and everything consisting of basic shapes, but there’s much more to the game than that. There are intricate backdrops that are gorgeous to look at, and the stage layout in the foreground is stunning as well, thanks to the fine details like environmental textures and shadows and highlights from the lighting effects. The characters of Sally and her father are adorable as well, as they are round and charming. Animations in Sally’s Law are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 7, and everything is fairly responsive as well. The game also has a soothing, ambient soundtrack that sets the overall tone for the game, which is a bit sad, but that’s to be expected from a story involving illness in the family. In the end, Nanali did a superb job with the graphics and audio in this touching tale.
Like many traditional puzzle platformers, the game is level-based, and you must go through each stage one-by-one due to the linear story. There are five chapters for players to get through, and they each have six stages. However, each stage consists of two parts: the first is you guiding Sally herself through various settings to get back to her childhood home to see her ill father, and then immediately after you play the role of her father’s spirit, who is acting like a guardian angel and helping her get where she needs to be without running into any obstacles. The first part with Sally is fairly easy and straightforward, but the second part is more like a flashback and a race of sorts, since you must make sure that you get ahead of Sally in order to make sure that nothing stops her from getting to her destination. If Sally ends up stopping along her path, then you’ll have to try again. The objective for each stage is laid out in front of you — just get to the end safely and move on to the next area.
The controls in Sally’s Law are simple and intuitive. When you are Sally, she will roll forward automatically, so all you have to worry about is tapping to make her jump and get where she needs to be. During the times you play as her father’s spirit, you will touch the bottom left or right side of the screen to make him roll left or right. He is unable to jump, unless he collides with Sally. The key part of being Sally’s father is to make sure you’re ahead so you can collect the keys that are required to open doors or even get rid of dangerous spikes in Sally’s path. If you need to fast forward Sally’s movement so that it doesn’t take as long (and you’ve already done what you need to do as her father), then you can long-press the fast-forward button in the top right corner, or use 3D Touch if you have a device that is capable of it (though iTunes reviews say that this may not be working as well as it should). While there are no time limits imposed on the stages, it’s important to keep up with Sally’s pace when you controlled her movement. Remember, if Sally ends up getting blocked in the second part of the stage, then you’ll have to restart that part.
For those who are completionists and love to find hidden collectibles in games, Sally’s Law has hidden memorial photos that are scattered about each stage, but you’ll only be able to find them when you are controlling the father’s spirit. Once you collect enough photos, you’ll be able to view the album from the game menu. Additionally, the game does have an in-app purchase of $0.99 for three character skins, which are pretty cute but don’t change the gameplay at all.
As a fan of puzzle platformers in general, I’m loving Sally’s Law so far, even though I’m still early on in the game. I am in love with the cute graphics that are bursting with charm and personality, and the music is top-notch. The game mechanics are relatively simple but it’s still challenging, and the controls are intuitive and responsive, which is nice. The storytelling is fantastic as well, since it is revealed in both parts and you get the perspective of both Sally and her father. If this game doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, well then nothing will.
I highly recommend checking out Sally’s Law if you love an endearing puzzle platformer with a heartfelt story. You can find Sally’s Law on the App Store as a universal download for the iPhone and iPad for just $0.99 for a limited time. There are in-app purchases for costume skins.
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