"If there is an app for that"

Selfie Request Is Social Networking in 99 Seconds or Less

July 22, 2016 by macjeff

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

To say that we live in a fast-paced and ever-changing world is quite an understatement. We spend so much time dwelling on the past and worrying about the future that it makes it difficult to focus on the present moment.

Selfie Request is lots of fun to use and makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family through selfies and brief text messages.

Concept and Functionality:

Getting started with Selfie Request, an iPhone app by MediaOne International, LLC, is pretty simple.

You have the option of signing up with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or email address. It’s worth noting that you also have to provide a phone number in order to receive a confirmation text so you can create your account.

The idea behind Selfie Request is to send and receive requests on the fly. The app is designed to require a maximum of 99 seconds for you to respond to a request with a photo and a brief text message that describes what you’re doing.

The goal is to keep your friends updated without worrying about composing the perfect photo, and Selfie Request gets the job done making it easy to connect with friends and family.

While I really like the idea behind Selfie Request, I had a hard time justifying the use of the app over other apps like iMessage and Snapchat. The limited response time is neat but you probably won’t always be able to send a response because you’re busy doing something else.

Features:

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Selfie Request is off to a good start when it comes to being a social networking photo app, but there are quite a few important features that seem to be missing.

For example, even though you create a username, it seems like the app can only connect with people in your iPhone address book. This makes it incredibly complicated for people like me who don’t want to give apps permission to import contacts data. I think it would be much better if we could connect with each other via username.

If you’re concerned about privacy, the developers of Selfie Request state that once a selfie is viewed by a user and subsequently closed, the image is deleted forever.

Naturally this can be circumvented with screenshots and so on, so you definitely don’t want to send anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see.

Value:

Selfie Request is available to download from the App Store for free and is designed for iPhone.

Users don’t have to worry about in-app purchases, which is definitely good news, although I would really like to see expanded contact options like adding people by phone number or username.

Overall, Selfie Request is a great app for living in the now and letting your friends know you’re thinking about them.

Selfie Request requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Be an Elite Mercenary and Take Out the Beasts in Dead Shell

July 21, 2016 by macjeff

Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG ($2.99) by HeroCraft Ltd. is a challenging labyrinth dungeon crawler that will keep you busy for a long time thanks to completely random procedurally generated dungeons. If you enjoy dark sci-fi themes and like a challenging RPG with some roguelike elements, then look no further than Dead Shell.

As an avid gamer mostly since my high school days, I found that one of my favorite genres of games were RPGs. I loved in-depth storylines, character development, and surprising plot twists. But as I grew older, I started to realize that lack of time with a busy schedule contributed to dwindling interest in most RPGs, though I still pick up a few that I’m really interested in. But then roguelikes became a popular thing several years ago, and once I discovered them, I was hooked. These let me sate my RPG craving without requiring hours and hours of my life poured into them, and yet I was still having a ton of fun. They’re perfect for pint-sized gaming sessions, and that’s why I had to check out Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG when I saw it hit the App Store.

In terms of visuals, Dead Shell is a great blast from the past. I grew up with all of those pixelated 8-bit and 16-bit games, so I’m loving the art style of Dead Shell, even though it doesn’t quite match up with the game’s non-pixelated icon. Despite the style, I found all of the character models used in the game to be highly detailed and distinctive enough from each other that you can easily tell what everything is, rather than get confused by similar-looking monsters. The varying environments of this post-apocalyptic world are filled with great detail and textures, and the bright colors of various machinery, items, and other objects contrast nicely with the dark and gloomy setting. Animations are fairly smooth and fluid, and there is a captivating, atmospheric soundtrack and the game is complete with chiptune sound effects. In terms of the visual and audio department, I say HeroCraft has a winner.

Dead Shell features a post-apocalyptic environment that becomes the battlegrounds of a group of assault mercenaries and hellish beasts. The main objective is to help get the mercenaries to Plutonia, which is a human settlement on a Doom–4 class planet, though it has been a week since the mercenaries last heard anything from them. This means that the game is level-based, but it will never be the same experience for two players because of the procedural nature of stage generation.

Before you start a level, the game will always give you a random location to navigate, and there’s a slot system to determine the enemies that you’ll be facing off against. Though the random rolling is part of the fun, sometimes it means enemies that are too tough for your current level, so there is an option to re-roll for 10 credits, which are found in abundance as you play. Even if you don’t die during a dungeon run, you’ll go through the random level generator each time before moving on. If you do die, you can just pick up on the last stage that you reached.

The controls in Dead Shell are easy enough for anyone to pick up. In fact, it even reminds me a bit of the Dungelot games, which isn’t a bad thing, though it’s not exactly the same Minesweeper-like gameplay. Each randomly generated dungeon level will feature rooms for you to “explore.” You’ll find enemies, remaining corpses, and even crates or ammo stops scattered throughout, and you can just use your finger to pan the level around so you can see more. However, the exit for that level will be hidden, and the only way to progress to find it for completion is to attack enemies. To do this, just tap on the enemy you want to fight — the number on the monster’s sprite shows you how many you’ll be fighting at once. You can also tap on the squares with items to collect them, and corpses and crates hold useful items, so tap on them to gather those up as well.

During the combat sequences, you’ll see the enemies displayed in bars in the top part of the screen, while you see your character’s avatar, health, and weapon in the bottom portion. To attack a foe, just tap on their bar — each time you attack, they will be able to attack you too. Icons on enemy bars also indicate what they’re capable of as well, such as poison from spiders, high defense, ability to freeze you, and more. If your ranged weapon is out of ammo, but you found some ammo packs along the way, just tap on the gun to refill it. Otherwise, you’ll switch your a standard knife mêlée attack, which works okay, but does much less damage, resulting in you taking more damage too. When the box surrounding your mercenary is filled with orange, you can tap on it to use a special ability, and then refill the gauge by killing more monsters.

After each successful battle encounter, you have the opportunity to receive loot afterwards, which include items like health refills, ammo, and more credits. Completing the level nets you one reward, which you can choose after you pick a randomized card. To keep things even more interesting, the game has quests for you to complete, such as “Kill 20 monsters,” which net you rewards upon completion.

The prizes usually include a loot box, along with some small items that you can use for the next level, but it’s important to strive for the box when trying to choose a reward. This is because the boxes contain cards of new mercenaries for your team, as well as brand new weapons for your arsenal. And the credits you find can also be used to upgrade your mercenaries, such as increasing their health or damage, and even finding more items in the dungeons. It’s important to upgrade your mercenary friends, because each one has their own unique talents and traits.

I only downloaded Dead Shell this morning and gave it a spin for a while, but so far I’m enjoying it. I’m always a fan of the pixel art style, and the music is rather fun and catchy. Personally, I like the fact that the game is a roguelike RPG but is level-based with an always-different dungeon for each stage, but doesn’t force you to start over from the very beginning if you die. Sometimes that part of roguelikes gets frustrating, so I think Dead Shell is a bit more lenient on that aspect, making it a bit more friendly for everyone in terms of gameplay. It’s also great that you see the progress for all of your mercenaries as you upgrade them, so all of the time and credits spent is not a complete waste. The only improvement the game could use is a more clear-cut explanation of how some game elements work, like items, because you kind of just get thrown into the action. Perhaps this can be amended in a future update.

I recommend giving Dead Shell a try if you enjoy the genre and want something that is not so punishing. You can find Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG 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

Find Your Quell Zen in This Gorgeous Maze Puzzle Game

July 19, 2016 by macjeff

Quell Zen ($3.99) by Fallen Tree Games Ltd is the latest in the relaxing Quell series of puzzle games. When you’ve just had a long day and want to kick back with a soothing game, then you should look no further than Quell Zen. It’s a must-have if you’re a fan of the previous games, Quell Reflect and Quell Memento, and even their other puzzle game, Swapperoo.

I’ve been playing video games for most of my life, but there’s a bit of a difference in the type of game I go for most of the time when it comes to mobile: puzzles. I’m not sure why, but puzzle games are definitely my favorite when I feel like spending some spare time on games on my iPhone 6s Plus. They’re stimulating so my brain gets a nice workout, and most of them are rather relaxing. I’ve been a fan of the Quell games for a long time now, ever since I discovered Quell Reflect back in 2012, and I had no idea at the time that it would be an ongoing series of puzzle games. Fortunately that seems to be the case, and they’ve only gotten better as time goes by. If you’re like me and like zen-like puzzle games like Quell Reflect and Quell Memento, then you’re definitely in for a treat with Quell Zen.

Visually, Quell Zen is a delicious treat for the eyes. It’s incredibly well polished, like the other Quell games, but this one even adds some more nice finishing touches, like the whole Japanese zen garden theme. The puzzles themselves take place on a 2-D layout, but as you’re going through the level select screen, it has a nice pseudo 3-D feel to it that makes you feel like you’re there. The colors are a nice mix of soft and rich, and players can definitely tell that the developers made sure all of the textures and environments were rife with small details. Animations and reflections in Quell Zen are beautifully smooth and fluid, and the ambient, atmospheric soundtrack is a delight to listen to. Quell Zen is just the perfect visual and audible treat after you’re done with the day.

As with the previous games, Quell Zen features different chapters, though you have to go through them in chronological order. The chapters have four sections each, and then you have four levels for that section. Once the four stages are complete, you can move on to the next section, and when all sections are done, then you’re able to move on to the next chapter. Quell Zen, like its predecessors, has a story behind all of the puzzles, and you’ll find out what it’s trying to tell you as you are introduced to new mechanics and elements along the way. The game starts out relatively simple enough, but things get trickier and more challenging as you make progress. But even when the difficulty gets ramped up, it’s still a relaxing experience overall, so you won’t get overwhelmed with frustration.

Controls in Quell Zen are straightforward and intuitive. Since it’s a maze puzzle game, the objective is to guide the raindrops through the maze layout safely while collecting all of the shiny metallic orbs and uncovering the narrative of a Japanese family. To do this, all you have to do is swipe your finger in the direction you want the raindrop to slide over to. The raindrops will continue sliding until it hits a wall or obstacle. Sometimes there are openings in the walls, but don’t worry — your raindrop just goes to the other side of the maze when they slide through the wall opening. If there are multiple raindrops, you’ll have to slide your finger on top of the one you want to move. New mechanics are introduced as you go, such as spikes, portal rings, lasers, and more, which means a gradual difficulty spike and new challenges that await you.

As you play, there is a number in top left corner: this is the number of moves required to solve the puzzle. If you go over, then that means you made a mistake somewhere. However, you are not penalized if you don’t get a perfect on each stage, and you can always go back and replay it again until you get it since there’s no time limit. But if you do get a perfect, it means you’re awarded more coins and solution keys. The coins and keys are used to unlock chapters early if you’re feeling stuck and can’t move forward, though a lot of the puzzles can be solved by trial-and-error.

However, the game is not as straightforward as you may think. While you’ll see the obvious obstacles, orbs, and levels, there are many secrets that you must discover for yourself in the game. These include hidden gems somewhere on each level (breakable wall blocks) and even hidden levels to find and play. I’m still early in the game so I haven’t found hidden stages, but it is great motivation to keep one searching and playing.

One thing I’m not too fond about is the fact that Quell Zen is a premium game that costs $3.99 up-front, yet it still includes in-app purchases. Granted, all of the IAPs are completely optional and not required at all to play (unless you’re impatient), but I still don’t like the business practice of premium games having IAPs in general. Just something worth noting, despite not affecting gameplay itself at all.

I’ve been playing Quell Zen this morning (while waiting for Pokémon Go servers to get back up) and have found the game to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. I love the stunning graphics, the music and sounds are soothing, and the controls are simple enough to play anywhere. The puzzles themselves are challenging and I love the fact that there are many secrets to discover, which extends the longevity of the game. Quell Zen is a great addition to the Quell series, and hopefully it continues for a long time to come.

I highly recommend getting Quell Zen if you’re a fan of maze puzzle games, or just enjoyed the previous game releases from the developer (Quell Reflect, Quell Memento, and Swapperoo). Quell Zen is available on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $3.99. There are optional in-app purchases for coins, keys, and a jewel detector.

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

Test Your Reflexes as You Spin Around and Around in Polyforge

July 18, 2016 by macjeff

Polyforge (Free) by ImpactBlue Studios Pty Ltd is an endless zen puzzler that will take you through a journey of various colors, sounds, and shapes. If you enjoy zen-like games with a dash of reflex skill testing, such as Alto’s Adventure or even Super Hexagon, then you’ll get a kick out of Polyforge.

While the world seems to be encapsulated with the entire Pokémon Go craze at the moment, let’s not forget that there are plenty of other (smaller) mobile games that you can check out while you’re in-between Pokémon hunts. I’ll admit that even though I’ve spent the entire weekend playing Pokémon Go, I am still always on the lookout for other exciting new games that don’t require me to get outside to enjoy fully. And these types of games include quick-play arcade-like puzzles, which can be played and enjoyed in just mere minutes-at-a-time, making them the perfect entertainment as you wait around in line somewhere. Polyforge fits this bill well, and it’s a rather enjoyable experience too.

Visually, Polyforge is beautiful, and definitely makes you think of zen while you play. The game features a minimalistic aesthetic with what reminds me of lo-poly graphics that just get more complicated as you progress in the game. The color palettes in the game vary greatly, as you’ll find soft pastels to rich and vibrant hues, but they all come together and meld into stunning gradients that are pleasing to the eye. The shapes themselves are rendered in 3-D and are intricate with their highlight and shadow detail, striking each side with the arrow causes the shape to end up with a pretty glow, and animations are as smooth as butter. Polyforge also has an atmospheric and soothing soundtrack that is delightful to listen to, so I would recommend playing this with your favorite earbuds or headphones. You’ll be whisked away to a state of zen after a long day.

While Polyforge is based on levels that you have to clear before moving on to the next one, the game does not have a point system as you’d expect. Instead, the objective is to reach the highest level that you can, and the leaderboards reflect that with the “Top Levels” board. The thing is, if you fail on a level, you don’t have to start over from the first level, you just have to try the current level you’ve reached again until you can pass it. If you don’t want to play the standard mode, there is also an Endless option as well, which has its own set of leaderboards to go along with it.

Regardless, the goal of each mode is the same: forge new shapes by striking the side of the current shape once — don’t strike it twice. In the regular mode, the game ends if you hit a side twice, so you’ll have to try that level again. In Endless, the shape gets smaller with each mistake, but it can grow larger again (making it easier to hit the sides) if you can get a good streak going. Once the shape is too small and disappears, Endless mode ends and your score is how many total sides you managed to strike properly.

The controls in Polyforge are simple and easy enough to be played with just one hand. The shape in the center will be spinning counterclockwise, and a small triangle will be orbiting around the shape in a clockwise fashion. To strike a side with the triangle, just tap on the screen at the right moment. If you hit a side twice, you’ll get a noticeable quick red glow on that side, and the shape will shake. And the game ends if you’re in the regular mode, or the shape gets smaller each time you hit a side twice, until it disappears and Endless mode stops. If you’re able to rack up a nice combo in the Endless mode, the shape gets larger, making things slightly easier. While the objective and controls of the game are easy to pick up, it can be challenging as you get further along, since the speed of the triangle and shape increases each time. You’ll have to be careful with your timing, because even one second makes all the difference here.

I’ve only spent a little time with Polyforge so far, but I’m finding the game to be a great little time-waster. The graphics are simple and clean, the music is delightful, and the controls are intuitive enough to just require one hand to play. The gameplay itself is rather straightforward but challenging since things move faster and require better reflexes for you to succeed, but hey, who doesn’t like to challenge themselves, right? It’s much more rewarding once you finally get past that point you were stuck at for the longest time, after all. I think the only improvement that could make the game better is another mode where your score is determined by how fast you’re able to complete a shape, or something along those lines. The game is also a free download so there will be ads, but you can remove them with an in-app purchase if they bother you.

I recommend giving Polyforge a try if you’re interested in adding another infinite zen puzzle game that will test how good your reflexes are. Polyforge is available on the App Store as a universal download for free with an optional in-app purchase to remove ads.

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

Build Your Memory Skills with MemPal

July 18, 2016 by macjeff

Reviewed by Marilyn Chau

MemPal is a fun free memory challenge game that’s hard to put down.

With in-app customizable options, this app takes a simple memory game concept to a much more fun and personalizable level.

Features:

MemPal, by Dynetix Design Solutions Inc, has features that are easily summed up in its name. Specifically, this app is designed to be a fun memory challenge, similar to a game you might play with a friend.

In this case, however, your “pal” is this little app; fortunately for those who might not have photographic memories, MemPal is a nice friend and starts out with really simple memory challenges.

At first, these challenges are actually so simple that some players might lose their interest in the app.

For those who decide to push through, the farther you get into MemPal the more intense, exciting, and fun the memory challenges become.

The overall concept of the game, however, remains the same so there isn’t any new technique you have to learn to stay successful at higher levels, which is really appreciated.

Some extra complicated memory challenges can be purchased through in-app purchases if desired as well. If you like a good memory challenge, do not overlook these.

Players who want to personalize their MemPal experience can do so by making in-app purchases to add their own photos into the app. The app even includes an option to create your own MemPal-playing playlist while you work through the app’s puzzles.

Appearance and Layout:

MemPal iPhone App

“Simple” would probably be the best way to describe MemPal’s graphics.

While this simplicity is part of what makes the game so fun, it would be appreciated if the graphics/layout of the app were a little more impressive.

I appreciated the easy-to-navigate interface of MemPal, but at the same time I think more work could have been done to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

The memory icons themselves within the app are actually impressively detailed, however; if you aren’t succeeding at MemPal, you certainly don’t have the graphics to blame at all!

Value:

MemPal is a fun app. It’s easy to get the hang of, and the levels all build up gradually enough to challenge you but not overwhelm you.

The concept of MemPal is similar to many other memory-challenge apps, but  the level of personalization via the in-app purchases is definitely greater.

While some consumers probably won’t have any interest in these purchases, those who are won’t be disappointed.

As a whole, MemPal is a well-designed, easy to understand app that can definitely help you workout your “memory muscles.”

MemPal requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating: