"If there is an app for that"

Magic Golf is More Greedy Than Enchanting

February 05, 2018 by RSS Feed

Magic Golf (Free) by Qwiboo is a miniature golf game featuring a cute rabbit and stages that feel like a magical toy box. If you enjoyed games like Super Stickman Golf 3 and Vista Golf, then you may get a kick out of Magic Golf as well.

I'll admit it now — I'm not a huge fan of golf, at least regular golf. I find it boring and slow, personally. However, when you bring up miniature golf, I'm all ears! There's something about these cute mini courses that makes me want to pick up a club and take a swing, even though I can either be lucky or terrible. I think it's the puzzle aspect of it. However, I don't often go out for mini golf, so I usually get my fix through games. The Super Stickman Golf series is one of my favorites, but I'm always eager to check out other mini golf games too. So when I saw Magic Golf, I was enthused to pick it up.

Free

Super Stickman Golf 3

Noodlecake Studios Inc

Free

Vista Golf

Shallot Games, LLC.

Graphically speaking, Magic Golf is definitely pretty to look at. The game's rendered in 3D and it's full of bright and vibrant colors that are appealing to the eyes. The various stages feature what looks like a children's playroom, complete with all sorts of toys and gadgets laying around on the textured, wooden floor. On the courses themselves, it's easy to recognize the different types of obstacles that await you, as well as where your rabbit ball can actually go. Animations are smooth and fluid, so I had no issues with lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The music is rather whimsical and it's all completed by the cute sound effects. Like Qwiboo's other games, Magic Golf is definitely aesthetically pleasing and charming with sound design.

Like most mini golf games on the App Store, Magic Golf is level-based, with thousands of levels from just the developers. In addition to the huge offering from Qwiboo, Magic Golf has a level editor so players can create their own stages, and then submit them to the rest of the community to download and enjoy.

In the regular mode, players must go through each stage chronologically, as the next level does not unlock until you clear the one before it. Up to three stars can be earned on each stage, and the objectives change up every so often. Stars can be earned by completing the stage in a number of specified strokes (par), collecting all of the golden carrots, or finishing before time runs out. Besides the par and countdown, you can play the game at your own pace if you don't care about being perfect with stars.

The level editor allows you to create your own stages, and they can be either "Collect the Carrots" or "Time Attack" mode. You construct your course by putting together varying course tracks, corners, and obstacles together as your heart desires. Then top it off with some decorations. Once you're satisfied with your creation, you can go live with it after naming it and giving it a theme.

Controls in Magic Golf are simple and intuitive. To hit the ball, just pull back on it and aim. An arrow behind the ball indicates the direction you're hitting it towards, and the arrow color changes from green to red depending on power. Then just release your thumb to hit the ball. When it stops moving, that's when you can hit it again. You can also swipe anywhere on the screen besides the ball to adjust the camera angle, in case you need a better view of the course.

While these controls work, I think it could have put the trajectory arrow in front of the ball, rather than only behind. That way it could be easier to aim and see where the ball is actually going to go. Right now, you can only see it from behind, and it doesn't go far enough for you to know where it ends up. I've missed a few pars because I was off by a nanometer or some other ridiculously close measurement.

However, since Magic Golf is a free game, there are limitations to how much you can play at a given time. After every five holes, there's a chest with a timer before it can be opened. This also prevents you from accessing the next five holes, at least until the chest is opened. You can use purple gems to unlock the chest early, or watch an ad to shorten the timer by thirty minutes.

While there are in-app purchases for gems and costume tokens, there's no way to get rid of the ads or timers before getting the next set of holes to play. This is annoying and feels a bit greedy, which is disappointing.

On top of all of the levels that you can play in the game (after waiting a while or paying), there are also costumes that you can unlock for your rabbit. Unfortunately, you need a certain amount of tokens for three rarities (common, rare, and epic) before you can pick out a costume. These are purely cosmetic, and don't affect the gameplay itself in any way. If you don't have enough tokens, you can also buy the costumes through in-app purchases.

The maker of Aqua Globs, Ball King, and Bike Baron has a new mini golf game.

The Good

Magic Golf is a cute golfing game that would appeal to both adults and kids alike. The graphics are bubbly and endearing, the sound is fun, and the gameplay is simple yet challenging. Controls are natural and streamlined for the most part, and there are a ton of levels to get through. Plus, having a level editor means the chance to see the creativity from others.

The Bad

While I wanted to like Magic Golf a lot, there's just too many flaws that prevent it from being good. It's rather annoying that I can't accurately see where the ball will end up, and it's messed up a lot of my strokes so far. Having the aim trajectory arrow in front of the ball, rather than behind, would help out a lot.

The game feels a bit too greedy with the implemented timer system. It's just ridden with timers to advance in stages, along with free chests. And with no option to get rid of the timers and ads, pushing players to get more gems to progress, is just irritating. And with there being thousands of levels, it's a bit of a letdown to only see seven costumes available.

The verdict

There's a few nice things about Magic Golf that make me want to like the game. As an avid fan of adorable things, the visuals and sound design are done well and make the game friendly enough for the whole family. The stages can be straightforward or challenging. And having a level editor opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to stages. But all of the good is tainted by the greediness of the timers and the push towards in-app purchases, with no option to just get rid of timers and ads altogether. I wanted to like the game, but this current version just feels like a cash grab.

6.9

OVERALL

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8

Replayability 6

Game Controls 6

Gameplay 6.5

FREE

Magic Golf

Qwiboo Ltd

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 02/05/2018

February 05, 2018 by RSS Feed

Prompts - Beat Writers Block , Plant Light Meter , Brainbean - Brain Games and more

iPhone:

Plant Light Meter ( $0.99 → Free ) Studio Nano Ship, Inc. Give your indoor plants a fighting chance with Plant Light Meter. Determine a potential location for your new indoor plant and launch Plant Light Meter. Then point the camera in the direction of the natural light source. The app will measure the maximum light level value that your plant will receive: very low, low, medium, and high. If you’re unsure of how much light your plant needs, a helpful guide is available in-app.

Change - Currency Converter ( $0.99 → Free ) Sigalit Amsalem Change adds a bit of a style to a normally dull app category. You’re able to choose the currencies you’re converting from and to by swiping across the fields at the top of the screen. As you swipe, you’ll see the conversions instantly performed. You’re also able to reorder, activate, and deactivate currencies by tapping on the “+” button at the bottom of the screen. Change includes a total of 85 currencies.

iPad:

Brainbean - Brain Games ( $0.99 → Free ) Tanner Christensen Brainbean contains a collection of eight puzzle, memory, drawing, and word games that will play with your brain. The games are all based on scientific creative exercises, and last only about a minute each. They’ll help build creative confidence, test your working memory, boost problem solving skills, and much more all while providing oodles of entertainment.

Universal:

Prompts - Beat Writers Block ( $0.99 → Free ) Tanner Christensen Prompts presents you with a creative writing prompt or starting line every single time you create a new entry. If you start to feel stuck, tap the lightning bolt icon to receive a new prompt for inspiration. Entries can be saved to the in-app library or shared via email, Twitter, or Facebook. The app also includes adjustable font size, more than 300,000 starting lines, custom writing stats, tags, and daily goals.

Crypto Pro: Bitcoin Ticker ( $4.99 → Free ) Samuel Laska Bitcoin is all of the rage these days. Be in the know with Crypto Pro. It helps you easily monitor Bitcoin's rapid price changes along with other cryptocurrencies like Ripple, Ethereum, Dash, Monero, and more. Set trackers to be notified when a rate breaks through a threshold, and receive all of the most important and latest news. The app also includes graphs, historical data, two themes, iCloud syncing, and a lock screen widget.

Division Flashcard Match Games for Kids in 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade Learning Flash Cards Free ( $2.99 → Free ) Eggroll Games LLC Division Flashcard Match Games is loaded with positive reinforcement. It will help your child learn to divide by having them play a variety of memory matching games. You’re able to choose the best number range for your child’s skill level, but no matter which you choose your child will be able to hear the numbers and equations as they are touched. After each round, they’ll receive positive feedback and balloon popping rewards. Hints are available along the way, and “Show Me” and “Peek” features make it even easier for young learners to enjoy.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 02/04/2018

February 04, 2018 by RSS Feed

Kalkyl , Wordid - Word Game , Sago Mini Friends and more

Universal:

Kalkyl ( $1.99 → Free ) nordic io AB Kalkyl is just what you need. It offers a well-thought-out keyboard design that will help you make quick and accurate calculations. When in need, the top display doubles as a graph, which can be expanded into full screen mode. The app also includes dynamic type, haptic feedback, and 3D Touch support.

Wordid - Word Game ( $0.99 → Free ) Tanner Christensen Wordid is simple, casual fun. In each game you’re provided with 60 seconds and a jumble of letters. You must drag and drop the letters into the spaces at the top in order to create valid four-letter words as quickly as possible. Each valid word will earn you points, stickers, and additional time on the clock. You’ll also be provided with a new set of letters. Keep the game going for as long as you can to climb the leaderboards.

Sago Mini Friends ( $2.99 → Free ) Sago Mini Sago Mini Friends is oozing with cuteness. Your toddler is able to pick a character to enjoy play time with just by knocking on their door. They’ll then be introduced to a wide variety of activities like fixing a birdhouse, playing dress-up, or just having a snack. There’s no wrong way to play.

Platforms Unlimited ( $0.99 → Free ) XperimentalZ Games Tap the screen to get your little blue dude to start sliding across the platform. Tap the screen again to perform a short jump, or tap and hold to jump farther. Do everything in your power to avoid the red enemies while collecting coins and bonuses to move up the leaderboards. The game includes two modes, procedurally generated levels, loads of missions to complete, and achievements and leaderboards via Game Center.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 02/03/2018

February 03, 2018 by RSS Feed

A Dark Room , VideoShowHero | Video Editor to Make & Edit Movies , ReliCam and more

iPhone:

VideoShowHero | Video Editor to Make & Edit Movies ( $4.99 → Free ) Fuzzy Sword, LLC VideoShowHero was designed with everyone in mind. You simply won’t find another video editor with more features and functionality. It allows you to trim, merge, blur, resize and rotate, and slow down clips. You’re also able to attach music, overlay text, apply filters, and slap on static and animated stickers. Completed videos can be shared any way you like.

Universal:

A Dark Room ( $1.99 → Free ) Amirali Rajan A Dark Room starts you off with basically zero instructions. All you have is a black screen that offers you a single choice: lighting the fire. From there you will have to dig deeper and deeper into the winding, unpredictable story. If we told you anymore it would ruin the entire experience, so just tap that download button and enjoy the hours of entertainment ahead of you.

ReliCam ( $0.99 → Free ) Lee Searle ReliCam allows you to take the best possible photos. It provides you with manual control over focus, ISO, shutter speed, and zoom. Slide your finger left or right to adjust each parameter or use the fine tune controls. ReliCam also provides helpful grid lines when necessary. All captured photos and videos are directly saved to your library.

SharpScan Pro: OCR PDF scanner ( $2.99 → Free ) Pixelnetica Scanning is a breeze with SharpScan Pro. You’re able to scan a single page or multiple pages rapidly. The app’s powerful camera engine ensures every pixel counts, getting rid of noise, shadows, distortions, and other artifacts. It’s also able to automatically detect the edges of your documents, but you can manually adjust them if need be. After scanning your documents you’re able to recognize the text in over 50 languages. Documents can be stored in the app, on your iDevice, or in the cloud.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

Strips, Mixel, Letterboxd, and other apps to check out this weekend

February 03, 2018 by RSS Feed

This week’s edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new image editor for comic book fans, an 8-bit cocktail recipe app, and a new universal app for the popular Letterboxd network. And as always, we’ve selected two great new games for you to check out.

Strips

Tired of the same old Instagram and Snapchat filters? Turn your photos into a comic strip with Strips. The app creates a video sketchbook out of your Camera Roll using artificial intelligence. It has three comic filters—Takes, Book and Sample, and you can customize things like the title and the soundtrack. This app is clearly in its infancy, offering far fewer features than similar apps out there, but I think a lot of folks will appreciate its simplicity and minimal UI design. Strips is available for $1.99.

Mixel

Throwing a big Super Bowl party this weekend? Let Mixel help make the drinks. The app features over 700 cocktail recipes from world-renowned sources and it presents them in a fun 8-bit, pixel art style. You can explore the recipes using search and filters—filter by ingredients, flavor, favorite drinks, or ones you haven’t tried with. Other features include a running list of over 500 ingredients, 8 hand-crafted themes for the app (4 light and 4 dark), search by ingredient and a built-in shopping list. I’m sure there are hundreds of these types of apps out there, but this one seemed worth highlighting this weekend. Mixel is available for free (with some IAPs).

Letterboxd

They say 2018 is going to be a huge year for hit movies, and what better way to keep track of them then with Letterboxd? This isn’t a new app, but the recent 2.0 update made it universal for both iPhone and iPad (along with other improvements). For those unfamiliar with the service, Letterboxd allows you to browse and log films with date, rating, review and tags. You can also read and comment on reviews, create, edit and comment on lists (think, top 20 horror films of all time), view member profiles and follow their activities, and much more. If you consider yourself a film buff, and you haven’t checked out Letterboxd yet, do it. Letterboxd is available for free.

Disc Drivin’ 2

Based on the acclaimed original Disc Drivin', Disc Drivin' 2 is a combination of skill and tension-producing physics. Now with two swipes per turn, set up your shot and make a second move while still in motion to avoid an unexpected hazard at the last second as you race around the track. Armed with an arsenal of upgradable powers to slip past your enemy, decide the best way to outrace your opponent. Try your hand at the new Speedrun mode where you'll race against the clock to improve your skills. Earn coins in competition to unlock cards, new powers, discs, and abilities. Disc Drivin’ 2 is available for free (with some IAPs).

PAKO 2

PAKO 2 is an arcade driving game where you work as a getaway driver. Pick up your crew from heist spot, escort them to safety in dramatic chase against the cops, repeat and compete in the leaderboards! Every run gains you money which can be used to buy new rides and locations. Get in, get out, get paid! Features include easy controls, vast handcrafted levels, electro soundtrack, and absolutely no in-app purchases or ads. PAKO 2 is available for $1.99.

More apps to check out

• A guide to the three major Twitter clients
• How to stream the 2018 Super Bowl on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and other devices
• UniChar uses Machine Learning to make finding special characters easier
• Google's YouTube TV over-the-top video service is now available on Apple TV
• Google Voice has been optimized for iPhone X
• Instagram officially launches text-only Type feature for Stories
• OneDrive update brings redesigned interface, drag and drop, Files app support & much more

Source link: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2018/02/03/and-other-apps-to-check-out-5/