"If there is an app for that"

Nature, Time, and Space Intertwine in the Puzzling Kenshō

January 17, 2018 by RSS Feed

Kenshō ($3.99) by FIFTYTWO is a match-three block sliding puzzle game that provides players with a surreal experience. If you enjoy games like Threes!, but want visuals like Campfire Cooking, then you will love what Kenshō has to offer.

When life gets hectic, I like to sit down and play some games to relax. My go-to for this task is usually puzzle games that make me think, because I don’t like to just let my mind rot away. While I feel like I’ve played most puzzle games that the App Store has to offer, sometimes they slip under my radar and I don’t get a chance to play them. Kenshō is one of those games, and I’m glad that I’m discovering it now.

$2.99

Threes!

Sirvo LLC

Free

Threes! Free

Sirvo LLC

$3.99

Campfire Cooking

Layton Hawkes

Visually, Kenshō is absolutely beautiful. The game is completely rendered in 3D that is stunning, with blocks that truly pop out at you and vivid dreamscapes of nature that unravel a deeper story. There’s also gorgeous particle effects and lighting that make the game stand out from the crowd. The color palette in Kenshō consists of bold and vibrant hues that contrast nicely with the dark backdrops, and the cutscenes between levels are fun to watch due to the graphics coming to life. The animations in Kenshō are buttery smooth and fluid, so there were no issues with lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient and atmospheric music is also captivating and immersive, while being a delight to listen to as you play. Honestly, Kenshō is a marvel in terms of visual and audio design.

In Kenshō, you’ll find the levels locked away behind doors, with each of them featuring some kind of creature from nature guarding it. While I’m not completely sure how many levels there are total in the game, I know that each stage is broken up into several different parts, so one level can be rather lengthy, especially since things get more challenging as more mechanics are introduced. The goal is simple and straightforward: slide the blocks to match at least three like-colored squares in a line, either horizontally or vertically. Eventually you’ll need to match the blocks with key fragments, which lead to key pieces. The key pieces are necessary to clear that part before moving on to the next one.

Controls in Kenshō are straightforward and intuitive. If you’ve played Threes! before, then you’ll know how this works. Slide your finger on the screen to move all tiles in that direction. You can also slowly drag to see a preview of what that move would look like before you complete it. At the top of the screen is a preview of the next block, so there’s strategy and planning involved.

While things start out easy, it gets more difficult and challenging as you progress. You’ll have black, crumbled blocks that move but can’t be matched with anything, stones that won’t move at all, and more. Key pieces also start having walls on the sides, meaning it will only get cleared out when you make a match on the sides that aren’t blocked. When you take all of these into consideration, Kenshō gets pretty hard. Once the board fills up with blocks that don’t match, then you’ll have to restart that part over.

A block sliding puzzle matching game with a great design.

The Good

Kenshō is definitely a puzzle game that stands out from the rest. At this point it’s a bit older, but still worth a download. It has exquisite and excellently done visuals that are immersive and engaging. The original serene soundtrack is another fantastic touch to the game, and it’s recommended to play with headphones to get the full experience. Controls are easy and intuitive, and the various game mechanics that are gradually introduced keep things fresh. And once you complete a stage, the game rewards you with a moment to kick back and relax with the peaceful cutscenes.

The Bad

Kenshō is a great game, but there’s one thing that I found kind of annoying. While you can "skip” the cutscenes by doing a long-press, this is more of a “fast-forward” function than a full on skip. I feel that sometimes these scenes are a bit long, and I just want to get to the next chapter. I think making it so that it skips the scene entirely would optimize the overall experience for those who prefer it.

The verdict

Even though Kenshō has been out for several months, I’ll admit that I messed up by letting it slip by me all this time. However, I was going through my iPhone games and stumbled upon this, and decided to launch it and give it a go. I’m so glad I did, because Kenshō is a real hidden gem for me. The game looks amazing, the music is relaxing, controls are simple, and the puzzles are great for those who appreciate strategy and challenge. Kenshō is a distinctive match-three block sliding game that everyone should check out.

Kenshō is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99.

9.3

OVERALL

Graphics 10

Sound/Music 10

Game Controls 9

Gameplay 9

Replayability 8.5

$3.99

Kenshō

FIFTYTWO

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 01/17/2018

January 17, 2018 by RSS Feed

Alphabet Game - Build Letter Confidence , BTC bitcoin price alerts , Lists To do and more

Universal:

Alphabet Game - Build Letter Confidence ( $2.99 → Free ) Ellie's Games, LLC Dots with letters within them will populate the screen, and your child must tap on them in the correct order to remove them. The game includes popping sounds, vibrations, and smooth animations to keep your child engaged. You can also customize the dots and gameplay in a variety of ways.

BTC bitcoin price alerts ( $2.99 → Free ) Dmytro Salko Bitcoin is all of the rage these days. Be in the know with BTC. It helps you easily monitor Bitcoin's rapid price changes along with other crypto-currencies like Ripple, Golem, Ethereum, and more. Set trackers to be notified when a rate changes by a specific percentage, and receive alerts when a specific threshold has been met. The app also includes volume, buy, sell, and average indicators.

Lists To do ( $0.99 → Free ) Thomas Tsopanakis Lists To Do was designed with simplicity in mind. It’ll help you keep track of all of the lists in our life like shopping, tasks, work, and grocery. Lists can take on one of more than 140 category icons to help you quickly distinguish them. Lists To Do features a wide variety of personalization options like the ability to quickly complete all tasks in a list, set lists as a lock screen image, reorder and move items between lists, create one time and recurring reminders, and even signify which lists are allowed to badge the icon. The app also includes iCloud and list sharing support.

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 01/16/2018

January 16, 2018 by RSS Feed

Emoji Names , Braintoss , Funnel and more

iPhone:

Braintoss ( $1.99 → Free ) Braintoss B.V. Braintoss helps empty your brain. Just speak, snap, or type out your thoughts and the app will automatically send whatever it is to your inbox. When snapping content, you’re able to turn documents, receipts, and business cards into searchable files. You’re voice messages will also be turned into transcribed text. Braintoss also allows you to send content to multiple email addresses at once.

Funnel ( $0.99 → Free ) Mathias Nilles Funnel provides an overview of what’s happening all around the world. You’re able to choose from seven news sources including BBC, NPR, VOA, and CBC. Funnel will then provide you with hourly audio news summaries that can be played in the background. The app is also able to send notifications when new content is available.

Universal:

Emoji Names ( $0.99 → Free ) Cal Stephens Have you ever looked at an Emoji and wondered just what in the world it’s supposed to be? Emoji Names takes the guesswork out of this unique situation. Simply launch the app and the Emoji keyboard. Then tap on any Emoji and it will be boldly displayed within the app along with its official name. You’re able to view high resolution versions of both the system Emoji and Twitter Emoji. You’re also able to share customized versions of the Emoji.

History Events ( $1.99 → Free ) Monkey Taps Want to drop knowledge bombs on friends and family? Download History Events and learn about important events that occurred around the world. Each event includes a short description, date, and the ability to share. Set up a daily reminder window along with how often you want to receive the push notifications. When a push comes through during the day, give it a swipe and view a new event.

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

Kraino is a Retro, Action-Packed Platformer That's Completely Free

January 15, 2018 by RSS Feed

Kraino (Free) by Angel Dorantes is a side-scrolling action platformer that is reminiscent of classic games like Mega Man and Castlevania. If you enjoyed other iOS games like Goblin Sword and Sword of Xolan, then Kraino is an excellent choice to consider.

As someone who grew up in the '90s with the old-school platformer games, I can definitely appreciate any new foray into the crowded App Store market of platformers. Castlevania is one of my favorite series, especially the 2D ones that were on the old Nintendo consoles and past handhelds. There's nothing more satisfying than jumping to avoid obstacles and hack-and-slashing away at hordes of undead minions. So when I saw Kraino on the App Store, I was pulled in right away — the screenshots alone made me reminisce about my childhood. Needless to say, Kraino is a must.

$1.99

Goblin Sword

Gelato Games Ltd

$0.99

Sword Of Xolan

Alper Sarikaya

Kraino features a super retro, pixel art visual style that will make any '80s or '90s kid feel at home. The graphics are true to the classics that it draws inspiration from, and if I didn't know any better, I'd mistake this game for one that was on Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis. Even though it's a pixelated style, Kraino is still incredibly detailed and everything looks fantastic. The colors range from dark and gloomy tones to more vibrant and bolder hues. Animations are buttery smooth and fluid, so I experienced no issues with lag or choppy frame rates. I found the soundtrack to be fairly quirky and eerie at the same time, which means it's pretty delightful. It has a touch of metal to it, which is fitting considering there's skeletons and other baddies galore.

Kraino takes a lot of inspiration from the classic games, like Mega Man and Castlevania. There are six dungeons to make your way through, and they are rather lengthy. There are, however, checkpoints at certain points in the game, so if you die, you can pick up from the last checkpoint you reached, rather than start at the beginning. Each area features a series of connected rooms, and you must make your way through each one to face off against a tough boss at the end. The goal of the game is simple enough: hack-n-slash your way through to the end, and see how far you can get.

You'll always start the game with three lives. Controls are easy and intuitive. In the bottom left area, there are two buttons for moving left and right. In the bottom right corner of the screen are three buttons for your basic melee attack, jumping, and your ranged axe attack.

For the most part, the default button positioning works out well enough, as I had no real issues with moving around and attacking. Be warned though, because there's no way to customize the button size or positions, so you're stuck with them. Honestly, it takes a bit of practice to get used to them, but it shouldn't be too bad.

Again, you only get three lives in the game, and your health bar is displayed in the top left corner. If it's fully depleted, that means you lose a life. You also straight up lose a life if you fall onto spikes, so be careful for those. There may be opportunities for more lives or health by breaking lights and other objects, so make sure to explore every little nook and cranny. You can watch an ad to gain a continue, though, but this is completely optional. It's also the only time you'll see ads in the game.

On top of it all, there are power-up items that you can use to your advantage against the various creatures of the night (even though you're a skeleton). The power-up items are what you'd use for the ranged attack slot, and these can include throwing axes, saw blades that move along the floor and walls after you throw them, and more. They are pretty scarce though, so I'd recommend holding on to them only for boss fights, because the other enemies can easily be taken out with regular attacks.

Kraino is an excellent action platformer that's a great homage to the classics, and it's free with no strings attached.

The Good

Kraino is a true gem of a game, and it's hard to believe that something this good is free. The vintage pixel art graphics are a nice homage back to the golden days of gaming, and the music and sounds are super charming. For an action platformer, the controls work out pretty well, and it's intuitive enough for anyone. The stages themselves can get pretty challenging, and the boss fights are definitely something to look forward to.

The Bad

Kraino is a solid game, but there's always improvements that can be made. For one, I hope to see customizable control options in the future, because I think being able to change the button size and positioning could help some people out. And while the only time you'll see an ad is if you want to get a continue in the game, there's no way to get rid of ads or even just support the developer (no in-app purchases). This is a freebie game where I would like to see a tip jar to contribute to.

The verdict

As someone who grew up with these types of games, I am in love with Kraino. Everything about it just takes me back to my youth — the pixel art, the music, the core game mechanics, and the whole dark castle setting. It all brings a smile to my face, and I still can't believe this game is free. It's pretty high quality for the price, and there's no intrusive ads or in-app purchases, which is a rarity these days. I just hope to see controller options in the future.

Kraino is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free.

8.9

OVERALL

Graphics 10

Sound/Music 9

Gameplay 9

Replayability 8.5

Game Controls 8

FREE

Kraino

Angel Dorantes

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 01/15/2018

January 15, 2018 by RSS Feed

Multi Translate Voice: Say It , Regression Calc , My Graphing Calculator and more

Universal:

Multi Translate Voice: Say It ( $12.99 → Free ) XHLIU Multi Translate is fast and efficient. First choose the language you want to translate from, and three other languages you want to translate to. You have more than 100 to choose from. Then either type or speak to translate. Multi Translate keeps a running history of everything you’ve translated, which is searchable via Spotlight. The app also includes iMessage support, Apple Watch support, and the ability to share results.

Regression Calc ( $1.99 → Free ) Sanjeev Mullick Regression Calc provides an easy way to visualize curves. Add as many points as necessary and Regression Calc will plot them on a graph for you. You’re able to generate nine different regressions including linear, cubic, logarithmic, and exponential. The app also computes r² values to show the accuracy of each regression.

My Graphing Calculator ( $0.99 → Free ) Math Inside Why buy an expensive graphing calculator when you can have one on your iDevice for free? My Graphing Calculator features a standard scientific calculator that supports complex numbers and saves all of your calculations on history tape. It also allows you to view the values of your functions in table form, set variable start values, graph up to four functions simultaneously, and present results in either portrait or landscape orientations.

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