"If there is an app for that"

Viber launches Public Accounts for brands, overhauls media menus in iPhone app

November 09, 2016 by macjeff

Popular messaging app Viber today launched a new account format, called Public Accounts, which allows businesses and brands to interact with users. More than a thousand Public Accounts from such brands as BBC, Mashable, The Washington Post, The Weather Channel and more were available at launch, with many more to follow in the coming days and weeks. Subscribing to Public Accounts allows users to get updates from brands they love and post messages that other followers will see.

Public Accounts marks the first time users and businesses will be able to interact with each other without having each other as a contact on Viber. The company has no plans to charge for Public Accounts at this stage.

To find Public Accounts from your favorite brands and businesses, tap the Public tab in Viber for iPhone, then hit the magnifying glass in the upper left corner to browse featured Public Accounts and those that are relevant to your current location.

Viber’s iPhone application on the App Store was bumped to version 6.5 this morning with support for the newly launched Public Account and a simplified media menu that lets you send photos, videos and voice messages with fewer taps than before.

Left: Dedicated gallery, camera and sticker icons let you express yourself faster Right: tap and hold the mic icon to record, release to send or slide left to cancel.

In addition, Public Accounts will open the door to Viber hosting bots, too.

Public Accounts should not be confused with Public Chats, a feature Viber rolled out in 2014 that lets one or more users send public messages that everyone can see.

According to TechCrunch, Viber’s API will soon be integrated with popular CRM packages to let businesses send/read customer support messages via Viber and see them alongside all of their other social media, email and messaging interactions.

Viber claims 800 million users and is owned by Japan’s Rakuten.

The 69.9-megabyte Viber app is available free on the App Store.

Source link: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/11/09/viber-launches-public-accounts-for-brands-overhauls-media-menus-in-iphone-app/

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 11/08/2016

November 08, 2016 by macjeff

Lost in Harmony , YoWindow Weather , Mooncast - The Phases of the Moon and more

Universal:

Lost in Harmony ( $3.99 → 1 ) Digixart Entertainment Lost in Harmony allows you to experience music in a whole new way. Guide Kaito and Aya on their adventure through 30 painted environments with taps and swipes. Stars will appear on the screen to the beat of the music, and you must tap at just the right moment to earn a perfect rating while dodging obstacles with swipes. The game also includes the ability to create and share your own levels, and all kinds of character customization options.

YoWindow Weather ( $2.99 → 1 ) Pavel Repkin YoWindow is all about watching the weather. You’re presented with a quick look at the current time, temperature, and conditions. Slide your finger from left to right across the screen to scroll time forward and watch as the scene changes to reflect what it’ll be like later on in the day. YoWindow also includes a seven-day forecast and six scenes to choose from.

Mooncast - The Phases of the Moon ( → 0 ) Mathieu Routhier Mooncast does only a few things, but it does them extremely all well. You can swipe through each screen to see the moon illumination for that day, or you can jump to a specific day by activating the calendar view and spinning the wheels. Mooncast can remind you when a full moon is approaching, and even display phases of the moon on the lock screen.

Windy ~ Sleep Relax Meditate with natural white noise sounds to calm your mind and focus ( → 0 ) Franz Bruckhoff Windy combines natural wind recordings with stunning artwork to help you sleep, relax, study, or meditate. It utilizes stereoscopic 3-D audio that’s optimized for headphones, so you can drift off into your own little world. The six natural wind recordings can be mixed with rain, river sounds, birds, and crickets. There’s also a whimsical story embedded within the app, allowing you to follow Windy on her journey to breathtaking locations.

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

Blyss is Pure Puzzle Bliss

November 08, 2016 by macjeff

Blyss ($1.99) by Dropout Games is a new relaxing puzzler that has hit the market. If recent releases like Dots & Co, Quell Zen, and klocki weren’t enough to whet your appetite, then Blyss is a fine addition to any puzzle game collection. It’s truly a game that will give you some bliss.

I love games on any platform, but since I have my iPhone with me everywhere, I definitely prefer that to the other systems I have, simply out of convenience. Of course, mobile isn’t the best platform for some types of games, but I think it is one of the best for the puzzle genre (also one of my favorites), so naturally, I have a ton of puzzlers on my device that I keep around for those times when I have a few moments to spare. I managed to get a demo of Blyss while I was at GDC this year, and I walked away thoroughly impressed with it and eager to get my hands on the final release. It’s finally arrived on the App Store, and I couldn’t be happier.

Blyss features a minimalistic aesthetic that is both beautiful and soothing. The game itself is done in 2-D, but it features 3—D blocks and sometimes an angled perspective, so it has the psuedo 3-D look and feel. The colors are rich and vibrant, depending on the theme that you use (need coins), but they’re all nice eye candy. Plus, the themes affect what you see in the backgrounds, which also feature subtle animations. Overall, the animations in Blyss are buttery smooth and fluid, with no lag or choppiness on my iPhone 6s Plus. On top of the nice visuals, Blyss has an ambient, atmospheric soundtrack that will melt your troubles away. Each theme has its own track, so you’d better save up those coins to unlock them all — it’s well worth it.

There are three modes in Blyss, though only one is available from the start: Endless Mode, Time Attack, and Playground. In order to unlock Time Attack and Playground, you will have to solve a certain number of puzzles first, though I found the amount required to be rather overwhelming (I believe over 300) — it’s entirely possible for one to lose interest in the game before unlocking the other two modes, so I hope that the developer can change that in a future update.

Endless Mode is just that — an endless stream of puzzles for you to solve. Time Attack involves racing against the clock, and Playground, well, I’m not sure what that one is just yet since I haven’t unlocked it. Each stage is also procedurally generated, so it will never be the same string of puzzles, and there are unlimited options. The main objective is simple enough: clear out all of the blips (dots) by connecting them in lines of three or four blocks. However, they can only be connected horizontally or vertically, never diagonally. So while it seems super easy at first, you’ll get puzzles that are increasingly more complex, like large grids of tiles with two or three sets of blips on them, so some thinking and strategy is involved.

So how are the controls in Blyss? It’s incredibly intuitive and straightforward, and even possible to play with one hand if you can manage it. To connect the blips, just slide your finger or thumb over the tiles you want to connect, either horizontally or vertically only. Remember, to clear them out, they must be at least three blocks long, but no more than four blocks at most. If the tiles have more than one blip on them, then only one dot goes away after you make a match with them, but they’ll remain on the board until all blips are cleared out from the tile. If you make certain combinations of matches (a reference is in Options), then that means it’s a combo, which nets you more points. If there are single tiles left on the board, then that means you failed and that round is over, though you can spend coins to try again.

To keep things fresh and interesting, Blyss has some missions for players to strive for each time they play. These range from “complete 40 puzzles” to “get 10 combos” and the like. Completing these goals rewards you with more coins, so there is a good incentive to try and accomplish them.

If you consider yourself a perfectionist or are curious about your progress, the game does include stats and achievements, though they’re hidden away in the Options menu. It also includes a reference for the potential combos you can make, Game Center integration, and what your active challenges are, as well as various settings you can toggle.

I still have a ways to go in Blyss before I can get the Time Attack and Playground modes, but I am enjoying the Endless Mode a lot. The game has a simple gameplay mechanic that is much more challenging that it first appears, as you have to think about the connections you’re making so that you don’t leave tiles behind. Plus, the graphics are simple, clean, and gorgeous, the music for each theme is captivating and delightful, and there are zero in-app purchases for coins — they’re only earned, which is the way it should be. I just want to see a lower threshold requirement for unlocking Time Attack and Playground modes, because they seem a bit too high for most people at the moment, but this is just a suggestion.

I highly recommend grabbing Blyss if you’re a fan of puzzle games and need some zen this week. You can find Blyss on the App Store as a universal download for $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Severed is a Great Action RPG That Doesn’t Cost an Arm and a Leg

November 08, 2016 by macjeff

Severed ($5.99) by DrinkBox Studios is a captivating dungeon crawling RPG adventure with puzzles thrown into the mix for good measure. Think of it like Infinity Blade meets The Legend of Zelda with a dash of Etrian Odyssey. If you enjoy any of these genres or games, then Severed is for you.

When people think of mobile games, they probably think of match-three puzzles, more or less, or perhaps the infinite runner. In all honestly, because of the amount of junk in the App Store, some people may not take mobile gaming seriously enough. Fortunately, there are always going to be some exceptions that truly shine on the platform, and Severed is one of them. I noticed the game at GDC this year, though I didn’t actually try it out until E3, where I got to meet with one of the developers and try the game out. After my brief time with the demo, I fell in love with the game instantly and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Now the day has come, and it’s been well worth the wait.

I’ll go right out and say it: Severed is also one of the most macabre and morbid games I’ve played recently, especially on mobile. If the thought of severed limbs bothers you or makes you squeamish, then this game may not be for you. But if you can get past all of that doom and gloom, then the game is pretty fantastic.

Severed tells the story of Sasha, who discovers that she has lost an arm and is in a nightmarish world all alone. As she explores her surroundings, she finds out that her family has been captured by evil monsters, and it’s up to her to find and save them. But with one arm, that’s going to be quite a feat. As you guide Sasha, you’ll find a mysterious creature who gives you a sword, which ends up being her weapon of choice, as well as her mother’s armor in another room of what appears to be your house, even though it technically isn’t. And since Sasha only has one arm, using a shield is impossible, so that sword must serve as her offense and defense (parry). She’ll face incredibly tough demons who stand in her way, but once she cuts her way through them, she can even use their severed limbs to empower herself. Like I said, this game is pretty dark.

Moving around in Severed is easy — just tap on the left and right sides of the screen to turn around accordingly, and drag two fingers around on the screen to look at your surroundings (since you see the world through Sasha’s eyes), which is useful for any possible items to pick up. To move forward, you just tap on an opening in front of you, and there is a mini-map in the top right corner that tells you where you are, where you’ve been, and what lies ahead. If you’ve played games like the Etrian Odyssey series, then this map navigation system will be familiar to you. If you find items that you can interact with (they blink), such as limbs or keys, just tap on them to view or pick them up for your stash. Once you have keys, just tap on the locked doors to open them and proceed forward.

When you find what appears to be a glowing flame in front of you, this indicates an enemy spawn. When you move into that room, a battle will commence. The game starts out pretty easy with just single targets, but as you advance, you’ll have fights with multiple enemies at once, up to four, though some special battles can have up to eight foes at once. To switch your target in a multi-foe battle, just tap on the sides of the screen to rotate, or jump to a foe quickly by tapping on their icon at the bottom.

The combat in this game is what takes the cake, for me at least. If you’ve played any of the Infinity Blade or Fruit Ninja games before, then it should be familiar to you. To attack foes, just swipe on the screen to do a slash attack with your sword. A longer slash does more damage than a short one, so keep that in mind as you unleash your fury. You can parry an incoming attack by swiping against their slash, and then use that opportunity to counterattack. As you land hits in on your enemy, you’ll build up your focus meter, which activates Severed Mode, giving you a chance to cut their limbs off after they’re defeated for your own upgrades.

However, each enemy has their own unique attack pattern, and the key is learning their move sets so you know when to attack, parry, and counter. While there are only so many enemies, having to learn all of their moves and weak points can be a daunting task in itself, so it makes up for the lack of enemy variety. This is because you’ll have to be on the offense and defense at the same time — chipping away at foes while making sure that you don’t get hit yourself, or let certain threats build up their momentum as you’re busy trying to kill another one.

When the game starts, Sasha will only have so much health, and no mana. But as you make your way through the game, you’ll also find heart and brain pieces to refill your health and mana, as well as increase the amount when you collect a set of five. And when you cut off the limbs of your foes (each one has a different slash pattern and you only have a few seconds to do so), you can spend those parts on upgrades for Sasha. To upgrade, just tap on your health bar and it opens up a menu. From here, you can see what kind of upgrades she can get (sword for example). You can tap on each skill in the tree to see what the upgrade is and what the cost is, as each one is different and requires a number of specific limbs.

If you’re not put off by the grisly nature of the Severed’s plot and gameplay, then you’re in for a treat with the visuals and music department. Even though this is definitely one of the darker games I’ve played, the world that Drinkbox managed to create is colorful and vibrant. And while it looks 2-D on the surface, the navigation and combat gives it that immersive 3-D experience that pulls you in to the nightmare world that Sasha is in. Animations while navigating the map and during combat are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. And to top things off, Severed has an eerie, atmospheric soundtrack and sound effects that will send a chill up your spine. DrinkBox truly knocked it out of the park with this game.

I am still fairly early on in the game, but I am hearing that it contains about six hours of gameplay if you do a straight playthrough without mistakes. While that doesn’t seem like a lot at first, it’s important to note how Severed is more of a console-like experience than most other mobile games these days. The visuals are stunning, the music is great (grab your headphones), the combat system is rather intricate and complex so it’s challenging, and the grim story is superb. Severed is a masterpiece of a game, and I’m glad to see that it has finally arrived on iOS (released first on PlayStation Vita on April 26, 2016 and also coming to Nintendo Wii U and 3DS later this summer).

I highly recommend checking out Severed if you like dungeon crawlers, exploration games, puzzles, and RPGs. It’s a game that should not be missed. Severed is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $5.99 until Aug. 4. After that, the game will be $6.99.

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

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Take the Road Not Taken in Spry Fox’s New Roguelike Puzzler

November 08, 2016 by macjeff

Road Not Taken ($4.99) by Spry Fox, LLC is a puzzle game about the surprises of life. If you enjoy turn-based puzzle games that are as challenging as life itself, then Road Not Taken will be right up your alley. Don’t be fooled by the cute fairy tale style — this game won’t be easy.

Over the years, I’ve played a lot of video games, especially on mobile as I’ve been here at AppAdvice. While I do enjoy a wide variety of games, some of my favorites on mobile continue to be puzzle games, with roguelike games also quite high on the list. So when I saw Road Not Taken on the App Store, I was pleasantly surprised. After all, this game also came from Spry Fox, which is one of my favorite game development studios at the moment after the release of Alphabears and Bushido Bear. I mean, who can resist their adorable art style and addictive gameplay? Road Not Taken may not feature the same cute bears from these releases, but that’s completely okay — Road Not Taken has its own set of challenging charm that sets it apart from recent Spry Fox releases.

The visuals in Road Not Taken are beautiful and stunning. From the App Store screenshots, you’ll immediately think of some kind of fairy tale or something that is whimsical like that. But the truth is the game is far from it. Still, I found the game’s cartoonish graphics to be rather impressive, as everything is packed with texture and detail, and character sprites are bouncing with life and emotion. The colors that are used are a nice range of soft pastels to rich and vibrant hues, depending on the situation that you find yourself in, of course. Animations in Road Not Taken are smooth and fluid, so I had no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. Music in the game is also incredibly well done, as there is an evocative and atmospheric soundtrack in the background that reflects the challenges you’ll be facing. If only real life worked the same way, right? Overall, Spry Fox did an excellent job in creating a gorgeous world for a charming and engaging game.

In Road Not Taken, there aren’t exactly levels for players to go through. Instead, you’ll get dropped into the story of a ranger, with the magical capability of levitation and telekinesis, who finds himself in a remote village during the aftermath of a powerful winter storm. Being the good guy that you are (as the ranger), you end up taking on quests to help out the villagers who have lost their children in the forest as they were sent to help their parents pick winter berries. Each time you play, you will experience a procedurally generated story, so every run you try will be different. Naturally, as you talk to the villagers, they will describe to you an ideal way of life that involves getting a job, falling in love and getting married and then having children. But as you start each new journey for the day, paths will change, characters are different and result in different relationships to forge, just like in real life. And since everything is procedurally generated as you set out for the day, there are unlimited possibilities of what you will encounter. The replay value is definitely up high with Road Not Taken.

The controls in the game are simple and straightforward. To move, just swipe on the screen in the direction you want to go, or hold down on the screen to continuously move in that direction. To interact with objects, like trees, lost children, bee hives, and more, just tap on them when you’re adjacent to them. You can carry the items around as you move, but this will take up energy (one for each square you move), which is shown in the top left corner. If you tap on the screen as you’re carrying an item, you will throw it in the direction that the item was facing. If you have not yet moved while holding an object, you can simply put it down without throwing it by doing a long tap on the screen.

As you explore each path and try to accomplish the quests, you’ll encounter many challenging puzzles along the way. It’s important to pay attention to the signs — they will tell you what you need to do to unlock the path to the next area (such as matching a group of trees), or even give you some helpful hints, such as telling you that four bee hives will give you honey, which replenishes energy (any type of food will have this effect). Any enemy characters you encounter are dangerous, so you’ll want to steer clear of them. But sometimes you may not have a choice and you’ll be face-to-face with danger, since the enemies move when you do. But since you have telekinesis, you can also pick up enemies and throw them, so make sure to take advantage of that if the situation arises. The game has a wide variety of dangerous foes that you’ll face, and there are also boss battles. Essentially, you will have to think before you move in this game.

If you run out of energy, then it’s game over. You’ll see what you’ve accomplished on that run, and then you’ll find yourself back in the village once again, ready to set out on the next journey. Each run will be different in terms of paths, characters, enemies, and obstacles, so the surprise is a great element to keep you coming back time and time again.

I’m still very early on in Road Not Taken, but so far, I’m enjoying the challenge that the game presents. The visuals are top notch, just as I’d expect from Spry Fox, and the soundtrack is truly captivating and immersive. I think the controls could be better optimized, though, as I did have some moments of struggling when I was trying to figure the game out, especially when it came to throwing and placing things down. Still, the story of the game is vast, and reflects real life well. And the puzzles themselves are rather tricky and devilish at times, which is nice to have. Plus, the randomly generated runs each time mean you’re always going to be in for a surprise.

I highly recommend checking out Road Not Taken if you are a fan of Spry Fox, or just like roguelike puzzle games in general. You can find Road Not Taken as a universal app on the App Store for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.