Save the Kingdom as You Journey Below in Ravenous Games’ New Title
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Journey Below ($2.99) by Ravenous Games Inc. is an auto-running platformer with a dash of roguelike RPG elements to it. It also features a knight who is set on saving the kingdom from an evil monster. Yes, it’s an overdone gaming trope but the real meat of the game is the challenge of an auto-running platformer. Plus, it’s from the same guys who brought you Tiny Rogue, the League of Evil franchise, Random Heroes, and Devious Dungeons, so they know a thing or two about platformers in general.
Since I was born in the late ‘80s and grew up in the ‘90s, I played a lot of platformer games back in the day. From classics like Super Mario Bros. to Sonic the Hedgehog to things like Altered Beast and X-Men, I loved them all. I didn’t have too many games back then since it was what my parents happened to buy, but ever since then, I grew an appreciation for the platformer genre in general. Even though it’s a tried-and-true formula nowadays, I can’t help but check out new platformers that hit the App Store, especially when they have a unique twist that sets them apart. Naturally, when I saw Journey Below on the App Store, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I mean, it’s from Ravenous Games and it’s a platformer with a twist — what’s not to love?
The graphics in Journey Below follow the awesome retro pixel art style that Ravenous Games is known for. If you grew up in the age of 16-bit games, then you will feel right at home with Journey Below. While all of the maps are procedurally generated, the four environments are full of fine details and textures. The character sprites, including the enemies and your own knight character, are rather cute and everything has their own unique movement patterns. Colors in the game range from bright vivids to darker, gloomier tones, but everything is rich in color. Animations are smooth and fluid in Journey Below, and the levels flow seamlessly into each other. The techno chiptune soundtrack is rather catchy and immerses you in the game. Sound effects are fun too. The only thing I noticed in terms of graphics is the fact that a white line pops up consistently in the middle of the screen as I play. Not sure what is causing this, but it does get annoying.
There are three game modes in Journey Below: Normal, Hard, and Endless. However, you’ll have to beat Normal first in order to unlock both Hard and Endless mode. In Normal, you’ll have to go through 12 randomly generated levels and then fight the boss at the end in order to beat the game. Hard Mode has faster gameplay, doesn’t have health potions in the stages so you can’t heal up, and you only start with three health points. Endless is a test to see how deep in the dungeon you can get before the monsters finally get to you. Killing enemies in Journey Below nets you points, and if you can get a combo streak going, the more points you’ll get due to the multiplier bonus. Once you reach the end of a level, you’ll have the option of choosing one of three randomly generated character upgrades before you move on to the next area. You can collect the gold coins for more points, and make sure to watch for health potions to restore hearts, which are shown in the upper left corner. Getting hit or running into an enemy deduct a heart from your gauge, and it’s game over if you’re out (unless you got lucky with the resurrection upgrade). When the run ends, you’ll have to start over from the beginning, though the maps and upgrades will be randomized so it’s never the same thing twice.
Since Journey Below is an auto-runner, that means your knight is constantly moving, turning only once he hits the wall. You jump by tapping on the left side of the screen, and you can perform a dash attack by tapping on the right half of the screen. Some character upgrades let you do a double jump, attack in midair, or even giving your dash attack a longer range, so it’s important to use those to your advantage if you have them. While the controls sound easy enough, sometimes your knight’s movement is a bit trickier due to the layout of obstacles and incoming enemies. Timing is important, so make sure to jump and dash attack at the right moments for maximum efficiency.
I’ve been playing Journey Below all morning and have been finding it to be a delight to play. The game is designed for short to medium gaming sessions, so it’s great when you have a few minutes to spare. As a fan of roguelikes, I like the challenge that each new run brings, and the controls are simple to learn but difficult to master, as they should be. I love Ravenous Games’ pixel art style, so this is another charming game in terms of visuals and music, though I still have the white line constantly appearing in the middle (hope that’s fixed). The game is high in replay value due to the randomly generated maps and levels, tons of achievements, and the fact that it’s a roguelike high score chaser means you’ll always be coming back.
I recommend giving Journey Below a try if you like auto-runner platformers with a splash of roguelike RPG elements thrown into the mix. You can get Journey Below on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Castro 2 Brings a New Way to Manage Your Favorite Podcasts
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Castro — Play and Share Podcasts ($4.99) by Supertop is the brand new version of Castro that emphasizes a new perspective on podcasts for enthusiasts: triage. If you enjoy listening to podcasts on a daily basis, but aren’t satisfied with other top-notch podcast players out there, such as Overcast, then you should definitely give the new Castro 2 a try.
Though I’ve fallen quite behind on my podcasts as of late, I still enjoy listening to podcasts whenever I have the time to, whether it’s a long road trip or a commute through the city. I enjoy podcasts because of the interesting discussion that the hosts always bring up, and it’s great to just find shows that discuss topics that you’re interested in, rather than listening to whatever may be on the radio or something. I’ve gone from Pocket Casts to Overcast ever since Marco Arment released his feature-rich podcast player (love that Smart Speed), but that doesn’t stop me from checking out the competition. And now that Castro 2 has launched, I had to check it out for myself to see if it can work as my daily driver for podcasts.
In terms of visuals, Supertop has knocked it out of the park. While I love Overcast, the problem with that app is the fact that it looks engineered, so it’s not the prettiest thing to look at when it goes head-to-head against other apps in terms of design. Castro 2, on the other hand, has a gorgeous design that you’ll love to look at while you go through your podcasts. The main screen area for Castro has rounded corners that take me back to the Palm Pre days, the white and light gray day theme looks sharp, and there’s an easy-to-access night mode (various shades of gray) with just a two-finger swipe down (or up to go back to day mode). Whether you’re in day or night theme, the thumbnails of podcast art contrast nicely against the background, and the icons for the queue, inbox, archive, and discover are easily recognizable. The app has subtle but fun and smooth transition animations as you switch views, change themes, or bring up menus, and everything flows together perfectly. The playback screen lets you check show notes without any fuss, and the floating buttons make it easy to perform an action if needed. The playback button bar at the bottom of the screen gives users plenty of space to touch the buttons they need. Not surprisingly, Supertop has done a great job once again with the finer details in regards to the design of Castro 2. If you like functional but beautiful apps, then this is not one to be missed.
When you launch Castro 2 for the first time, there will be a brief introductory tutorial that shows you the ropes. It’s quick and simple, and the app itself is pretty straightforward anyway. Since Castro 2 is a new app, you’ll have to export your existing podcast subscriptions from the original Castro or any other podcasting app (there are instructions in the app) and import them into Castro 2.
Another option is to start over, and you can use the Discover tab to browse popular shows in various categories or just search for the shows you want by name or URL. When you find a show that interests you, just tap on it to view the show details, and see what their latest episode was and what that episode is about. Castro 2 also shows the oldest episode available, but you can also tap on the middle break to view all episodes that are in-between the oldest and latest. While you can subscribe to a show as you normally would, there are also individual options that you can trigger by tapping on individual episodes. These options include Play Now (no need to subscribe), Add to Queue as Next, Add to Queue as Last, or Favorite, which adds favorite show episodes to the inbox automatically.
So what is the inbox feature? When Castro’s servers detect a new episode of your subscribed or favorited shows, it will put the latest episodes in the inbox for you. The shows appear in a small ribbon that you scroll horizontally to view more of your favorites. From here, you can go through them to determine what you want to listen to by adding it to the queue or play now, and then archive the rest. The archive will show all of the podcasts of the shows you subscribe to, so you can browse older episodes, see starred episodes, and view your complete listening history. While the process of triaging podcasts may not appeal to everyone, it does let those who prefer to assign a sense of urgency and priority to their podcasts do just that.
When you are playing a podcast, you’ll see the currently playing episode represented by a small icon of the artwork in the bottom right corner, where the playback bar is. Tapping on the icon lets you view the show notes, and you can use the buttons to pause, rewind, and skip forward (the rewind and forward increments can be changed in the app settings). There is also an arrow button in the playback bar that lets you expand the Now Playing view. In this more detailed Now Playing screen, you’ll be able to set a sleep timer, adjust the playback speed, and have a nice audio wavelength scrubber, in case you want to go back to a certain part of the show. You can also access the Share Sheet from this view to share a Castro link to the episode through a myriad of options.
For those who prefer to fine tune their podcast players, the settings for Castro 2 can be accessed through the cog icon that appears in the four main sections. There are options for toggling day or night mode (though the two finger vertical swipe is easier), opening links in Castro’s browser or Safari (even Chrome if it’s installeD), notifications and badges, toggles for queue downloads (if it’s off you stream only), and playback settings, which include continuous play, streaming on cellular, and the rewind and forward intervals.
I’ve been testing out Castro 2 this morning for this review, and I love what Supertop has done for Castro’s revamp. As someone who has less time for podcasts these days, I like the triage system because it lets me check the description for each new episode and this determines if I’m going to listen to it or not. Plus, the app itself looks great, it’s easy to use, and the Now Playing view focuses on useful features and doesn’t waste space to prominently display podcast art. Still, I’m a bit torn between Castro 2 and Overcast, due to my love of the Smart Speed feature — it’s hard to go back once you’ve saved over 100 hours with it, after all. Despite this, I think Castro 2 is a solid update to an exceptional podcast app and definitely worth checking out if you’re a podcast enthusiast looking for fresh new takes on podcast management. Hopefully an iPad version is in the works for those who prefer their iPad for podcast listening.
I recommend giving Castro 2 a try for yourself if you were a fan of the original Castro, or aren’t satisfied with the other podcast apps on the market. Castro — Play and Share Podcasts is available on the iPhone App Store for $4.99.
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Hack and Augment Your Way Through a Conspiracy in Deus Ex GO
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Deus Ex GO ($4.99) by SQUARE ENIX INC is the third installment of the GO series of games, which also includes Lara Croft GO and Hitman GO. For the uninitiated, the GO games take popular Square Enix franchises and distills them down into beautiful strategy puzzle games. Whether you’re a fan of the original game series titles or not, the GO games are definitely all worth checking out regardless.
Even though Deus Ex has been around since 2000, I never got into the games myself. In fact, I have a copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution somewhere, but I just haven’t gotten to it yet because I have a large backlog of games and not enough time. Despite this, I know the gist of the Deus Ex games, since it combines stealth and role-playing elements with FPS action and features a lot of cyberpunk themes, hacking, and all that good stuff. I’ll get around to the real games one day, but since I loved the previous GO games (I didn’t play much Tomb Raider or even Hitman titles before), I had to get my hands on Deus Ex GO, especially after I had a demo of it at E3 this year. Now that it’s available on the App Store, I must say that it’s one of my favorite games so far this year.
Visually, Deus Ex GO is gorgeous, as it is a stylized interpretation of the Deus Ex universe. If you’re a fan of the main games, then the world will be instantly familiar to you. Even if you’ve never played a Deus Ex game in your life, you’ll be in awe because of how good the game looks. Like the other two games, Deus Ex GO features 3-D graphics with an angled, top-down perspective so you can see all of the action that happens. The futuristic, dystopian environments are packed with fine details and textures, and the colors are bright and vivid with a subtle vignette effect going on around the edges of the screen.
Your character, Adam Jensen, will be sporting his signature black trench coat and sunglasses, while moving fluidly on each turn. His enemies, including guards, turrets, and more, have their own unique appearances, movements, and abilities that you have to watch out for. All animations in Deus Ex Go are smooth and flow seamlessly with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. There’s also an intricate plot to uncover as you go, which will be told through dialogue boxes that aren’t intrusive. The artwork for each character’s avatar in dialogue boxes is beautiful, as it’s done in 2-D but with a stylish low-poly look to it. The game’s atmospheric soundtrack immerses you in the Deus Ex world, and the sound effects are realistic.
Like the other GO games, Deus Ex GO is level-based, and players must go through each stage in chronological order to advance through the story, which involves a conspiracy behind a terrorist plot. The objective in each puzzle is to help Jensen get from the starting point to the portal at the end that takes you to the next area, but you can’t be detected by the enemies. There’s a line path on each level, and you move Jensen one space on each turn. If you’re detected by an enemy, they will activate their Titan Armor and come after you in a straight path, but only as you make your move. Turrets shoot you on sight, and later on there will be drones, walkers, and other crazy enemy types. Since everything is a puzzle and things happen on a turn-by-turn basis, it’s important to make note of where enemies are going and time your movements for the perfect opportunities to strike or escape using hacks and augmentations.
The controls in Deus Ex GO are simple, and you should know how it works if you played the other games. To make Jensen move, just tap on the point adjacent to where you are to have him walk over there. If enemy guards detect you, they will activate their Titan Armor and the path you’re on (in their line of sight) turns red. With the Titan Armor active, you can’t strike them, but if it is off, you can attack them from the sides or even behind to get rid of them. Other enemies like turrets can be disabled by sneaking up behind them, or you can even hack the computer systems (yellow icons) by tracing paths to have the turrets shoot down foes for you instead, or activate floor panels to get where you need to go. You can also get items like Invisibility, which you activate with taps to get by otherwise impossible spots, but don’t confuse invisibility with invincibility (this is an achievement).
The amount of stealth gameplay combined with environment-manipulating puzzles mean a ton of challenging stages for players, which is a great thing. Deus Ex GO starts out pretty easy, but things get much more complex and elaborate as you have to use enemies to block other ones, take control of turrets, use invisibility to get by tricky spots, hack computers and change the flow of electricity so you can cross gaps in the floor, and much more. Fortunately, since there is no time limit or move restriction on the puzzles, you can take as long as you need to solve them, and if you fail, just try again — the game doesn’t penalize you.
In addition to the main story mode missions, the developers have a “Live Content” section, which includes new puzzle events every weekday, and you can play puzzles from previous days of the current week. However, these puzzles are incredibly complicated and hard to solve, and it is recommended to play through the Story mode first, though nothing stops you from taking them on.
I had been looking forward to Deus Ex GO for a long time, and needless to say, I’m not disappointed. The game has an exquisite and stylish aesthetic that represents the Deus Ex universe nicely, the ambient music is great to listen to, and the controls are simple enough for anyone. The puzzles themselves are hard and challenging, especially as you get further into the story, and having daily puzzles that aren’t part of the storyline adds to the replay value of the game. Like Lara Croft GO and Hitman GO, I’ll be keeping Deus Ex GO on my device for a long time to come.
I highly recommend checking out Deus Ex GO for yourself, whether you’re a fan of Deus Ex or not. It’s a fantastic puzzle game nonetheless, and one that you should not miss. Deus Ex GO is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $4.99. There are in-app purchases for more hints if you are truly stuck (but trial-and-error goes a long way).
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Fractions Can Be Fun in Diffission, a Mathematical Puzzle Game
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Diffission ($2.99) by Filament Games is a mathematical puzzle game that is both educational and fun at the same time — yes, that is entirely possible. If you enjoyed other games like The Mesh and Noda, then you will get a kick out of Diffission as well. Be warned — the game involves good old fractions.
I’ve never been a real big fan of math in general, but I managed to do well enough in all of the different math classes that I took back in high school and college many years ago. Despite that, I still didn’t like it, because I found it somewhat boring and not fun. But nowadays we are in an age where anything can be turned into something fun, which is a great thing if you think about it. Fractions were also the bane of my existence in math classes, and I’m rather rusty on them since so much time has passed since I had to deal with fractions. But I can’t resist a good looking puzzle game, so I had to give Diffission a spin when I saw it on the App Store, even though I honestly had no idea it was a math theme at first. I’m glad I tried it out, because I’m not disappointed with the quality of the game itself.
Visually, Diffission is beautiful with the simple and clean minimalistic graphics. The game is flat with basic shapes and structures floating on top of a colored, subtly animated backdrop that gradually changes colors over time. It’s rather hypnotic and relaxing, so it does have the effect of helping you focus on the fractions that the game revolves around. Animations are smooth and fluid as you break the shapes down, and the game is fairly responsive overall. The ambient, atmospheric music is definitely soothing, and helps put your mind at ease while you play. Filament Games definitely made something great in terms of visuals and audio with this game, so props to them.
Diffission is a puzzle game with two modes: Endless and Challenge. On the first launch, you’ll go through a short tutorial that shows you the ropes before you get the full Endless mode available to you, and it’s important to read through the introduction, because otherwise you’ll be a bit lost. Endless mode lets players play at their own pace, just solving the puzzles with no end goal in mind. Challenge gives you a set amount of time and you must reach a specific goal (number of diamonds) so it counts as your score. Each time you solve a puzzle, you can either add to the diamond goal or add more time to the clock. It’s a bit more frantic and faster pace than Endless, because time is of the essence.
The diamonds that you collect from solving these puzzles will unlock different types of blocks. Getting more block types opens up a new set of puzzles for you to solve in each mode, and you continue this process until all possible blocks have been uncovered. For example, you’ll eventually unlock the dissolving block, which disappears once you highlight it. This can be used to your advantage to get rid of other blocks, or you can just isolate the dissolving blocks to make life easier, but leaving these special blocks behind nets you more diamonds for more blocks later on. The mechanics that get introduced with each new block type keeps things fresh and interesting, since it adds an entire new layer of depth to the game’s core gameplay.
The gameplay is a bit confusing at first, but you quickly get used to it. Your goal is displayed in the bottom left corner, and it’s a fraction. The total number of blocks that make up the shape or structure is shown in the bottom right. To make the objective, you’ll have to cut down the shape into equal pieces. This is done by slicing them with your finger, in Fruit Ninja fashion. To make more precise and specific cuts (some shapes need to be broken down into certain pieces to be equal), just drag your finger slowly along the edges of the squares you want to breakaway from the rest. Once things are broken down into equal pieces, tap on them to highlight them until you’ve selected enough to match the fraction goal.
While the game starts out easy enough, things get trickier as you go, since you’ll deal with a larger number of squares to break down, as well as more block types and more complex fractions. And with Challenge Mode, you have to be fast and find solutions quickly in order to get the best score. Out of the various mathematical puzzle games I’ve played so far, Diffission is the hardest of them all, but that’s a good thing. Fractions are something we don’t think about too much, and we forget that sometimes it’s important. This game is making me think pretty hard about fractions again and it’s fun rather than boring.
While I am not too far in the game, I’m finding Diffission enjoyable, despite being an educational game. The minimalist visuals are nice to look at, the music and sounds are tranquil and calming, and the gameplay itself is challenging and truly makes you think. The only improvements that could make the game even better are more game modes (perhaps puzzle mode with one solution) and blocks. But no matter how you look at it, Diffission is a fun game with a lot of replay value due to the procedurally generated nature of the puzzles.
I recommend giving Diffission a try if you don’t mind fractions (or want to brush up on them) and want a challenging puzzle game. You can find Diffission on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Snap Pics of Legendary Dinos in Jurassic GO
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Jurassic GO - Dinosaur Snap Adventures ($3.99) by BebopBee, Inc is an on-rails photography shooter and simulation game. If you are familiar with Pokémon Snap, then you will know how Jurassic GO works, as the two are similar, but this title deals with dinosaurs, of course. Whether you’re a kid or adult, there’s a lot of fun behind Jurassic GO.
Back in 1999, Pokémon Snap was released to the masses in Japan and North America. While I was a Pokémon fan back then with collecting the cards and watching the anime, I did not have Pokémon Snap at the time because hey, I was 12-years-old with not a lot of money to spend and my parents weren’t always buying me video games. Plus, I wasn’t too into spinoff games at the time anyway, so I didn’t think too much of Pokémon Snap. As I look back on it now, though, I wish I played because it definitely looked like a fun title, and who can resist snapping pictures of Pokémon? You can now do that in reality with Pokémon Go, but if you’re still looking to replicate the original Pokémon Snap feeling in an iOS game, well, Jurassic GO is a nice alternative, plus, who doesn’t like dinosaurs?
Jurassic GO is definitely one of the cuter games I’ve played recently. The game is fully rendered in 3-D and the four environments are lush and packed with enough detail to immerse you in the prehistoric world. Colors are bright and vivid with realistic shadows and lighting, so it’s real eye candy for everyone. The character models for all of the different types of dinosaurs that you’ll encounter are cartoonish and adorable, but they stay true to the roots of real dinosaur models at the same time. Animations and movements of the dinosaurs and the on-rails mechanic are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus, so there won’t be any issues when it comes to finding those great photo ops. Jurassic GO also has a fun and whimsical soundtrack that is rather upbeat and catchy, so it’s fun to get your earbuds and just dive right in to the game.
In Jurassic GO, you take on the role of a photographer who is hired by a Dino Museum to venture out to different environments for tours and snap photos of the dinosaur creatures that you happen to come across. Since the game is a simulation, you will be there as you watch the museum grow in size and popularity, and you’ll have to help build things around the island to attract more tourists. There will also be plenty of various NPCs that you’ll meet who will provide you with useful tools for your tours and upgrades to your camera once you meet their requirements and criteria. There are four different environments that you can take tours of (Swamp, Crater, River, and Badlands), and you’ll have to unlock them as you progress with Exploration Funds. While it may not sound like a lot of environments, the dinosaurs that you find on each tour will be randomly generated, so while you may think you’ve seen all that the Swamp has to offer, sometimes you’ll find brand new finds that you weren’t expecting. It’s also a good way to get even better shots than the ones you’ve taken before.
To set out on a tour of a land, just tap on the hot air balloon button in the bottom right corner. Then choose the setting you want to check out, and you’re off! Like Pokémon Snap, you will be moving forward automatically since it’s an on-rails experience. As you seamlessly move, you can aim your camera by swiping around on the screen. When you find something that is worthy of a snapshot, just tap anywhere on the screen to capture the moment. You’ll also get items that you can use to interact with the dinosaurs, such as the Goofball, and you can use this by tapping on the button in the bottom right corner. And once you have camera upgrades, such as the zoom lens, you can activate them by tapping the button in the bottom left corner. To use things like zoom, just pinch the screen.
While each environment has a set path for you to go through, the creatures that you’ll encounter will vary on each run. Sometimes you’ll just see the same ones you’ve seen before, just in different spots or even in groups. Other times, you’ll encounter something rare or uncommon, and there are even legendary dinosaurs that you can find too. You never know what you’ll find, so the replay value with going back to each of the four areas is high and full of excitement. You can view information about each species that you find in the museum, and who knows — you can totally end up learning something new here, unless you’re already some kind of expert on dinosaurs.
After each tour, whether you just reach the end of the path or run out of film (you start off with just five snapshots for each run, shown in the top left corner), you’ll have to pick just three of your best shots to show the captain. He will check your shots and grade them to see if they’re worthy of being in the museum or turned into a postcard. If your shot ends up being a postcard, it will be sent back to your loved ones but not displayed in the museum. Each picture will be graded on size, spot, and angle with a number from one to 10. The average of these three scores determines the overall score for the shot, and you can get up to three stars as well. Having museum display or postcard status helps boost the score too. The main goal during the tours is to get perfect shots, which are harder than they seem once dinosaurs start moving and reacting to you, sometimes too fast for you to catch.
Even though most of the fun is going out and finding the dinosaurs for photos, you’ll have to keep an eye on your island as well. Pay attention to the number of tourists who arrive to check out the museum, and build new buildings to make it an even bigger tourist attraction and rake in those exploration funds.
I’ve only just started Jurassic GO this morning while sipping my coffee, but I’m finding it to be an incredibly fun and relaxing experience, as I’ve never played Pokémon Snap before. The graphics in Jurassic GO are super cute and charming, the music is soothing, and the controls are intuitive. I’m having a blast just finding new dinosaurs in each environment, and it’s always exciting to watch your park get fame and fortune as a result of your work. I think the only improvement that could be made to the game is more environments, so hopefully the developer considers adding this in the future. Still, the game is solid right now, and proving to be rather addictive.
I highly recommend checking out Jurassic GO if you are looking for a Pokémon Snap-style game on iOS, or just want to take pictures of dinosaurs that are way cuter than they should be. Jurassic GO is on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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