"If there is an app for that"

Become a Legend in Lost Frontier, Mika Mobile’s New Strategy Game

June 02, 2016 by macjeff

Lost Frontier ($2.99) by Mika Mobile, Inc. is a turn-based strategy game that is in the likes of Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. If you’re a fan of strategy and enjoyed Mika Mobile’s other titles, which include the Battleheart and Zombieville series of games, then this is a top tier game for your collection.

Strategy games are fairly popular with gamers, and while I’m not the best at them (in fact, I’m rather terrible I think), I still enjoy them because at the end of the day, they provide some good storylines and the gameplay is fun. Two of the most popular franchises that I know of for top-down map strategy is Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. I never got into the Advance Wars games, but I have dabbled with several Fire Emblem titles, which I found to be great, despite my lack of skill (I can never survive Hard mode). Several years ago, I poured hours and hours into the original Battleheart, which was an RPG (more my forte) with some light strategy elements in it. Ever since then, I’ve been a big fan of Mika Mobile since then, so when I heard of Lost Frontier several months ago, I had to check it out anyway. Who can resist a new game from Mika Mobile? Certainly not me.

In terms of visuals, Lost Frontier reminds me a lot of the original Battleheart, and even the Zombieville games that I didn’t fully get into. It has a cute little cartoon art style that Mika Mobile is known for, and the details of the Wild West environments are rather detailed for their toon-like nature. The colors used in the game are rich and vibrant, and all text is easy-to-read so you aren’t struggling to know what’s going on, especially on larger screens. Animations in Lost Frontier are buttery smooth, and I experienced zero lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. To top off the Wild West theme, the game features a rather soothing guitar tune in the background, making you feel like you’re out in the American Old West with a splash of fantasy. So in terms of visuals and audio, Mika Mobile has once again nailed it.

There are three different modes available in Lost Frontier: Story, Challenge Maps, and Custom Game. However, everyone will need to start with Story Mode, since the other two are unlocked as you make progress in the game. You also start off with three different “Living Legends,” who are the leaders of your forces. Each one has their own unique play style and will bring out the best potential in the units you choose to play with.

While you start out with three, there are nine of them, so the last six you’ll have to unlock. There are also 20 different unit types that you can recruit on the battlefield, though like everything else, you have to discover them all and unlock them to use. Each unit has their own strengths and weaknesses, such as close-range Gunslingers, sniping Riflemen, Cannons, Zeppelins, and even Werewolves and Necromancers at some point.

As you start off with Story Mode, you’ll get to choose which Legend you want to play as, and they will level up as you complete missions. You can choose any Legend before diving in, though you probably should replay old maps to level up the Legends you haven’t used before. When Legends level up, they will gain more properties that boost your team, such as more health or increased damage. You can also earn up to three stars on each map as you complete objectives, which is a great and challenging addition for the perfectionists out there.

If you’ve played Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, then you should know how the gameplay works. Each level features a different grid map layout that has advantageous or disadvantageous terrain, saloons to capture for unit recruitment, and enemies to fight. Both you and the enemy AI take turns moving your units around, which is done by tapping-to-select the unit you want, then moving it to another square in the allowed range (blue), and then attacking a target (red square), healing (green square) or waiting. Each unit type will have its own limitations, which include movement and attack range, whether it can move and attack in the same turn, able to counter attack, and more. You’ll also be able to see the health bar of your units when they’re attacking or are attacked by enemy units.

One important thing to note about counter-attacking is that not every unit is capable of doing so. Gunslingers, since they are close combat, are able to counter attack, but ranged units like the Rifleman are not. Also, counter attacks don’t do the full amount of damage that the unit is capable of dishing out since wounded units deal less damage.

Once you have taken action on all of your units for your turn, you can manually end it by tapping on the menu button in the top right corner and then choosing “End Turn.” The reason for not auto-ending is due to the fact that you can recruit more units at any moment during your turn, so this gives you the opportunity to scout out the map and see if you need more backup. You have other options in this menu as well, such as “Save and Exit” if you don’t have any more time to complete a stage, or you can “Surrender” if you know that you’ve been defeated.

Another important key to success in Lost Frontier is the fact that you need to capture saloons and other buildings to recruit more units during battle. To capture a saloon, you have to have your units attack the building until it’s depleted of hit points. New recruits cost money, which you gain at the beginning of each turn (depending on how many units have survived so far and how many saloons you’ve captured). If you lose your Legendary unit, you’ll have to recruit him again, which can be rather expensive, so make sure to keep him alive — other units are cheaper, and you want to make sure to have that Legendary boost power.

It’s highly recommended that you go through Story Mode first before taking on Challenge Maps, though, since those feature enemies that are at max level and have all bonuses and perks unlocked, though you are able to recruit any unit type in the game. There’s no hand-holding in Challenge Mode, so it’s not for the feint of heart. Custom Game lets you play head-to-head with a friend on one device, which is great for some healthy competition. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer, though maybe the developers can consider that for the future.

I am not too far into Lost Frontier, but it’s definitely one of my top game picks for the week. The graphics are in line with the standard Mika Mobile style, which is awesome, and the music make you feel like you’re in with all of the action. The storyline is pretty interesting so far, and the gameplay itself is rather difficult and challenging, so I’m sure that it will appeal to all strategy game fans. The variety of maps, modes, Legends, and unit types creates something amazing, especially when you get to the fantasy elements later on. I just hope that Mika Mobile can consider implementing some kind of online multiplayer mode as well as the local version, because I think that would add another layer of excitement to it all.

All-in-all, I highly recommend Lost Frontier, especially if you enjoy the Wild West fantasy theme, strategy games, or just Mika Mobile in general. Lost Frontier is available on the App Store as a universal download for $2.99.

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 06/02/2016

June 02, 2016 by macjeff

The Fourth Dimension , Runaway Hero - Dangerous Running , Poetics - create, write and share visual poetry and more

iPhone:

You're able to import any photo from your library or take a new one from within the app. You can scale, apply filters, and adjust the parameters of your photo. Then write anything you want on it, whether that's a poem or a caption. You're able to add as few or as many words as you want and manipulate them with common gesture controls. Your unique creations can be shared via email, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or Twitter.

Universal:

The Fourth Dimension will blow you away. Not just the mathematical idea, but the app itself. It takes you on a 30 page journey that starts at dimension zero and works towards the fourth dimension. Each page includes detailed yet engaging text and interactive models that will help you grasp the concept.

Today only: Disable ads free of charge. Simply tap the ads button on the main screen and confirm your action. You’ll then be able to set checkpoints without receiving ads. Explore four unique environments on a quest to become your own hero. You’re able to move around and jump from platform to platform using an on-screen directional pad and buttons. Intricate puzzles await at every turn along with traps and powerful enemies. At each checkpoint you’ll receive words of wisdom from popular authors.

This isn’t just your everyday compass. Sure, it can show your orientation in real-time, but it also includes coordinates, course, speed, altitude, and weather data all on the same screen. Location data can be copied to your clipboard and used in other apps. Compass also includes imperial and metric support, true and magnetic North, Google Maps integration, and two themes to choose from.

Gather the family and enjoy a collection of five different games all centered around the farm. You’ll find air hockey, lotto, dice, dominoes, and color tiles. Each game includes helpful indicators to assist whoever is playing, and unique characters.

Take It Easy provides you with random tile pieces that feature different colored stripes. Your job is to place the tiles so that they form continuous rows of the same color from edge to edge. Tiles with stripes that don't match will break the entire row, so be careful. The game includes three modes, local and online multiplayer, and achievements and leaderboards via Game Center.

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

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

June 02, 2016 by macjeff

Everyone likes free apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up fast. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

The post Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.

Tumblr for iPhone becomes a meme generator with a new GIF captioning feature

June 01, 2016 by macjeff

Tumblr for iPhone was updated this morning on the App Store with a much appreciated GIF-captioning feature which helps turn the popular micro-blogging software into an instant meme generator.

In addition to the ability to post regular GIF images and animated GIFs, now both static and animated GIFs can include funny captions with support for up to three built-in fonts and custom colors.

"Now you can add text to your GIFs," read release notes accompanying the download. "With three fun and sporty fonts, and a rainbow of color options, you’re guaranteed to find something for every GIF."

To get started, select the GIF option when creating a new post and then capture or select a GIF or animated GIF from your Photos library. On the next screen, tap the new "Aa" icon at the bottom to access the GIF-captioning mode.

You can then type a caption, choose a color using a slider on the right edge of the screen (just like on Facebook’s mobile app= or tap the "Aa" button to cycle through the three available fonts.

Lastly, this edition of Tumblr for iPhone includes a handy security feature—which must be manually enabled within in-app settings—to keep all your precious GIFs safe and sound with passcode lock.

Grab Tumblr for free on the App Store.

Make Squares, Not Lines in Eklips, a New Tetris-Inspired Puzzler

June 01, 2016 by macjeff

Eklips ($1.99) by Umut Dervis is a completely different take on the classic Tetris game. If you grew up on Tetris and still love the gameplay, but want something that’s new and refreshing, then Eklips is certainly worth taking a look at, especially if you’re a puzzle game fan.

I was born in the ‘80s, and one of my earliest memories is playing Tetris for hours on my first computer, which was an IBM that ran MS DOS. I remember that whenever I was bored at home or just given some computer time, Tetris was one of the first things I went to (that or Solitaire). I grew up with the game, and I even purchased several new versions of it for my handheld systems when I was younger. However, as time went on, even though Tetris is a classic, the overall gameplay is the same, despite different modes being added to new versions and whatnot. But when I saw Eklips on the App Store last night, I was intrigued, because it had the familiar tetromino shapes. I downloaded it quickly and so far am loving what the game offers, although there is some room for improvement.

Visually, Eklips is rather simple and clean, carrying a minimalistic aesthetic that is still gorgeous to behold. The game features a dark-toned purple background that is dotted with white to symbolize stars, and there are even some slim clouds and a thin, crescent-shaped moon up towards the top. It’s rather soothing, which is fitting considering that this is a puzzle game. The game pieces themselves are colored blue when they first appear, but as you set them on the board, they solidify and become hues of pink and purple to match the backdrop. And while there is an overall sense of flatness to the graphics, you can even access a toggle during games to change it from showing one chunk to multiple chunks or give everything a top-of-the-pyramid style look. Animations are pretty smooth and fluid, and the game has a relaxing white-noise soundtrack that will definitely help you unwind as you rack up as many points as you can. Overall, the developer has done an excellent job in the visual and audio department for Eklips.

There are two game modes in Eklips: Normal and Hard. Regardless of the mode you choose, you play endlessly until there is no more space on the board. The goal is to drop the game pieces on the board so that they create a square around the center tile. So if you’re familiar with Tetris, think of it like you’re creating squares rather than lines, because that is what the game is all about. You score points for completing a full square around the center, though more points are awarded as the square is larger. You can also get more points if you get consecutive squares with one move, so it’s a good idea to plan strategically. Each time you complete a square and it’s cleared out, the rest of the blocks gravitate towards the center.

Controls in Eklips are simple enough to understand, but I found that it could be too sensitive and hard to control at times. When each game piece shows up on the board, you drag it around the perimeter of the board with your finger. The position of the piece will change depending on the side of the board that it is on, but you cannot rotate it manually like in Tetris. Because of this limitation, things can get pretty tricky during the game, since you have to line it up to where you want to go. To make things a bit easier, the piece has a shadow that tells you where it will end up, so the chances of wrong placement are reduced. If you notice a mistake, you can undo one move with the button in the bottom left corner.

While the controls work, I found that it can be frustrating at times. This is because the sensitivity cannot be adjusted, and sometimes I found it hard to get the piece in the spot that I wanted, as it would be one square off or something like that. I’m also not a fan of how the game does not give you the option to have a preview of the next piece, as Tetris would provide, and only reveals the next piece after you’re out of space on the grid. I’d prefer it to not tell me what the next piece was going to be if I can’t get a preview during the game, or at least have it as an option. Perhaps the developer can consider that in the future.

I’ve only been playing Eklips for a short while, but so far, despite the flaws in control scheme, I find the game to be rather enjoyable. The game looks beautiful and the music is perfect for unwinding after a long day, and the unique gameplay makes it stand out from the rest. It should be familiar to anyone who plays Tetris, but it is different enough to be its own thing. I just hope that the controls get optimized in a future update, and options to show piece preview or just not show you what the next piece would have been after you lose would be nice to contemplate. Still, Eklips is a fun puzzle game that you’ll keep coming back to.

I recommend giving Eklips a try for yourself, especially if you enjoy Tetris or strategy puzzle games in general. Eklips is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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