"If there is an app for that"

Best app deals of the day! 8 paid iPhone apps free for a limited time

March 28, 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! 8 paid iPhone apps free for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 03/28/2016

March 28, 2016 by macjeff

Gloomlogue , GREG - A Mathematical Puzzle Game To Train Your Brain Skills , Globo - World Clock and Weather and more

iPhone:

It requires very little effort to transform your photos into illustrated gloom paintings. Just choose a photo from your library or take a new one from within the app. Then drag the gloom slider to adjust the intensity of the effect. After that, you can take your photos to a whole new level by applying filters, text, borders, and distortions. Your creations can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, AirDrop, or email.

You’re able to create a list of your favorite locations around the world and view their times as a color-coded list. Tap on a location to view more detailed information like its time zone, time interval and distance from you, coordinates, and even weather. You’re also able to change the time in one location and see the changes in all of your other locations. The app includes support for up to 64 custom location-based alarms, imperial and metric support, two sorting options, and 12- and 24-hour formats.

Play as a retired hero who is forced to draw his sword once again when his daughter is taken by an unknown power. Spin the wheel to battle opponents, earn gold, and obtain special items. The game includes 39 different enemies, 37 types of equipment, 39 combat quests, 12 tavern quests, and three different endings.

Universal:

GREG proves that even simple math isn’t easy. A grid of numbered tokens is laid out before you. Tap on tokens to select and add them up in order to match the number at the top. Each turn of the timer located around the number at the top will cause the unused tokens to become hotter and change color. If a single token burns up before you reach the next level, it’s game over. Bonus points can be scored by making lines, squares, and crosses from your selected tokens, and you can utilize power-ups to clear levels faster.

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

Vertical Divide

March 28, 2016 by macjeff

Vertical Divide ($2.99) by Emmet Morris is a new number puzzle game that will keep your brain stimulated for hours to come. If you are a fan of other games like Threes! and The Mesh, then you will love Vertical Divide.

As you have probably guessed from what I do here at AppAdvice, I definitely consider myself a word person, and not a big fan of numbers, personally. However, one of my favorite game types are puzzles, and my love of puzzle games does not stop me from trying the numerical ones, even though I am probably terrible compared to many other players out there. My scores in Threes! are abysmal compared to what I’ve seen some of my friends get, and I always end up failing on The Mesh at around the same point. Still, that doesn’t stop me from playing and just having a good time, so naturally, I was excited when I first heard about Vertical Divide.

The visuals in Vertical Divide are simple and clean, which should appeal to all of the minimalists out there. In fact, the game has a style that is very reminiscent of Threes!, which may rub off the wrong way for some, but I believe the developer is just drawing heavy inspiration from one of the most popular iOS games ever made. For me, I don’t mind the “inspiration,” because it just works well. Vertical Divide features a lot of whitespace, grays, and soft pink and blue number tiles that contrast nicely against the background. Animations in the game are smooth and fluid, and the upbeat, quirky soundtrack is rather pleasant to listen to. Overall, the heavily-influenced design of Vertical Divide is familiar and comforting, despite the completely different gameplay involved.

There are two game modes in Vertical Divide: Classic and Strategy. While the gameplay remains the same in both, there is just one difference: Classic spawns blocks at random, and Strategy has a specific sequence for the spawning blocks. I would recommend starting out with Classic before attempting Strategy, as the game does take a bit of getting used to before you understand the basics. In fact, Vertical Divide has a rather drawn out tutorial in the beginning to explain how the game works, so I endorse reading it thoroughly to get the basics.

Essentially, the board will start out with some pink “1” blocks. The game spawns blue blocks at the top, and you need to move them by dragging your finger horizontally on the screen, then release to drop the blue tile on the board in the column you want. The blue blocks need to be placed on each other so that the bottom one will be divided by the top one. You can also combine blue blocks that are next to each other so that they are a larger number, but then you also need to divide by a large number as well. The division result will then remove that many pink blocks underneath. However, if you don’t divide evenly, the remainder gets added back on the board as pink blocks. Once the board is filled to the top and you can no longer make any moves, then it is game over.

I know — it all sounds a bit confusing at first, but once you see the game in action and try a few rounds, you’ll pick it up quickly. But don’t be fooled by the simplistic appearance, as the game is much more challenging than it looks. Despite only having two game modes, the game has a high amount of replay value, since you’ll keep coming back in attempts to beat your previous high score. There is also Game Center integration for leaderboards so you can compete with friends.

I’ve only just started Vertical Divide recently, but so far I’m enjoying the challenge that the game brings, despite not being a big numbers person to begin with. The game looks great with the minimal aesthetics, the music is fun to listen to, and the unique gameplay is interesting and refreshing. The only thing I don’t like about the game is the fact that you can’t see which column you’re going in without looking at the top, and sometimes a slight adjustment in your positioning results in the number tile going in the wrong column. I hope the developer considers optimizing the controls, as it would lead to less frustration down the road. For now, though, you just have to be very careful with where you’re putting that number down.

I recommend giving Vertical Divide a try if you’re in the mood for a simple but challenging numerical puzzle. You can get Vertical Divide on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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

Love You To Bits

March 28, 2016 by macjeff

Love You To Bits ($3.99) by Alike Studio is a cute point-and-click adventure puzzle that tells the story of a young space explorer who sets out on a journey to collect the pieces of his robot girlfriend that got blown up in a fatal accident. If you enjoy games that tug at your heartstrings, such as Stay, Mum, then you will like what Love You to Bits has to offer.

I’m sure it’s been said before, but one of the biggest dreams of any person is probably to go in space. Yeah, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to achieve that in my lifetime, but one can always continue dreaming, right? And hey, we still have video games that can make the dream feel a bit more obtainable, so there’s that. Oh, and love is a great feeling, though it can bring you a lot of pain too, but it’s essential to our lives. When you put all of these together (puzzles, space travel, and love), you can get quite a concoction of a game, especially on mobile. That’s just what Love You To Bits is, and it’s executed extremely well.

The visuals in Love You To Bits is stunningly beautiful and looks great on Retina screens. The graphics appear as a cartoon-like style, but if you look closely enough, it also has a bit of a paper craft aesthetic to it due to the subtle textures. The colors in the game range from soft and muted to bright and vivid, depending on the locale that you’re in. Regardless, though, the colors are vibrant and rich, making the graphics pop out on the screen. Animations are smooth and fluid, and the whimsical, piano-heavy soundtrack is a delight to the ears, especially if you’re using headphones. Overall, Alike Studio has done an excellent job in terms of looks and sound in Love You To Bits.

In Love You To Bits, players are first greeted with a scene that introduces Kosmo, a clumsy, rookie space explorer who is traveling the universe with his robot girlfriend, Nova. However, their time is cut short when an accident occurs on the ship, resulting in the loss of Nova as her robotic body gets blown up into pieces and scattered throughout the universe. Now, Kosmo sets out on a journey to explore various planets one-by-one, solving puzzles and discovering new life as he collects her bits piece-by-piece, with the end goal of rebuilding her so that they can be back together once more. Yes — cue those feelings and teardrops, everyone!

Each planet that Kosmo will encounter acts as a level, with one piece of Nova that is scattered somewhere on the stage. Your goal is to retrieve the piece to reveal the portal that takes you to the next planet, and repeat the process until Nova is rebuilt. However, this is easier said than done sometimes, because the puzzles that the game throws at you can take some brainpower to solve. And if you’re a fan of Monument Valley, then you’ll feel right at home because some of the levels feature some tricky optical illusions. Each puzzle will take a few minutes to solve, though you can’t really get stuck on a stage since the events happen pretty chronologically. You’ll have to collect items to use on other objects, activate switches, and more on your journey for rebuilding your love.

As mentioned from the start, Love You To Bits is a point-and-click adventure, so moving is done by tapping the spot that you want Kosmo to move to. It’s simple enough, though Kosmo does move a bit slower than I’d like. When you come across something that Kosmo can interact with, whether it’s picking up an object, using something in your stash, or activating levers and pushing buttons, a bubble pops up above Kosmo with a hand icon. Tap on it to interact with the object. Like other point-and-click adventures, it will take a bit of trial-and-error and time to figure out everything to solve a puzzle. Fortunately, there is no time limit or points to worry about in the game, so you can play at your own pace. Additionally, there are other hidden items that you can find as you explore the vast universe for your robotic love, so make sure to check out everything there is on a level. These special items will reveal the touching past of Kosmo and Nova, in case you weren’t done riding the feel train already.

I’ve only just started Love You To Bits, but I’m already in love with it. The visuals are adorable, the ambient soundtrack is a joy to listen to as you play, the controls are simple enough, and the puzzles are fun and challenging. Plus, with the developer already promising more levels in the future (with no in-app purchases), there is plenty of reason to keep coming back to this adorable point-and-click puzzle adventure.

I highly recommend checking out Love You To Bits if you like cute stories and love a good point-and-click adventure with challenging puzzles. You can get Love You To Bits on the App Store as a universal download for the iPhone and iPad for just $3.99.

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

Ninja Boy Adventures

March 28, 2016 by macjeff

Ninja Boy Adventures ($1.99) by The Clash Soft is a nice homage to the original Bomberman franchise. If you were a fan of that franchise, or just love a good strategic maze-based game, then Ninja Boy Adventures is for you.

When I was growing up, I remember having a few of the original Bomberman video games for what I believe was a Game Boy system (I didn’t have a great memory of what I owned back then). I am not sure exactly why I liked the Bomberman games at the time, but I think it was my joy and glee watching enemies get blown up as they stupidly walked into the path of a bomb I had planted for them. I was an easily entertained kid back then, and I think that still holds true even more nowadays when I play video games. So of course, when I heard that Ninja Boy Adventures was coming out and played like Bomberman games, I just had to get my hands on it and check it out. How can I resist a solid piece of my childhood?

Visually, Ninja Boy Adventures has a modernized aesthetic, but it still serves as a nice tribute to the old-school Bomberman games of yore due to the simple style. The mazes are laid out in simplistic or complex layouts that definitely give you a challenge each time you play, and the colors are bright and vibrant, especially the squishy-looking menu buttons. I like the character sprites of Ninja Boy himself, as well as all of the various enemies and bosses, because the game is just bursting with personality and the characters feel like a blast from the past (Ninja Boy has a close resemblance to Bomberman, you can’t miss the similarities in character design). Animations are smooth and fluid, with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. The game also has an awesome, quirky chiptune soundtrack and fun sound effects that definitely give players a sense of nostalgia, so it’s a nice overall finishing touch to the game’s great visual and audio package.

There are two modes in Ninja Boy Adventures: Story Mode and Battle Internet. The Battle Mode allows you to play up with up to three other people in real-time over the Internet. If you have an Apple TV, the game also works on that, and everyone can play offline on one device, which is nice. The Story Mode is where you will probably spend most of your time though, and it includes a total of 30 levels that are distributed over 11 different zones and three worlds. This also has an optional collaborative mode where up to four players can play together to try and beat the game.

So what is the goal of Ninja Boy Adventures? Each stage puts you in a maze of walls and boxes that can be blown up to reveal some nice power-up items. You have to make your way around the maze and eliminate all of the enemies and bosses before the exit appears and you can move on to the next level. While it sounds easy, things get a bit more complicated as you encounter enemies that can freely roam around, fly over walls, and many other abilities. You’ll have to plan your exit strategy with precision, because sometimes you just never know if you’re going to be cornered. Plus, you have to watch out for those bombs you’re planting down as well — if you’re in the line of fire for the blast, you lose a life, and you only have so many of those (indicated at the top of the screen). To make things more challenging, each stage has a time limit as well, so you have to think quickly for your best plan of action within the allotted time frame.

The controls in Ninja Boy Adventures are simple and intuitive. In the bottom left corner, there is a virtual joystick for moving Ninja Boy left, right, up, and down in the labyrinth. Don’t worry if your thumb ends up straying from the corner, though — the joystick is not pinned to the corner, so it will follow your thumb around as you drag it to move Ninja Boy. To place a bomb down (you have an infinite number), just tap on the button located in the bottom right corner. But watch out — once a bomb is put down, it’s recommended to move at least a few squares away from it, as it takes a few seconds to detonate, and will kill you if you’re caught in the crossfire.

As I mentioned, there are power-up items to be found in the destroyable crates. These contain useful things like extending the range of the blast (be careful though), increasing the damage, land mines that trigger when stepped on, and more. But you’ll have to look at the power-ups carefully, because some are traps, such as instant-death or reducing your bomb power. Since you have to keep an eye on what drops from boxes as well as steering clear of enemy movement patterns, things can become pretty hectic as you make progress. It’s all about timing, accuracy, and most importantly, skill, in this game. I mean, that’s what the old Bomberman games were about, so why should this be any different?

Thanks to the co-op play and online multiplayer battles, there is plenty of replay value here even if you beat the game and obtain the best possible score for each stage. Plus, there is Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements, so there’s plenty of reason to keep coming back for more.

I grew up with the old Bomberman games and have missed them a lot, so it’s nice to have Ninja Boy Adventures on my iOS so I can get my Bomberman fix (as close as I’m going to get) while I’m on-the-go. The visual style in the game is beautiful, the retro music and sounds are a joy to the ears, and the controls are easy to pick up and rather intuitive. The difficulty of the game also ramps up gradually, so I think it’s friendly enough for anyone to enjoy.

I highly recommend giving Ninja Boy Adventures a try if you’re a fan of Bomberman or like challenging maze strategy games. Ninja Boy Adventures is available on the App Store as a universal app for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases, so you pay once and get the game on every platform.

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