 "App Weekly: Here are the most noteworthy apps this week")
This week, App Weekly lists apps which will make your commutes truly delightful. Delve into the aural adventure of Blindscape or help an ambitious royal build his empire. Use Fortune City for the dual goals of budget tracking and FUN! [caption id=“attachment_4194077” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Smash Club[/caption] Relax with Thisissand and tickle your brain cells with the creative puzzles of Sporos. 1. Randomizer Randomizer is the answer to all your randomization needs. As of writing, the app allows you to randomly draw lots, pick colours, flick coins and generate letters. Suppose you need to settle who gets the last momo when you go out on a date. You could make a logical argument for why you need the delicious dumpling, or flick a coin in this neat app to decide. Randomizer shall also mask your lack of hand-eye coordination which might be revealed when you flick an actual coin. The random colours option will help you if you are an artist or in the habit of colouring things. You can use the number option if you’ve lost all your dice and urgently need to play Monopoly. 2. Blindscape Blindscape is a compelling, audio-only story of a man blinded in punishment for an untold crime. You start playing just when the protagonist contemplates leaving the apartment where he has been staying after having his eyes burned out. The environment is created with atmospheric sounds. Slowly, through the narration of the protagonist, you are told the story of this dystopian world. The mystery grows and much of the action is based on where you tap according to the directions given by the man. Scenes are described to you and you must use your imagination to build a visual of the game and take the appropriate action. In the beginning, you will be tapping blindly in the dark, as the game intends. You move by tapping in the direction of sounds and the constant tread of the man’s feet grounds you in his world. Blindscape is a unique gaming experience and one you must try out in order to truly get a sense of it. 3.
Ready Maker Ready Maker is a game development app where you can create your own game with a few taps. There is no coding required and hence you can focus on your creativity and storytelling instead of getting bogged down with the execution. The app does not have the versatility of say, Unity, but it might be a good introduction if you are just starting out with building games or want a quick prototype of a game idea you have. There are a lot of videos in the help section of the app which will show you the different ways the app can be used. You can create decent games, and all without any coding. 4. Sporos
Sporos is an elegant puzzle game based on covering a board with special spores. Each such spore can cover a certain number of diagonals. The puzzles are solved by placing these in a manner that they cover all cells of the asymmetric boards. The graphics are polished and space-y. The sound adds to the otherworldly appeal. The game will keep you thoroughly engaged if you love puzzles. With over 400 free levels, it will be some time before you look up from your phone screen. 5. Idle Empires
Idle Empires is about a forward-thinking monarch who wants to industrialize his kingdom. He turns simple cottages into coal mines and handlooms into textile factories. The game is an interesting look into the process of industrialization and how it may be opposed. There is an unrest score which increases the more you change things. Change too many and the people will revolt. The game is acutely aware of the realities of turning everything into a production line. The people want simpler things but the king keeps pushing them towards creating more in this amazing clicker. The witty dialogue and underlying message will win you over. The graphics of Idle Empires will keep you hooked. Besides, creating empires isn’t the worst use of your leisure time. 6. Thisissand Thisissand is a minimalist app where you can play with sand. While that is literally it, the potential uses for this app depend on your imagination. There is something infinitely soothing about just watching the sand fall to the floor. Thisissand can be used to create unique artworks by changing the colour of the sand you let fall. You can also share your creations with the larger community or see what they are up to in the app. 7. Smash Club
Smash Club is perhaps one of the greatest street-fighting games in recent times. The street where our protagonist and his girlfriend are hiding has been overtaken by some goons with a diverse range of sartorial choices. While some prefer to wear the same old jeans and t-shirt, others amp up their outfits with dog masks and nunchucks. Smash Club stands true to its name and the levels are one long street brawl after another. Smash Club has endearing blocky graphics and a range of character you would love to play with. 8. Fortune City Fortune City links your real world expenditure with a clicker/city builder. At the heart of it, Fortune City is an expense tracking app. But what it does after you enter your expenses is what makes it so interesting. The app creates buildings proportional to your spending.You act as the mayor of this town created by your own spending. Then, you must manage resources and employees within this space. Fortune City is a great way to keep track of your expenses and comes complete with the usual pie charts and other visualizations of such apps. Where it shines, though, is the gaming aspect. This combination will keep you coming back to the app every day.
