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TUAW's Daily App: Piczle Lines
Piczle Lines is pretty much the perfect iPhone game. It's a quick, pick-up and play puzzle affair, with a Japanese puzzle style that is easy to learn but gets twistier and tougher as it goes along. It's well-polished, with a cute story mode and extra puzzle packs to play and buy as you go along. And oh yeah, it's free to download and start playing. You should probably be headed over to the App Store by now, but just in case you want to know more, Piczle Lines has you assembling (very low resolution) "photos" by drawing out various colored lines. The start and end of each line are marked by numbers saying how many line segments the lines take up, so your job is to connect the lines in just the right way, recreating whatever pictures you come up with. Gameplay is simple and easy -- the app tracks your movements very well, and undoing a line is as simple as tracing it back the way it came. The game starts out very easily, with obvious solutions to the puzzles offered, but it gets tough quickly, as vast line segments must be drawn exactly the right way to match up the numbers on either side. Piczle Lines is a lot of fun, very well made, and the fact that it's a free download (with extra puzzle packs to buy if you happen to complete the main set of 20 puzzles) is just icing on the cake.
TUAW's Daily App: Plates!
A while back, we featured a game in this space called White Lines, a sort of Simon Says-style gesture drawing game. The game's creator, Kyle Webster, recently released his second app on the App Store, and this one is a little different -- much more frantic, and much more colorful. It's called Plates!, and you can pick it up right now for an "introductory price" of US$0.99. The idea is simple -- you have three conveyor belts on screen, and each one funnels plates of food past you. There are four different sauces on the four different corners of the iPhone, and your goal is to tap a certain sauce, then tap the appropriate plate, squirting the correct sauce on each dish as it goes past. Hitting combos will get you a bonus score, and eventually there are even non-food items sprinkled in among the mix that you have to avoid to keep going. The game gets pretty fast quickly, and when combo plates show up, you'll have to squirt fast to keep the food moving ("squirt" is an appropriate word -- the game isn't all that appetizing, despite the colorful graphics). Add in OpenFeint functionality, and you've got a pretty addictive little reflex tester. Plates! is good, simple fun for just a buck.
TUAW's Daily App: NFL 2011
Madden is usually the word in football video games around this time of year, but just in case you don't want to spend that $8, Gameloft has a deal for you. Even before the season starts, it's dropped the price on NFL 2011 to just 99 cents. The Gameloft version doesn't quite have as much polish or flair as the EA game, but it's more than serviceable as a football game, and it includes all of your favorite NFL brands and players. If you just want to throw the pigskin around and see if your team can grab a few touchdowns or hold the line, Gameloft's version is great. If you're a real football junkie, Madden's version is probably worth the extra scratch; in addition to that aforementioned polish, it's got a full management game, and Gameloft's game has you sticking with whatever team they give you. Additionally, Madden's got a playoff mode and a nice community behind it, and obviously, since Gameloft's dropping the price, they're basically declaring a surrender to the bigger EA title. That's fine, though. The cheapskates among us who don't mind a pared-down pigskin experience still win. You can grab NFL 2011 for just a buck "for a limited time."
TUAW's Daily App: Evolution Defense
Evolution Defense is a pretty good tower defense title. While it doesn't add a whole lot to the genre (there is some innovation in terms of how towers are upgraded, and support towers can be built and added in around damaged towers), it is a smooth and direct TD game that's made for the iPhone. Your job is to attack pathogens that are invading a bloodstream, and as with the usual tower defense spiel, you need to build up towers along the pathway (according to the currency that you have). It's pretty basic stuff, but a solid amount of tower choices and some excellent (if a little strange) graphical representations make for a quality game. Best of all, it's completely free. It seems like it's been a while since we featured a freebie, so head on over to the App Store, and pick it up right away. Facebook integration will add a little extra oomph to the gameplay, and there's supposed to be a pretty good multiplayer mode (that, unfortunately, didn't work on my 1G iPhone) where you put your own creations up against a friend's tower setup. All in all, it's an excellent bit of fun for the low, low price of free.
TUAW's Daily App: Soundrop
Soundrop isn't really a game -- it's more of a musical instrument, although you can play with it for quite a while. The app presents a small hole that constantly drops balls out at a certain rate, while you draw lines on the screen with your finger. Where the balls hit the lines, a tone is sounded, and by positioning the lines in the right places, you can make an interesting sort of music. The app itself calls it "musical geometry," and it is surprisingly fun, even if you aren't a musician. With headphones, you can actually hear the whole thing in stereo, which makes for another fun factor of the experience. The app is a free download, although you only get a demo for free, with the ability to just draw white lines anywhere. Paying US $1.99 opens up the full functionality, and you can change physics, add more spouts, or change the colors of the lines that are drawn, creating different musical noises with each color. It's a good time -- play with the free version to see if it hits you right, and then if you're interested, you can buy in for the two bucks and have the whole app.
TUAW's Daily App: Gravity Runner
Gravity Runner is a little game put together by a group called We Are Colin -- it's a side-scrolling platformer with, as the name implies, a gravity defying twist. The idea is that after tapping to jump as your little character runs along, you can tap again to switch his gravity, and start running on the ceiling rather than the floor. As you might expect, the game gets tough fast -- not only is the speed uncontrollable (the game is somewhat forgiving, as hitting obstacles will usually get your guy to stop rather than actually kill him), but the jumping is kind of "floaty," requiring split-second timing even early on in the game's 25 plus stages. There's also an endless mode to play with, and OpenFeint functionality adds leaderboards and achievements to the mix as well. Gravity Runner isn't really playing around -- just a few stages in, you'll have to depend on both quick timing and a little bit of thought about which way your guy is headed. But it's an excellent platformer that eventually turns into a puzzle game, as you try to see just how to get your character jumping up where he needs to be. At its current price of just 99 cents, Gravity Runner has a nice retro charm that's worth the buck.
TUAW's Daily App: Times for iPad
We posted about Times way back in April of last year. Back then, it was an RSS reader for Mac that organized your feeds into a newspaper-style page, so you could quickly and easily scan and browse a lot of information. Nowadays, of course, the iPad is one of the main devices for consumption of online content, and the team at Acrylic has finally brought that reader over to Apple's tablet (and the 2.0 Mac version is due out soon as well). It doesn't hurt, I'm sure, that apps like Flipboard have made it cool to consume RSS content in a programmatically designed form again. Times is pretty smooth, as you can see on the website. It will seamlessly bring in content from all of your feeds, as well as Facebook and Twitter, and organize them all in an easy to read newspaper/blog format. Unfortunately, it doesn't sync up with the Mac version (or any other readers that you may already have set up), so you'll probably have to rebuild whatever group of feeds you're already reading. And personally, I have the same problem with this that I have with all of these "nice" feed readers; it's cool to see your feeds all prettied up and formatted, but sometimes I just want to make sure that I see important news or hit a certain site first. But that's not the kind of reading you'd do with an app like this anyway. (Since I write for TUAW, a lot of my RSS reading is systematically combing for interesting stories and posts.) As a simple iPad reader that makes multiple feeds pretty and easy to read, Times for iPad is worth checking out if you haven't landed on a good solution yet. It's US $7.99 on the App Store right now.
TUAW's Daily App: The Incident
The Incident makes for one of the best reasons to be a gamer and own an iPhone -- it's a purely indie affair, with excellent pixel graphics and game design by Neven Mrgan and Matt Comi and terrific chiptunes by Cabel Sasser. And it's a wacky little concoction that doesn't sound like it will work, but of course does, and well. You play a little guy who, standing in the street one day, is suddenly assaulted by falling objects from above. There's a little bit more to uncover, but that's really all you need -- you can tilt the iPhone back and forth to move your guy around in 2D, and tap on the screen to jump out of the way of falling objects above, marked by a warning flash on top of the screen. It sounds strange, and it is, but it works. The controls are responsive, the graphics are colorful, and the game perfectly captures that "one more try" feeling as you ascend through the seven levels, climbing up on the fallen objects all the way to the top of the sky. There are lots of coins, med packs, and extra lives to collect as you go, but the tough part is just staying out of the way -- three hits on the noggin costs you a life (and gives you a trophy to remember what wacky object killed you). There are many, many objects in the game, too, and you'll undoubtedly be surprised by what falls on you next. It's a great game, worth every cent of the US $1.99 they're selling it for in the App Store. Terrific little indie games like this are what make the iPhone platform really shine.
TUAW's Daily App: Dimensions
Dimensions is a pretty interesting idea for an iPhone app. It's a set of 3D tools that you can actually use in real life, all put together by making use of the iPhone's hardware in various ways. There's a caliper, a ruler, a couple of tape measures for various sizes, a measuring wheel for even longer distances, and a pedometer. There are a few other surprises, too, including a lightning distance calculator, and a level, both likely included just for fun. Unfortunately, while the tools work well, the app doesn't actually provide any instruction on how to use them. If you don't know how to use a caliper or a level already, you're going to be on your own -- the app doesn't have a lot of polish or documentation, which is too bad. It'd be great to have a Tapbots-level version of an app like this, with as much thought given to the interface as to the functionality. Still, Dimensions will provide a serviceable ruler, measuring tape, or any of the other tools when called upon. It's available in the App Store right now for US $1.99.
TUAW's Daily App: PSN Go
We've spotlighted a few different Xbox Live browsers here on the site before, so here's a little console balance. PSN Go is an app designed to let you browse and control your PlayStation Network account (the account that you set up when you've got a PS3 connected to the Internet). It's unofficial (not created by Sony) and made by a third party, but you can log in with a PSN name and password and browse through your friend lists, gamer profile, trophy lists, and other PSN information. Unfortunately, unlike most of the other "account browser" apps that we've seen, this one is priced a little higher than free -- it's US $1.99. While that's still not a lot, it is quite a bit to pay for just the opportunity to browse friends' lists when away from your console. Still, the app has a full in-app game database, and it's pretty well polished and runs great. Plus, it's getting updated; it's all set for the iPhone 4's Retina Display, and it's seen a few UI improvements and bug fixes already. If you find yourself browsing your PSN account quite a bit (especially when not at home), it's probably worth the couple bucks.
TUAW's Daily App: Civilization Revolution Lite
Apple has launched a new "Try Before You Buy" section in the App Store, and while it's a poor excuse for an "official" demo system (it's basically just a collection of free apps with full versions to purchase later), there is some good stuff to find in there, like this one. Today we're passing on the casual games for something a little deeper. Civilization Revolution is a somewhat pared-down version of the awesome strategy game, but it's still got the empire building, trading, and various battles that you'll find in the main series. This lite version is great -- all it does is keep you from saving, so if you have the time to run up a full campaign, you can. The app was popular when it first released, so you may already have it, but if you haven't tried it yet, now's the time to give it a look. It'd also be nice on the "Try Before You Buy" section to at least have links to the full apps -- you can usually find those by clicking on the "More iPhone apps by..." section of the App Store, but if Apple is specifically promoting demos, shouldn't they also promote the full apps. Anyway, the full version of Civ Rev is currently $6.99 on the App Store. That's much cheaper than the versions on any other system, so if you try the demo and really enjoy it, feel free to get the full app for the total experience. And if you like Civ Rev, do yourself a favor and head back to the main game -- Civ 4 is an excellent title as well, and the new version looks great, too.
TUAW's Daily App: Chuck Gnome
At first glance, I thought Chuck Gnome was kind of gimmicky -- haven't we had enough of doodles and birds and cute little characters? But it is a fun little arcade game (I would say try the lite version before you jump in for the full US$1.99). The game has you slingshotting a gnome at various moving targets; it's kind of like a reverse Skee-ball. The twist comes in when you tilt the iPhone. You can move the field of view in a kind of false 3D vision that allows you to see outside of the normal playing field and hit some shots that wouldn't be possible otherwise. It's fun! The free version only has one full level and one mini level, but in the main game, you can unlock a few other stages to play with. The game is very casual. You can use a rapid-fire technique to toss as many gnomes as possible, or you can go with a little more accuracy and try to build up a bonus. It's cute and fun, but it's not a hugely complicated title. It's a simple distraction with some excellent production values. Tomorrow, we'll have to highlight something a little less casual. So, stay tuned for that one.
TUAW's Daily App: Star Dunk
Star Dunk is a strange little mix of online basketball (you can see the basic idea here) and an interesting cosmic aesthetic. To shoot the basketball, you just touch the screen and drag until your guideline is lined up, and then you fire away and try to drop in as many shots as possible. You get bonus points for extra nice shots, and if you hit all four targets on the "backboard," you can grab power-ups as well. High scores earn you Plus+ achievements and in-game rewards, like different balls (with various useful attributes) to use. The game is a ton of fun! It's got that perfect "just one more try" feeling to it that keeps you going back for another round. And the graphics are terrific for the game's simplicity; there are lots of sparkles, and even some fun zoom angles, interspersed with ambient background music and glossy sound effects. Star Dunk is a great little title, and it's only 99 cents. So, if that online basketball gameplay appeals to you, it's a no brainer.
TUAW's Daily App: Seconds
I've been getting more and more into running lately, and while I've been tending towards long distance running, one of the best ways to beef up your running expertise is by doing what's called HIIT -- high intensity interval training. You sprint at a certain speed for a period of a few minutes in length, rest for another interval a few minutes in length, and then sprint all out again. It's interesting (and effective, I hear), but you've really got to track times and make sure you're moving when you're supposed to be. Enter Seconds, an app designed to either track and run HIIT workouts or any other timed workout periods (boxing and MMA are also fitness pastimes which usually depend on rigidly defined periods of endurance training). With a clean and simple interface, the app comes with a few preset interval-based workouts, or you can set your own intervals. You can even program music and playlists to go along with whatever you're doing. It's definitely not an all-purpose app for working out or anything else -- even with HIIT, odds are that you're combining this type of training with other exercise in some way. Seconds isn't meant to track calories burned or just work as a standard stopwatch. It's specifically designed to work as an interval timer. For that specific purpose, it serves the role well. Rather than fumbling around with a stopwatch and doing the math as you sprint around a track, Seconds makes it really easy to just let your iPhone handle the timing, so you can focus on getting the most of your HIIT workout. It's available for an introductory price of $1.99 in the App Store right now.
TUAW's Daily App: Marble Mixer
Marble Mixer is a cute little title that probably won't appeal to everyone, but if you have fond memories of shooting marbles as a kid or just want to try out a fun "flick-and-shoot" interface, it's worth the 99 cent download. The game's got three modes -- Table Tactics has you shooting at a target, trying to knock others' marbles out without hitting your own, Space Mania is a crazy mode where it's everyone for themselves during a time limit, and Monster Picnic has you trying to feed a colorful monster with as many marbles as you can. The game has a really fun look and feel -- it's simple, but especially if you're playing with kids, that really works in the game's favor. Multiplayer is probably the way to do it -- the iPad version, with the larger screen, is probably the best experience for this one. The iPhone version was released just recently, and while it's easy to see why the app isn't universal (the scale makes a big difference), both versions have a good amount of fun to be enjoyed. There is a set of Facebook leaderboards, but this app is much more about real-life competition than anything online. With this app, an iPhone or iPad and a few competitive players, you can definitely get your dollar's worth.
TUAW's Daily App: The Screetch
The Screetch is a great game with a funny name. At its heart, it's a match three game; you want to match three of a kind for a certain round gem while you're constantly dropping them from above (Tetris style). The game's namesake is where things get slimy, though. The Screetch is constantly "infecting" gems that are dropped onto the board, and you can only clear it out by matching three gems and putting the slimy, oily dude into a flask. It sounds complicated, but of course, it starts out simple and builds up from there. As the game progresses, the Screetch moves faster, requiring you to drop gems in the right places quickly. There are also lightning gems that will clear out whole lines of the board and quite a few levels to ramp up the difficulty as you play along. The Screetch element adds a fun, new twist to the standard match three gameplay, and the graphics are pretty well polished to boot. The game is available on the App Store right now for US $2.99, and the addition of online league play and trophies extends the playability a little bit. If you're a fan of match three games or just want a fun thrill to pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, check it out.
TUAW's Daily App: Gravity Hook HD
Semi Secret Software (the same folks behind the amazing Canabalt game for the iPhone) has released its second game for the iOS platform, Gravity Hook HD. I actually heard about this one way back in March, and it was made even before Canabalt was. But this iPhone and iPad release has been updated for HD, and it's kind of fun. To play, you tap on various hook points in order to send your little guy skyward; you do this while fighting gravity and trying to keep from falling off the bottom of the screen. I can't say it's as fun or as simple as Canabalt, but it is colorful and addictive for sure. You don't believe me? Go play the free Flash version on the website. If it hooks you (get it? Hooks?), you can pick up the universal app for iPhone or iPad for US $2.99.
TUAW's Daily App: Squareball
Squareball is a weird one; it's probably best described as a platforming game, except that you move the platforms rather than the jumper. The main character is a little white ball (or square in this case -- the game has a retro blocky pixel aesthetic) that constantly floats from top to bottom on the screen, and you can slide (or tilt, according to whatever option you choose) the actual stage around the ball, moving it through various nooks and crannies while trying to "collect" colored blocks. The concept is tough to explain, but once you see it in action, you'll understand right away. The goal is to move the stage at the right time in order to keep the ball bouncing around where you want it. It's actually really fun, despite the simplicity, and over the 20 various stages, there are some pretty clever puzzles. The game also has OpenFeint integration, and the 8-bit music is pretty catchy as well. It's a good deal for only 99 cents. There's also a lite version to try out if you just want to see how it works. I can't see anyone really disliking the game, but it is fairly simple. Still, at just a buck, it's worth a purchase just to have it to pick up and play when you need a mindless little reflex game.
TUAW's Daily App: The Ultimate Alphabet
Today's app is going to blow your mind. Back in 1986, artist Mike Wilks published a book called The Ultimate Alphabet, which featured 26 different paintings, each filled with items that corresponded to the letters of the alphabet; the letter A painting contains airplanes, ants, an apple tree, and so on. There are more than 7,777 words represented in the book, with lots more little secrets hidden in the paintings; there are letters encoded in Morse code or semaphore, obscure symbolism, and visual gags. The book was part of a competition with a big cash prize, which was solved in 1988, when Wilks published The Annotated Ultimate Alphabet; it included descriptions and clues for each of the items hidden in the extremely detailed paintings. Now, a company named Toytek has begun to bring the book to the iPad, and it allows you to interactively explore some of Wilks' paintings and their extremely deep complexity. As you can see above, it's wild; you tap on an item, enter the actual name, and then the book will tell you whether it's right or provide clues for the word you're looking for. The app is free to try, though it's prohibitively expensive if you want to purchase everything. You can buy the letters in bundles, and the full purchase price eventually comes out to around US $45 in total. That's pricey, although it's the same cost as the printed book, and you get the interactivity for free. Still, it's a great idea, and there is a free trial if you want to check it out. Update: We're told that due to user input, the free version has been changed from a timed trial to simply having the entire letter A be completely free to play all the way through. Enjoy!
TUAW's Daily App: Expenditure
Expenditure is another great-looking app found via the excellent Well-Placed Pixels blog. It's an expense tracker -- you can add transactions into the app with just a few taps (and even attach a photo, note, or category to each debit or credit), and then browse your collected budget. Obviously, you could use it to just see how much you're spending each month, but it can also be used for things like traveling (the app will automatically calculate currencies for you) or keeping track of business expenses. It's not a super full-featured business application, but it will do the basics smoothly and beautifully. You can find it on the App Store for US$1.99, and as an iTunes commenter points out, using it will probably save you the $2 you spend on it. There is a lite version that only allows eight transactions (enough to see the app in action, though not enough to actually put it to use), so if you're not sure about spending a couple of bucks, you can check it out that way as well. Excellent app -- the functionality is a little limited (by design -- the developers just wanted a simple expense tracker), but the great aesthetic and design elements make up for the simplicity.
