The iPhone App Review : iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad App Reviews

The iPhone App Review : iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad App Reviews

ReRave is a Must-Have Rhythm Game for iOS

May 17th, 2013

Sarah Hanlon

Price: $0.99
Rating:
ReRave: Written & Video iPad Game Review

rerave ss1 300x168 ReRave is a Must Have Rhythm Game for iOS

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

As an avid music enthusiast, I’m always excited to learn about music games that are available. The days of Guitar Hero and Rockband really set the standard for how future rhythm games would be designed, and it’s about time that a revolutionary game came along and broke the mold.

ReRave, developed by Step Evolution, is a fun and challenging music game for iPad and iPhone. If you’re a fan of rhythm games, this is one you definitely have to try!

Concept and Gameplay:

ReRave literally puts a new spin on the music game genre. The concept of the game is to tap various symbols on the screen at precise times to match the beats of songs. Some symbols require single taps, while other times you’ll be required to complete more complicated moves based on difficulty level. Those of you who are familiar with games like Guitar Hero will definitely enjoy playing ReRave.

Each song can be played on three difficulty levels: Easy, Hard, and Master. ReRave allows you to anticipate how difficult the song will be to play by showing you a preview of the number of beat moves you’ll have to perform. While songs were a breeze to play on Easy mode, Master mode certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Once you’ve completed a song you’ll see performance stats such as accuracy, max combos, final score, and grade. Read more »

Win Real Money with I Win Box!

May 17th, 2013

MarilynChau

Price: Free
Rating:
I Win Box: Written iPhone App Review

iwinbox1 168x300 Win Real Money with I Win Box!

Reviewed by Marilyn Chau

I Win Box by J.B.J Development is an app pitched as being a fun, easy way to win cash prizes. I Win Box players enjoy spinning a virtual die in order to work their way around a game board. Players can then submit their scores to an international score board for a chance to win weekly cash prizes.

Features:

I Win Box features a basic game board and a “click-to-roll” die that players use to test their luck. The goal of I Win Box is to get the high score of the week, and players can choose to play the game as long as they’d like to. However, only high scores that are saved and submitted to the international score boards are eligible for winning real cash prizes. Therefore, players must make the decision to either roll the die again to try to gain more points (and potentially lose all of their points) or to simply submit their scores as they are. The weekly high scorer of I Win Box currently wins $25, but this cash prize could change with time. Therefore, while playing I Win Box does require a bit of decision-making, most of the success gained in this app is based on randomized chance through rolling a virtual die.

iwinbox2 168x300 Win Real Money with I Win Box!

I Win Box iPhone App Review

Appearance and Layout:

The appearance of I Win Box doesn’t really leave any room for complaints. The graphics are bright and colorful and will remind many players of the graphics seen in traditional board games; others might notice the similarities between I Win Box and the designs in lottery machines. Either way, the simplistic graphics of I Win Box leave no room for confusion of how to play the game. Likewise, navigating through I Win Box is very simply done. First time users are greeted with an entry screen that directs them to either play the game, view current high scores, learn how to play the game, or personalize their app’s options. Setting up an account on I Win Box is also simple to do and must be done in order to be eligible for any of the weekly prizes. Just like the graphics of I Win Box resemble those of a board game, so does the game play and overall layout.

Value:

I Win Box is currently a free game through the iOS store, although special in-app purchases can be made if desired. Since playing I Win Box could potentially result in winning actual money, some iOS users might see this app as one worthy of the memory space it would take up on their devices. However, the chance of winning on I Win Box seems to be relatively low, and the randomized game play that doesn’t require much thought and so while it may very well enjoy the popularity of other games of chance such as lotto or slot machines, it may also bore some players. Give it a shot and see what you think.

I Win Box iPhone app requires iOS 5.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. A small expedite fee was paid to speed up the publication of this review.

The iPhone app reviews rating:

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The Terrifying Building in Eyeville is an Allegorical Story for Children

May 17th, 2013

Sarah Hanlon

Price: $0.99
Rating:
The Terrifying Building in Eyeville: Written iPad App Review

the terrifying building in eyeville ss1 300x168 The Terrifying Building in Eyeville is an Allegorical Story for Children

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

As parents, sometimes it can be extremely difficult to explain certain life situations to children. Occasionally it’s best to give kids a chance to understand these situations themselves by learning about them from a story.

The Terrifying Building in Eyeville, developed by Joel Grondrup, is a new storybook app that helps teach children about the effects of cancer in a subtle, yet understandable way.

Concept and Functionality:

The Terrifying Building in Eyeville is probably one of the most unique storybook apps I’ve encountered. The topic of cancer is often extremely difficult to explain to children, and to see a story that does so in a subtle but understandable way is nothing short of incredible. The story is about a little guy named Kanser who ruins the pristine city of Eyeville by uncontrollably constructing a horrendous building that eventually drives citizens out of town.

While I won’t spoil the storyline by revealing all ofthe details, I will say that the symbolism in The Terrifying Building in Eyeville is extremely strong and deep. Though it might not be clearly obvious to young children as to what the story is about, they’ll definitely understand once it’s explained to them. Even though the story is somewhat sad and dark at certain points, it does end on a positive and uplifting note. Read more »

Art of Darkness: Conrad-Inspired Click-and-Find Gaming

May 17th, 2013

Luke Patrick

Price: Free
Rating:
Art of Darkness: Written iPad App Review

Art of Darkness for iPad 1 300x225 Art of Darkness: Conrad Inspired Click and Find Gaming

Reviewed by Luke Patrick

If there’s one particular genre we like more than almost any other, it’s the click-and-point adventure genre. That is to say, we adore any app that has us hunting items, solving puzzles, and spinning around six ways to Sunday attempting to unlock more plot points. With that in mind, we’re beyond pleased to be introducing you to Art of Darkness by developer Booty Bay Limited. It offers a rich setup, a load of puzzles, and more than enough plot-bound item hunting to keep you busy for a long time yet to come. For our full review, you need only to slide on down below the break!

Concept and Gameplay

If you’ve ever played one of the retro-inspired click-and-point adventures from old, then you’re already aware of how Art of Darkness works—though there are some notable additions. For instance, the app mostly still has you finding items in piles of rubbish. These items run the usual gamut, from bent out of shape frames to lost keys. Find these bits and pieces, and then you can use them to unlock more elements within the environment.

And here’s where things get cool: You see, most games in the genre have you going from unseen room to unseen room. There are no connecting elements to tie it all together. Within Art of Darkness, though, you have every opportunity to walk around the docks, talk to the people, push the puzzle pieces, add your collected items, etc. In a way, it reminded us much more of Myst or Riven than it did any other title within the field for iPad. We couldn’t get enough of this, in fact. Because the app takes off the reigns a bit, and has you walking about between item hunting bonanzas, the world is instantly more immersive—and that’s a good thing.

Read more »

Instatim: A New Kind of Social Network

May 16th, 2013

Luke Patrick

Price: Free
Rating:
Instatim: Written iPhone App Review

Instatim for iPhone 1 168x300 Instatim: A New Kind of Social Network

Reviewed by Luke Patrick

Here at the iPhone App Review, we’ve had more than our fair share of opportunities to try out new social media venus. Some of them have been good, some of them have been bad, but it’s truly a rare entity that shows genuine promise. Thankfully, Instatim, from Instatim, LLC,—the subject of today’s full-length review—gives us exactly that. If you want a deeper look at how its security and privacy can provide you with a smoother, more meaningful social experience on the iPhone, then you need only to slide on down below the break. Starting with:

Concept and Functionality

Rather than trying to provide you with about a thousand (and two) ways to contact your friends, family, and vague acquaintances, Instatim instead tries to keep things simple. The app streamlines the social media process by restricting the experience to only those people whom you have added individually. The idea here is that you’ll only add your close friends, family members, or project coworkers. In this way, Instatim already supplies you with a more meaningful networking outing.

The features that the application provides fit right into this idea. The app allows you to add quick, 100-word status updates to let your loved ones know what you’re up to. If you’d like, you can also add a location. The app uses this information to create a map of everyone you’re linked to, all at once. This is really cool, in fact, and if you can convince your family to use it, it’s quite a useful tool for keeping an eye on them. From here, you can add whether or not you’re around or occupied. You can even share specific updates that are aimed at groups of your contacts, that way you can let your family know you’ve landed safely, and your coworkers know you’re on your way to the meeting.

Read more »

Keep Little Ones Entertained with Memory Match HD for Kids

May 15th, 2013

MarilynChau

Price: Free
Rating:
Memory Match HD for Kids: Written iPhone App Review

memory2 Keep Little Ones Entertained with Memory Match HD for Kids

Memory Match iPhone App Review

Memory Match HD for Kids by Internet Designs is designed to be a memory game for children. Available for free through the iTunes store, Memory Match teaches children to exercise their memory skills through a fun, interactive game that is made to challenge children of all ages.

Features:

Anyone who played the card game “Memory” as a child will quickly recognize the basic idea of Memory Match HD for Kids. Memory Match challenges players to utilize their memory skills in order to correctly match identical virtual cards; players can choose from a variety of card themes (toys, fruits, school, food, etc.), and opting to purchase the full version of the app opens up numerous more card categories. Cheerful music plays in the background of Memory Match, and simply turning the iOS’ sound off transforms this game into one that children can play in “quiet-only” settings. In addition to multiple card theme options, this game also features three different levels of memory-matching challenges; the number of cards increases with each level. Each game in Memory Match HD for Kids is timed.

memory1 Keep Little Ones Entertained with Memory Match HD for Kids

Reviewed by Marilyn Chau

Appearance and Layout:

The layout and graphics of Memory Match HD for Kids are definitely ideal for an app that claims to be designed for young audiences. Specifically speaking, Memory Match’s cartoonish graphics are bright and fun, and arrows at the bottom of each level’s screens allows for easy navigating. The different level/difficulty choice options are also clearly indicated, leaving no room for confusion. While the interface of Memory Match HD for Kids is extremely simple, such an interface is really the only ideal option for an app of its type. Additionally, since the layout of this app is so simple, it can easily be played by children who are not yet of reading age.

Value:

Memory Match HD for Kids is a free app, and it really is an app that should appeal to children who enjoy a fun challenge. In fact, this app may even appeal to some adults who enjoyed playing the game “Memory” as children themselves. Overall, the “value” of Memory Match HD for Kids is definitely a full “5/5” stars, as it is an easy-to-use and visually appealing app.

Memory Match HD for Kids iPhone app requires iOS 4.3 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. A small expedite fee was paid to speed up the publication of this review.