AppReviewToday- AppReviews

The Witness ($9.99) by Thekla is the official mobile port of the critically acclaimed video game that came out in 2016. If you're a fan of puzzle games, then The Witness is a must have. It's inspired by Myst, and definitely a game that encourages critical thinking.

With the ever increasing power of the iPhone and iPad, they're perfect for mobile gaming. If there's any solid proof of this, it's all of the ports of previously console and PC-only games that are making their way to mobile. Some popular ones we've had recently include The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Danmaku Unlimited 3, Injustice 2, and more. And now we have The Witness, an open world puzzle game that has captured the hearts of many with it's creativity. If you've never played The Witness before (like me), then there's no better time to jump in than now.

$4.99

Myst

Cyan Worlds, Inc

$14.99

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Nicalis, Inc.

$4.99

Danmaku Unlimited 3

Sunny Tam

Free

Injustice 2

Warner Bros. Entertainment

Visually, The Witness is gorgeous. The graphics are fully rendered in 3D, and the environments are lush and realistic. The colors range from bright and vibrant hues to muted earth tones to soft pastels and even dark and gloomy shades. The combination of this wide range of colors results in an incredible world that is truly eye candy and rather immersive. Animations are buttery smooth on my iPhone 8 Plus, and I experienced no lag whatsoever during play.

Usually, video games have soundtracks that add to the overall feel of the game that they're in. With The Witness, it's different. In fact, there is almost no music in the game at all. This is done on purpose, according to the developers. The Witness is a game about being perceptive, so you want to pay attention to the subtleties in puzzles as well as details in the game world. However, the sound effects in The Witness are important, because it fully immerses the player in the island, adding depth and texture.

In The Witness, players will find themselves waking up on a remote island, and that's pretty much it. The island itself is full of puzzles (over 500), and there are many different types of puzzles to solve. Some are simple enough to solve, but things do get tricky as you progress. Solving the puzzles are a critical part of the game, as they will help you discover your identity (it's unknown in the beginning) and how you got on the island in the first place.

Controls in The Witness are simple and intuitive, with the game teaching you the ropes as you go in the start. To move, just tap on where you want to go, and you'll walk over there. Swiping horizontally on the screen lets you move the camera around so you can check what's surrounding you. Tapping on puzzle screens takes you into the puzzle. If you double-tap where you want to go, it makes your character run instead of walk. A tap with two fingers stops you in your tracks.

As mentioned earlier, there's a large variety of puzzles to be found in The Witness, and the controls may not always be the same. In the beginning, at least, the puzzles involve finding the right path from the large circle area to the end point, which is indicated by a pulsating circle. Players must drag their finger from the starting circle to the end, but they'll have to navigate a labyrinth, and can't cross over their own path.

Sometimes you'll even need to separate the white and black squares before getting to the end. The game introduces new puzzle mechanics at a gradual pace, and one can pretty much figure it out after a few attempts. Fortunately, The Witness is fairly relaxing, as there aren't any penalties nailed on players for being wrong, nor are there any move restrictions or time limits.

A beautiful 3D puzzle adventure awaits you.

The Good

The Witness is an amazing port for mobile. The game retains the same beautiful graphics from the original versions, but it's been optimized for iPhones and iPads. The lack of music is an interesting choice but works out well, plus the sound effects are realistic and engaging. Controls are easy enough for anyone to pick up and play, and the puzzles are quite stimulating. The entire game is great as a whole, since it encourages free exploration and problem solving.

The Bad

While The Witness is a fantastic game, it may not be for everyone. If you're seeking something that's more action-packed or just want some mindless arcade fun, then The Witness is not for you. If you prefer some hand-holding when it comes to your games, then you won't really find that here either. Players must discover things on their own in The Witness, and that's part of the charm. Plus, it means more freedom in terms of exploration, which is always nice.

The verdict

I never played The Witness before, nor did I know much about it, so I'm glad that it's now available on iOS. The game is packed with stunning visuals, and everything runs smoothly. The lack of music was a bit strange to me at first, but after reading the reason behind it, I completely understand. The lack of a soundtrack only adds to the experience, oddly enough. Sound effects were spot on and immersive. Controls are easy to learn and feel natural on a touch screen. I'm a big puzzle game fan, so I love the variety of puzzles in The Witness, and with over 500 to find and solve, you do get some bang for your buck.

I highly recommend grabbing The Witness if you're a fan of open world puzzle games, or enjoyed classics like Myst. The Witness is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $9.99. You can also get The Witness on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 for $39.99.

9.5

OVERALL

Game Controls 10

Gameplay 10

Replayability 9

Graphics 9.5

Sound/Music 9

$9.99

The Witness

Thekla, inc.

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

Morphite ($7.99) by Crescent Moon Games is a low-poly sci-fi first-person shooter adventure. If you enjoyed games like the old N.O.V.A. franchise, and prefer the modern retro graphics like in Horizon Chase, then you will love Morphite.

I'm usually not a big FPS fan because I don't do terribly well with them. However, ever since I started playing the first Destiny game and even Overwatch, I've grown a new appreciation and liking for shooters in general. Morphite was teased a while ago, and I even got to check it out a bit this year during GDC. I knew that this was something special, and I had to get my hands on it whenever it was ready. Now that it's dropped to the masses, I can say that it was definitely worth the wait after all this time.

Free

Horizon Chase – World Tour

Aquiris Realidade Virtual LTDA

Visually, Morphite is unique with a low-poly design that seems rather trendy lately. This means that the environments are a bit rough and jagged, and the faces of characters are not too detailed. Everything is rendered in 3D, and overall, Morphite is giving me a bit of a Metroid feel. The game has a nice range of colors, from muted earthy tones to bright and vibrant neons. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 7, so I did not experience any lag while playing the game. There's an atmospheric and captivating soundtrack in the background, and the sound effects and voice acting is done well. Morphite is a gorgeous game that looks fantastic and has amazing audio.

Since Morphite is a FPS game about exploration, players start at the beginning of the story and progress through in a linear fashion. Morphite introduces Myrah Kale, who's a young woman residing on a space station with her surrogate father, Mr. Mason. As he sends her out on basic exploratory missions to scan signs of life and gather resources on various planets, players will discover much more than that. Eventually, Myrah will uncover her own past and her relationship to a rare and coveted material called Morphite.

Despite having a storyline and missions that need to be completed chronologically, Morphite's worlds are all procedurally generated, so everyone's Morphite game will be different. There's many different kinds of creature types, landscapes, and areas to explore, and it's all unique. It's what makes this game magical.

Controls in Morphite are pretty straightforward, but it can be a bit annoying if you have the touch screen control opacity turned off. In the very bottom left corner is where you switch between your scanner and pistol, which happens fairly regularly. Above this area will be the virtual joystick for moving around. In the very bottom right corner is the button to shoot or activate your scanner. Above that is the jump button.

While Myrah is in her ship, you'll have a menu for selecting your destination in the solar system via Star Map. But be careful — you need fuel in your ship to travel, so if a place is too far, you won't be able to go unless you fill up at a space station first. This is also where you can view your Ship Info, as well as check active missions, equipped weapons, items, scans, and collected resources. Random encounters may occur while traveling in your ship, so be prepared for combat at any time.

The problem I have with the controls is the fact that the switch toggle for the scanner and pistol is where I usually think of placing my thumb for movement. So when I turned down the opacity for on-screen controls to zero, I often found myself bringing up the switcher when I just wanted to move. I also kept jumping instead of shooting, which was irritating. The positioning of the buttons takes a bit of getting used to, so I recommend keeping the opacity on (even just slightly) so that you don't get the buttons mixed up. Honestly, I wish Image result for traction control light nissan sentrathat there was an option for customizing the button positions, as that would solve most of my issues with the controls.

Fortunately, Morphite does have support for MFi controllers. So if you have one laying around, this is the perfect kind of game to use them with.

Morphite is packed with elements of exploration and discovery, real-time combat against various life forms and bosses, and even environmental puzzle solving. In addition to the main storyline quests, players have the option to do a wide variety of side quests, and there's a plethora of upgrades for your suit and weapons. While the price of Morphite seems high, there's a lot of content, so you do get bang for your buck.

Crescent Moon first showed this game to us at GDC in March, and now it's available for everyone.

The Good

For a game that many have been waiting for, there's a lot of good with Morphite. The game looks beautiful with a distinctive design that is simple and appealing. The music is ambient and soothing, only adding to the game's overall charm. There's a lot of content, and the voice acting is done exceptionally well. Having support for MFi controllers is nice, especially when the default touch-screen controls feel a bit clunky. This has been a game many have been waiting for, and it doesn't disappoint in terms of quality and entertainment.

The Bad

My biggest issue with Morphite are the touch-screen controls. I found it annoying that if I want the buttons to be invisible, I'll end up swiping or tapping on the wrong thing. It's also rather annoying that there are options for the on-screen controls, but you can't change the position of buttons. Hopefully the developers can consider this in the future.

The verdict

Overall, Morphite is an excellent game that is worth a download for any iOS gamer. The graphics are stunning, the music is delightful, and the game world is immersive. Controls do take some time to get used to, but can definitely be streamlined in a future update. At least there is support for physical MFi controllers, which always end up being the better option for a FPS game like this anyway. Morphite is jam-packed with procedurally generated content, so there's a huge assortment of life forms, landscapes, and bosses to tackle. Plus, many upgrades are available to make you stronger.

I highly recommend giving Morphite a try if you enjoy sci-fi adventure games with a first-person shooter perspective. You can find Morphite on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for $7.99.

9.0

OVERALL

Sound/Music 10

Replayability 9

Graphics 9.5

Gameplay 9

Game Controls 7.5

$7.99

Morphite

Crescent Moon Games

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