Image by Rob Schultz/Macworld
This week’s roundup includes a new game from the makers of Angry Birds—with nary a pig or bird in sight. Plus, we have apps for budgeting, making cool photos, and more. Read on!
Image by Battle Bay
The makers of Angry Birds have returned with Battle Bay (free with in-app purchases; iPhone and iPad), a game filled with angry something-or-others—what ARE those critters, anyway?—battling each other for survival in ship-to-ship combat. The game offers real-time multiplayer modes in which teams of up to five people each can take each other on for supremacy.
Image by AirPano
AirPano City Book ($3; iPhone and iPad) offers 360-degree virtual tours of a number of major cities, including New York, Paris, Barcelona, and Dubai, with more cities to be added to the roster in coming months. The makers say: “The aerial panorama technology lets viewers experience soaring through the sky above the some of most beautiful places in the world.”
Image by Honeydue
Honeydue (free; iPhone) is among the latest budgeting and finance apps: You can see all your bank accounts in one place, get bill reminders, and share the information on joint accounts with your partner. A post-launch update this week fixed some bugs and increased the app’s stability.
Image by Invert
Invert ($3; iPhone and iPad) is a tile-flipping puzzle game that has elements of both Solitaire and a Rubik’s Cube in its execution. The game requires you to press buttons around a tile grid in order to flip a certain pattern of tiles. The goal: Make all tiles the same color in as few moves as possible.
Image by Ollst
Ollist ($3; iPhone and iPad) offers 18 different styles of filter to make your pictures look like paintings. Choose impressionist, abstract, or some other style, then transform your pics into art. “Oilist analyzes the supplied image using computer vision technology, then paints simulated paint particles that are applied using various brush strokes and techniques.” When that process is done, save the images in 4K resolution so every detail is retained.
Image by Spaceplan
Spaceplan ($3; iPhone and iPad) is a game based, naturally, on Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time.” You can “unlock the mysteries of the galaxy” by launching “potato-based devices” from a satellite orbiting a mysterious planet. Not enough? The developers also promise a “banging soundtrack.”
Image by Topsoil
Or, if you want your quirky games more, er, grounded: Topsoil (free with in-app purchases; iPhone and iPad with iMessage integration) is a game where you grow plants and work your garden’s soil. You’ve got to harvest your plants before the garden fills up—or else, game over.
Image by Vibes
Vibes (free; iPhone) pitches itself as a “better dating app.” It lets you have pixelated video conversations with your “match”—putting an emphasis on chemistry and conversation instead of the “swipe right-swipe left” looks-based approach of other apps. A new update to the app lets you undo messages sent while it’s still possible.
Image by Transformers
Marvel: Color Your Own is a superhero-themed version of adult coloring books … Transformers Rescue Bots: Disaster Dash – Hero Run lets you “save the world with epic DinoBots.” … Complete Ortho promises to help you communicate better with your doctor.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.