Jimi-Kare : My Quiet Boyfriend

Jimi-Kare : My Quiet Boyfriend
     I actually didn't think I was going to like this when I downloaded.  I noted that the graphics looked cute but generally any app with 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' in the title tends to be fairly unimpressive to me.  However, I actually enjoyed this one... But somehow I feel guilty for liking it...

     First off, you play a girl who is in high school.  You're classmates with your shy childhood friend who is a male who has seen his share of bullying for being a cry baby.  As a child you used to defend him, though that was several years back.  You don't really interact with him much nowadays until the two of you were chosen for a school contest.  As you'll be asked to perform on stage together and need to be charismatic and fashionable, you decide you need to make some adjustments to your old friend.

     This is the basis for the game... each chapter is you making another minor adjustment to how the poor guy looks or acts.  First his hair, lose the glasses, change how he wears his uniform, etc.  But this is where I take a bit of issue.  I feel so sorry for this poor guy.  The female character that represents the player's character is the worst.  She is bossy, demanding, doesn't seem to care about the poor guy's feelings and seems to care more about this contest than she does about him.  She is basically a terrible friend.

     Now I said I feel bad for the poor male character who stars in this app story... But more so in the beginning of the app than the ends... There are four possible endings one can get while playing through.  Most chapters don't split off or has choices but there are 2 choices that will happen toward the end that determine which path you will go down.  Though I feel for this guy and secretly wish he would just tell this girl to leave him alone, depending on the ending you get... things can actually get pretty dark and this guy gets a bit hard to... sympathise with.  Especially the dark ending... Which is actually part of my guilt... I liked this ending too much considering morally I really should not have...

     The game play is pretty simple.  You read through the story bits, 3 per chapter, and in between you tap speech bubbles.  The speech bubbles are how you get experience.  The experience fills the meter in the top left which is how you inch your way to new bits of story.

     There are two types of bubbles.  As your little mini shy friend wanders around the screen he murmurs sad things.  If you tap those speech bubbles you get 1 experience point for each one.  They pop up about once per 10 seconds.  You can tap the cheer button at the bottom of the room he is in to create positive bubbles.  Tapping these gives you 2 experience points.  Each chapter requires more and more experience to complete.  The room can hold 12 bubbles at once.  If you let them stack up this high, no more can be added till you pop them.  They will continue to fill up even if the app is closed.

     Aside from bubble popping, experience can be earned through the scratch card at the top centre of the screen.  You can have up to 5 tries at once.  It takes 10 minutes to refill one try.  The scratch card has 6 scratch spots.  But after each scratch the scratched spots are no longer visible and the options shuffle.  So you can't open all the slots on a single scratch card.  You can earn 3 experience points, 30 experience points or a detox drink item.  I find the top middle spot to be particularly lucky... But that's just me.

     There are a few consumable items in the app.  You can choose to spend money on them but you really don't need to.  You can play for free and still beat the app with every ending in under a week.  The money you spend earns you Gems, which are in game currency only available through purchases.  120 Yen grants you 20 gems.  Bigger purchases are also available.  The items are:

•  Detox Drink which can be purchased for 3 gems (This can also be obtained through finishing chapters, the scratch card or completing achievements) and grants you 20 experience.
• Fever Time which is 8 gems (Can also be obtained through completing achievements) and makes poppable bubbles appear faster for 10 seconds.
• Mutter Booster which is 120 yen and increases the amount of negative murmur bubbles allowed from 12 to 24.
• Double Exp which costs 120 yen and doubles the experience earned from each bubble tapped... which honestly isn't a great boost.

     The boyfriend character changes in appearance as you progress through the story.  Some versions are only obtainable through certain story paths.  If you want to collect them all you need to finish with each ending.  If you want to double check which you've collected you can do so by tapping the Collection button at the bottom of the app.  You can also view the still images you unlocked through your play throughs from this area.  There are 14 stills and 10 unlockable Nao chibis.

     The in game achievements can be found in the Quest area.  There are 35 achievements to unlock for extra experience or consumable items.

     There are a lot of things I like about this application.  The graphics are very well done and certainly keep me coming back.  I am addicted to unlockables so the fact that there are different graphics I need to keep playing through to unlock has a certain appeal for me.  I like the story even though I hate the female character so much.  I have a habit of skipping dialogue through some games like this but this one actually kept me reading.  And here I thought I didn't care about teen drama... Who knew?  Even the murmur bubbles and cheer bubbles can change depending on how the story is progressing.  It is this attention to detail I greatly appreciate.

     On the downsides the low amount of experience you get from bubble tapping can be a real grind... Tedious screen tapping has never been my favourite thing to do.  There is an ad banner on the screen but it isn't in the way.  Occasionally an ad popup will occur or a popup will occur to ask if you'd like to watch an ad for 20 experience but these aren't too often.

     All in all I think this is a pretty decent app.  Simple, attractive and fun to read.

Rating: 4/5

• Free
• Seller: SEEC INC.
• Category: Games
• Size: 57.7 MB
• Languages: English
• Copyright: © SEEC INC.

Rated 9+ For the Following:  Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

A Girl Adrift

A Girl Adrift
     This is a beautiful, peaceful and relaxing game that anyone can play.  The world has flooded and you are a girl adrift in the waters of the world.  You catch fish and make trades at the occasional island such as what was once Mount Everest.  You travel around the globe completing quests, upgrading your equipment and fishing.  All the while listening to the soft sounds of the water.

     The app is pretty straight forward and doesn't shove too many things at you all at once which is great.  Sometimes learning a new app game can be stressful and confusing if there are too many things to do and remember to fully utilise all the features.  Even if you don't utilise every feature of this app, you can still enjoy playing.

     The map starts off with only a few places to visit.  More places unlock as you complete more quests.  However, you can take as long as you like to complete the quests and play at your own pace.

     The world map is at the top of your screen.  From this you can see where any active quests are.  Here you can see the islands where you can get quests or trade, as well as everyplace you have unlocked.  You can also see where any special catches are.

     A yield sign on the map means a special fish can be caught there.  Special fish are harder to catch but also drop items that can be traded at island bases.  A skull means a boss fish is there.  Bosses only appear if you have a quest relating to them currently active.  An anchor is an island base.  There are also extra areas like the roulette and the whack a mole game which give you free goodies.

     While at a base you'll likely gain or turn in quests.  However, you can also sell things fish have dropped to earn pearls.  You can use this to purchase skins.  Each island trader has a different supply of skins that relate to the country they exist in.  There are skins for your hair, costume, hat, fishing rod, boat, etc.  Each skin has a small skill that benefits you as well.

     All active quests can be seen on the left side of your app screen, though it can be hidden and revealed by tapping the plus or minus above the list.  The quests are easy.  They usually tell you to go to a certain location, catch a certain number of a specific type of fish or beat a boss fish.

     The only thing you need to do in this game is travel and fish.  You will gain more tools and skills to help you to perform these actions as you gain levels and complete quests.  You can upgrade your fishing rod, harpoon, canon, machine gun, etc to assist you in catching fish faster and doing more damage to take down bigger fish.  You can use little fire coin looking things to give you temporary boosts such as increased navigation speed or growth acceleration which boosts how much experience you get.

     The app features soft colours, white noise and day/night graphics so you know how much time has passed in the world.  The fish you encounter are fun and creative.  If you ever have trouble catching a fish just go back to an area with easier fish to catch (The later areas are harder than the earlier areas).

     There are lots of little features in the game I won't cover since this isn't a tutorial, but I think this application can be enjoyed by casual gamers without needing to learn every detail.  It isn't a competitive game, with no friends list or high score board.  It is just you and the ocean... and the fish.

     There is a shop in the app that allows you to spend money if you'd like to.  This is not needed to play or enjoy the game though.  Users can choose to purchase pearls, diamonds, potions, or mastery points to get more stuff earlier on in the game without having to gain it from quests and such.  The shop also features special skins that can only be purchased there with diamonds.  These skins change every few hours.

     I think this is a great casual game that is fun and relaxing.  It is visually attractive as well as audibly.  I love the lack of competition or recharging hearts or points or growing something that has to be checked on in a certain amount of hours.  Players can play whenever they want, for as long as they want.  The game is not constantly nagging them to come back.  I have also experienced no ads in this game at all, which is great.  I absolutely recommend this.

Rating: 5/5

• Free
• Seller: DAERI SOFT
• Category: Games
• Size: 303.8 MB
• Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
• Copyright: © TeamTapas

Rated 4+

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: Tips and Tricks

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: Tips and Tricks
     For those who have not yet read my review on Magikarp Jump, or people who have not yet played the app, feel free to check it out here.  This is a list of helpful information about the app that can be used to find special events to complete your Event Dex or level up your magikarp faster.

     If you know of any great hints I may have missed, please feel free to comment below and let me know!

01 Soft Reset

     This is a bit of cheating, honestly, but if you are unwilling to spend money on the app, this will come in handy.  I wouldn't do this too early on in the game, but if you are trying to fill your Pattern Dex this is going to make it take a lot less time.

     When fishing for a Magikarp you will notice a little sweat bead illustration above your character's head once something starts tugging on the line.  If this bubble appears once, it will be a normal grade Magikarp.  This will include your Standard, Skelly, Calico and Orange pattern types.  Two bubbles appearing will give you a rare pattern type such as Pink, Grey, Purple and so on.  Three bubbles will guarantee you a super rare.  Most super rares are just an event such as the Transforming Magikarp event.  However, you can also get a shiny Magikarp from this.

     Watch the sweat bubbles and the character's leg.  Once the sweat bubbles stop appearing the character will begin to lift their leg up as you can see in the image above.  If the leg lifts after one bubble and you are trying to get a rare or super rare pattern type, quickly close the app before the fish appears.  You will want to close it down immediately after that leg lifts.  If you see the fish revealed, it is too late.

     Once the app is closed fully, restart it.  The app will say you closed suddenly and take you back to the rod selection screen.  You'll get another chance to fish up a Magikarp.  One can just keep utilising the soft reset until they get the amount of sweat bubbles that fits the rarity they are going for.

     The only other way of doing this that is not cheating would be to use diamonds to try again after catching a Magikarp you did not want.  This costs 50 diamonds per retry.  So it can add up really quickly.  Especially since free players get very few diamonds very slowly in the app.

02 Evolving Gyarados

     This event can only happen one time so choose carefully!  You can get a regular Gyarados from evolving any Magikarp or a red Gyarados by evolving a shiny golden Magikarp.  Also worth noting is that once you evolve your Magikarp into a Gyarados you will no longer be able to use that Magikarp in the game.  The mayor will take it from you and you will be forced to fish up another Magikarp.

     Users may have noted that you can tap on Magikarp when he is swimming around in your little habitat you create for him.  If you tap him rapidly for long enough you will crack the Everstone.  If you do this when you are level 10 (Thus able to have a Magikarp that can achieve level 20) then your Magikarp will evolve at level 20.  If you do this when you are a lower trainer level then whatever Magikarp you get when you are a high enough level will evolve instead.

03 Dratini Catching

     This is another event that can happen during fishing.  Users do not get to keep the Dratini, just like when they fish up a Ditto.  However, if you are looking to complete your Event Dex, this is something you will need to come across.

     It will require 3 sweat bubbles to appear before the leg lift to signify a super rare event.  Unlike the ditto, there is no tell before fishing to signify the event will happen. However, if you continue to try recatching a Magikarp with diamonds in one go (The soft reset does not count), you should get the Dratini event after spending 200 (That is 4 retries, 5 if you have never retried before) diamonds.

     Though you can't keep the Dratini you do get a Skill Restore item which can come in handy later in the game when you have acquired a great deal of Friendship Pokemon.

04 Unlocking Ditto Cushion

     To unlock this decoration item you will need to have the Transforming Magikarp event.  Though the event is random it always takes place when you are fishing up a new Magikarp and there is an easy way to tell if it is about to happen.  If you know the tell, you can always make sure to get it.

      When you see the rods facing different directions as they do in the image above, always choose the rod facing a different way from the other two.  If you do this you will fish up a Ditto that looks like a Magikarp.  This will add the Transforming Magikarp event to your Event Dex and add the Ditto Cushion to the decoration shop.  You'll still need to use diamonds to purchase it, but it will be available from this point on.

05 The Ring Event

     This is an event that you have to know how to trigger in order to achieve.  If you are trying to complete the Event Dex, this information is important.  In order to trigger this event you'll have to be at the screen where your Magikarp is swimming about in its habitat.  The area where it eats food and you can see your friendship Pokemon.

     There is a small television by the water (Odd choice, right?  Sounds dangerous). Tapping this television 7 times (Say no each time the notification appears) will make the screen turn to static.  Seven, like seven days in The Ring.  Now tap it another seven times and the static should stop.  After that immediately go train.  After training you will trigger an event with a creepy little ghost girl.

     This event can only be triggered one time so when the girl tells you to leave, you need to leave.  If you don't leave, you will have wasted this event.  The event is a great way to increase your Magikarp's level.  When you leave, your Magikarp will gain one additional level from it.  If you choose not to leave, you get nothing.  The event will still be logged into your Event Dex, but you won't get your free level.

     Some people have stated that this extra level bonus is a way to add a level to your Magikarp beyond the max level your Magikarp has available.  I have not been able to confirm this as the extra level trick can only be performed once.

06 Killing Magikarp

     Sometimes you have a really crumby Magikarp and you don't feel like spending diamonds to try catching another so you are stuck with it... Or are you?  There are a few ways to get your Magikarp killed so you can try catching a better one.  When at the event that asks if you want to jump high into the tree to reach a berry your Magikarp has a chance of being grabbed by a Pidgeotto and carried away (We all know what happens after that... it gets eaten), or during the event where you find a Pokeball laying on the ground, it can turn out to be a Voltorb and explode, killing your Magikarp.  However, there is no way to trigger these specific events or to ensure the bad result... There is one way to guarantee a Magikarp death though.

     Double tapping anywhere in the watery habitat your Magikarp swims around in will cause the Magikarp to swim there.  If you tap near the top of the water, your Magikarp will swim up to the surface.  When he is up here tapping him causes him to do an air jump.  If you continue to tap and perform more jumps a Pidgeotto will fly by.  This is your warning.  Ignore it and keep jumping.  The Bird type Pokemon will return and fly away with your Magikarp.  You will then be able to go back to catch a new one.

07 Zoom Out

     The app never really tells you this but using the pinch method you can zoom in or zoom out while playing the game, any time you are in the habitat.  This comes in handy when trying to feed your Magikarp.

08 Eevee Statue Skill Restore

     There are many decorations available in the decorations shop that one can purchase with their diamonds.  However, one of these decorations can benefit you without you needing to purchase it.

     In the decoration Shop scroll down to the Bronze Eevee statue and give the image a tap.  This only works once and only with this item.  You will receive a special reward of one Skill Restore for your amazing discovery.

09 Friendship Events

     Some events are linked to the Pokemon friendships you have purchased or won in the game.  Not every friendship item is linked to an event.  If you are trying to complete your Event Dex you will need to make sure to obtain the following Pokemon Friendships...

Pikachu, Mimikyu, Snorlax, Slowpoke and Mudkip.

10 Free LP Restores

     LP Restore items allow you to continue battling in the league immediately even after you've had a loss.  Without them, you have to wait for a 30 minute cool down.  There is a way to get three of these for free.

     If you battle in the league and lose you can go back to your Magikarp habitat where you can feed or train... don't.  Just wait it out (Or use one of your LP Restores).  You want to go back to the same battle and lose again.  To ensure a loss, you need to avoid gaining points in between battles.  After your second loss, do the same thing.  Either wait without levelling or use another LP Restore.  After this third loss you will get an event that awards you 3 free LP Restore items.

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump
     This is a really cute game.  It is easy and perfect for casual gamers.  The concept?  Magikarp, possibly one of the least popular Pokemon from the popular Pokemon franchise, is the only Pokemon you are allowed to use in this game.  You compete against other Magikarp trainers to catch and train the most powerful, highest jumping Magikarp in the world.

     I actually really like Magikarp.  One of my favourite lines from the animated series was "Magikarp is a Pokemon Goldmine", which I say... probably way too often.  One would not think this phrase could be used as often as I use it... but it can.  I even had a Magikarp deck back in the 1990s when the Pokemon Trading Card Game was popular.

     For those who have not seen it yet... behold... the beautiful Magikarp Song...



     Alright, enough about how great Magikarp is.  in the app you play an androgynous character who you have no ability to customise or name.  This is a bit of a down side in my view.  I am all about customisation.  However, there are other elements of the app that allow you some creative freedoms.

     You can only use one Magikarp at a time.  In the beginning of the game you can only use 'Old rod' to catch your Magikarps so you're more likely to just get a basic looking Magikarp.  However, as you play and get access to stronger rods you can get higher chances of obtaining more interesting Magikarp patterns such as a grey, pink or even purple colour.  That being said, at any point in the game you can get lucky and catch a shiny golden Magikarp, even with the worst rod.

     Alright, you have a Magikarp... now what?  Your goal is to earn Jump Points and compete against other trainers in a Magikarp Jumping League to jump higher.  Random bits of food will drop into your Magikarp's habitat (Which is where you keep it when not training or in the league).  Tapping or swiping these bits of food will cause Magikarp to swim over and eat them.  Each of them will add to Magikarps JP (Jump points).  You can also train him up to three times before you need to replenish your training points.  These training sessions also increase Magikarp's JP.

     You start off with two different ways to train.  The Sandbag Slam and the Jump Counter.  These training sessions can be levelled up in order to give a bigger bonus of JP each time they are performed.  More types of training sessions can also be obtained but they are locked based on the level of the trainer.  You should get access to a new training method to unlock ever few trainer levels up until you reach level 84.

     When you click the Train button the training method chosen is randomly chosen from those you have available.  Also random is how well your Magikarp performs during that particular training session.  A Magikarp can do good, great or amazing.  Clearly the better your Pokemon performs the more points will be earned from the training session.  The fun bonus for players is that each of these effort types will display differently at the end of the session.  For example below you can see the Sandbag Slam training session.  One image shows a Great Effort while the other shows Amazing Effort.

     After a training session sometimes a random event will be triggered allowing you to interact with NPCs or giving you choices that can have both positive and negative outcomes.  These choices can supply you with coins, diamonds, items, trainer experience, extra training points or JP.

     More training methods and food can be purchased from your Magikarp habitat.  To do this click the lower left button that says Town.  Food and training sessions can be upgraded or purchased with coins you earn while playing  Coins are earned very easily in this game so you should be fine to always get whatever is newly unlocked as long as you don't go on a crazy spending spree.

     Aside from the Coin Shop there is a Diamond Shop where users can purchase Friendship Items, Decorations and consumable Items with the diamonds they have acquired.  Diamonds are much harder to earn and save so be careful and choose wisely when buying things with them.  I suggest sticking to the Friendship items and Decorations as they will help you in boosting and growing your Magikarps more than the consumables will.  Especially since the consumables are one use but the friendship item and decoration boosts can be used over and over again.

     The last area of the Town section is your Records.  This is where you can access your Pattern Dex, Event Dex Hall of Fame and your Status.  Pattern Dex will show you what pattern types of Magikarp you have raised, as well as how many of each of them you have had in the past.  it will take a long time to complete this as some of the patterns are only available with rods you achieve later in the game.  Event Dex is like the Pattern Dex but it shows you what events you have uncovered.  It also gives you hints on how to unlock other events.

     Hall of Fame shows you your great accomplishments in the app, such as the victories over different leagues.  The Status section shows you the information on the current Magikarp you are raising.

     League is at the bottom right of your main habitat screen.  This is where you compete against other trainers.  Don't worry if you lose a battle.  You can do more training and come back later.  The exception to this is if your Magikarp reaches it's power limit.  Then you will have to compete until you lose.  Once you lose your Magikarp will retire and you will catch a new one that will grow stronger.  There are 13 League sets, each with stronger Magikarp to face and new better rewards to achieve.  Some League wins will result in a friendship item.  Friendship items are how you add Pokemon friends to your habitat.  Each one has a different skill they use to help your Magikarp out.  they can also cheer for Magikarp during league battles which give him a 5% boost in JP.

     The Menu button in the main habitat screen allows you to decorate your habitat, customising it with decor or even themes.  You can use consumable items you have won or purchased here as well.  You can see your achievements and reap the rewards from achieving them, adjust your settings (Sound, language, Data Backup, Notifications, How To, Credits, Support, etc) or make purchases using real money

     Real money can be used to buy more diamonds and Exchange Tickets.  Exchange tickets come with every purchase of Diamonds.  The Exchange Tickets are used to get rewards such as consumable items or coin purses.  There is even a reward called Diamond Miner which will give you diamonds for free without you needing to do anything or spend more money.

     These are all the basics of the game.  there are more details I could go into but let's not write a novel about this app...

     I think this application is super cute and fun.  I love the graphics and the game play.  The music and sounds are cute, the art is really clean and colourful.  I would like to see some more customisation options available and I think if you catch non-Magikarp Pokemon in the pond (Which you can do) you should get them as friends you can put in your habitat.  Otherwise, great app.  I recommend this to any classic Pokemon fan.

Rating: 4/5

• Free
• Seller: The Pokemon Company
• Category: Games
• Size: 145.8 MB
• Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
• Copyright: © 2017 Pokémon. © 1995-2017 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. Developed by SELECT BUTTON inc.

Rated 4+

Pancake Milkshake

Pancake Milkshake
     Anyone who saw the animated film Wreck it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet may recall this app being featured.  Even those who never saw the film probably saw the scene in the preview ads with the little girl playing the app on a tablet and Ralph interrupting her game to wreak a little havoc.

     The game is quite simple, really.  Swipe the pancakes toward the bunny and the milkshakes toward the kitty.  As the kitty or bunny are given more and more food/drink, they grow larger.  Eventually the one who has gained too much weight will pop.  Once the character has popped the two switch places on the screen.  The unpopped one remains as large as it was previously while the popped one resets and is small again.

     The game starts slow but the speed steadily increases the longer you play.  The game is over when the wrong food is given to one of the characters (IE the milkshake to the bunny or pancake to the kitty).

     If three of the food items go past the bunny and kitty and end up eaten by the mouth at the end of the track, you will receive a game over as well.

     Once it is game over you receive a high score and are able to start over again from the beginning to try to beat your score.  High scores can also be shared to social media to brag to your friends.

     Personally my strategy for these sorts of games is to only focus on one side.  Everything that doesn't go on that side goes on the other side.  So rather than splitting your concentration between the two, you focus on just one half.  This allows you to go further faster (In my experience).  As there are only the two characters and two food items, this is a simple way to get through the game

     The game is only available in the English language but besides 'Game Over' there really isn't much to read, so it shouldn't matter.

     This is a really basic application with no settings, bells or whistles.  It is cute and easy, while still having that challenge factor to beat one's personal best and keep pushing the limits.  It seems appropriate for any age, though keep in mind there are ad banners at the bottom of the app.

     My only issue is it may be a bit too basic for me.  I'd love to see more characters or menu items added to give the game more variety and challenge.  Otherwise, it is a very cute and fun application.  And don't worry, I don't think Ralph is going to jump in while you're playing and take over... at least let us hope not!


Rating: 3.5/5

• Free
• Seller: THREE SMARTERS CO. LIMITED
• Category: Games
• Size: 92.1 MB
• Languages: English
• Copyright: © 2018 THREE SMATERS CO. LIMITED

Rated 4+

Lazy Monster: Fitness for Women

Fitness for women: workouts, exercises, routines, plan
     Is that title long enough for you?  Doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue, does it?  Regardless, this is actually a really cute and useful free app.

     There are actually a few Lazy Monster workout apps in the app store.  I assume they work very much the same but this review is specifically for the one targetting women.  The app is free though one can choose to spend money to unlock more workouts within the app.  I got lucky and downloaded it during a special sale where everything could be fully unlocked for just a 1.99USD.  If you don't want to spend money to unlock workouts, fret not!  They can be unlocked for free as well.  You'll just have to work hard to earn the unlock options.

     Upon your first use of this app you can decide which monster you would prefer to be your workout buddy.  There is one that appears more male and one that appears more female.  Though who really knows how monster genders work.  I chose the orange monster because he seemed cuter to me.  You can see the other option to the right. If you are playing for free you'll have to settle with the orange fellow.

     The app includes several workouts and the ability to design your own workouts.  Each workout is 7 minutes long.  This usually means half a minute to just under one minute per exercise and a few seconds for cool down.  While you exercise your monster companion exercises with you.  During the cool down seconds he always looks really tuckered out.

     Every time you complete an exercise routine you'll gain experience.  This levels you up and completes achievements which unlocks stuff.  You can also gain experience for linking other social media accounts to your app, and for having friends who use the same app to workout.  I skipped these because I'm not big on social networking.  It could be a really good way for free users to get a lot of experience early and get some stuff unlocked right off the bat.

     If users want to purchase specific workouts individually this can be done in the Shop menu.  there are 10 individual workouts or an option to unlock all of them  Clicking on one of the workouts gives you a list of all the exercises in that routine so you can better decide which one works best for you and your individual needs.  For example, the routine Wake Up! includes Jumping Jacks, Air Bicycle, Lunge, Side Plank Lifts, Elbow to the Knee, Plank, Push up Rotation, Leg Raise and Bow.

     On the front page where you can cycle through the available exercises you have unlocked, you can also tap the weight at the top right to create your own routine or choose one you have already created.  This option is something that needs to be unlocked through playing the app (Or purchasing the routines).  It is a great option though as it gives you access to any of the individual exercises and allows you to use the ones you like best.  It is especially convenient if you have a limited space to workout in and want to create a routine based around that.  Or if you can't do any floor based exercises such as push ups or planks, you can choose only standing ones for your routine.

     At the bottom of the app, tapping the More tab will take you to everything else the app has available.  Here you can see your logs (What days you exercised wit the app), set workout reminders, rate the app, recommend it to friends, contact support, restore any purchases and change the workout difficulty.  the workout difficulty settings are as follows:
Easy: Workout 20 seconds Rest 15 seconds
Normal: Workout 30 seconds Rest 10 seconds
Hard: Workout 40 seconds Rest 10 seconds
Nightmare: Workout 50 seconds Rest 6 seconds

     Additionally, in the more sections users can toggle the monster voice on and off or change the music used during the exercises.  There are 12 music types within the app or a 'None' option (For if you'd rather use your own music from another app or exercise in silence).

     This is a really cute app and watching the little monster workout along with me certainly motivates me to keep going.  I've never been very consistent with workout apps but this one is really fun and I think it would be a great way to get kids to workout as well.  The different routines make it very versatile whether you are working out at home or in the office during a break.  The app is clean, simple and easy to use and understand.  Certainly one of the better workout apps I have seen in the app store.

Rating 4/5

• Free
• Seller: Pavel Mylnikau
• Category: Health & Fitness
• Size: 31.6 MB
• Languages: English, Russian
• Copyright: © Pavel Mylnikau

Rated 4+

Days of Van Meowogh

Days of Van Meowogh
     Are you a fan of classical art?  Famous painters?  Do you like cats and puzzle games and adorable stories?  This is a great app for you then.  Honestly, this is one of my favourite app games that I tried in 2018.

     First things first-- the title... Clearly it is a combination of Van Gogh and the sound a cat makes (Meow).  However, as some people have trouble pronouncing Van Gogh's name, the title of this app may be a bit complicated.  I have attached a link to an article that explains how to pronounce Van Gogh's name here.  Hopefully that shall help clear up any confusion.

     One of the immediate points of the game that a new user might find appealing is the art.  Upon opening the app you get an adorable claymation intro scene.  This scene was created by Lunch Box Studios.  The intro scene can be viewed in the video below. (Not my video)



     The art within the game is equally as charming.  The soft colours add to the calming and cozy nature of the game.

     You play as Van Meowogh, a cat living alone in his former master's home with his mouse friend.  The house is in disarray and has fallen apart since the loss of Van Meowogh's master.  The bills have come due and Van Meowogh has to make ends meet while also fixing up the home to match its former glory.  How does he do this?  By painting of course.  On his journey he will meet many friends and learn many new things.

     In order to create a new painting you have to perform several puzzle levels.  Each level will serve as a piece to the full painting concept.  Once all of the pieces are in place, the painting will be completed and sold to an art dealer.  This is how you earn money in the game.

     Each puzzle is different from the last.  There are many different strategies and puzzle types to play.  Though the idea is the same.  Matching three or more of the same type of gem will create a set and take them off the board.  Though some levels require you to break blocks by matching things near them or to move objects from the top to the bottom of the puzzle board by matching things below them.

     Before you begin a level you will be told if the level is particularly challenging.  You will also have the opportunity to use any items you have gained to help you in the puzzle.  Paintbrush items and Paint bottles help you clear large amounts of gems without matching.  The cheese gives you extra moves to complete the puzzle.  Each item serves a purpose.  You can choose to purchase items with real money but if you are trying to play for free like me, use these items sparingly because you don't accumulate them very quickly.

     There is a separate set of items you can acquire that automatically is available to you within every puzzle you play on the far right side of the screen.  However, these are harder to gain than the other items so be careful not to overuse them.

        At the end of each successfully completed puzzle level you get a chance to purchase an item set.  It will add one new item to the set, based on how well you did on the last puzzle.  The maximum item types is 3.  You can choose to spend money to purchase this set, wait until your set includes better items or just ignore it entirely, as I did.

     If you fail to complete a level you can either use a heart to retry or spend cat food to gain a few more moves and go back to where you left off to see if you can beat the level.  This can come in handy if you were very close to beating the level, however, don't use this tactic frivolously.  It is best to only do this is you are facing a challenging level you have been trying to beat for several attempts or if you are playing during a Splash competition where winning several puzzles in a row gives you special benefits that make the next level you play easier.  Losing your streak during this event will take you back to the beginning with no benefits at all.  While having a streak of 3 wins or more will give you a really nice boost and make levels much easier to manage.

     The app has many events and contests fairly regularly.  There is usually one going on at any particular time.  Sometimes there are more than one happening at once.  Finishing in the top during any of these contests can gain you some really nice rewards.  Usually the top three players get a special avatar, the top ten receive clothing for Van Meowogh that they can choose to put on him.  Everyone who participates gets something though.  It also often results in new story lines to follow.

     The characters and story are a really big part of this application.  I have found myself smiling and laughing along while I read the interactions that take place.  Plus any individual who has studied art history will find themselves especially interested as many artists (in cat form) appear in this story.  I find myself especially fond of Dali the cat.  Though the interactions between Van meowogh and his mouse companion also really amuse me.

     The story takes place in chapters and new chapters are being added over time.  Many of these chapters revolve around completely renovating a room in your house.  The rooms starts out all grey with rubbish and holes and dust everywhere.  Tapping on different things within the room is fun because Van Meowogh will comment on that item.  Purchasing new things for the room has the same affect.  The cat will comment on how much he likes certain items and what reminds him of his master.  Tapping the cat himself will result in other phrases.  These usually revolve around your current place in the story.  Friends coming to visit the room can be tapped as well.

     I will briefly go over the different areas of the main screen.  

     The top left is your heart count.  5 is the maximum amount of hearts.  You can play as many levels as you want.  hearts are only used when you lose a level and wish to replay it.

     Your cat food is next to the hearts and can be used to purchase goods  in the shop which is the icon next to the cat food.  taping the cat food itself will take you to a place to purchase more cat food with real money.  However, completing a level results in 50-100 cat food per level, so this should not be necessary.

     Top right is where your coins are displayed.  Coins are used to complete parts of the story line.  You can not purchase more coins.  You must gain them through playing the game.

     Beside the coins are the settings.  Tapping this opens the settings panel.  Here you can connect your Facebook or email, change your username, toggle the notifications or language settings or view the credits.  You can also turn the sound effects and music on or off from here.

     Within the settings panel one can also view the recent news feed, access the help section, or save the QR code to share.

     Below the settings button on the main page you will see 3 more buttons.  One has a mouse on it which allows you to purchase the three special items package I mentioned earlier.  The next has an envelope.  This is your mail section which includes friend requests, any items sent to you and hearts sent to you from friends.  if you run out of hearts you can come here to get more (Provided you have friends who send you hearts).

     The third button is your friends section.  It has the list of your current friends as well as a way to search for new friends, invite or request.  You can send hearts to all of your friends through this panel as well.  The second tab in this section has suggestions if you wish to add more friends.  Lastly the profile is located here where you can change your avatar, edit your name, copy your user ID or connect your Facebook account.

     Any currently active contests/events are on the left side of the main screen.  Tapping these will help you access them.  Different events have different rules.

     On the bottom of the main screen you can access the story.  You pay a fee for each section from the coins you earned through play.  From there you read through the interactions and the story progresses.  You can view past chapters, paintings you have completed, friends you have made and anything you collected from special events through the story panel.

     The only buttons left on the main screen are a hanger which you use to wear any new clothing you have gained.  You can change this up any time you like.  It has no affect on anything and is purely just aesthetic. And the far right bottom tab shows you what level you are on and allows you to play that level by clicking it.

     This game is adorable and can be quite addictive.  I found myself playing it a lot.  I loved reading the story, meeting new characters and doing the puzzles.  The competition aspect also really felt like a reason to keep playing as well.  Though I found during this that fewer people seem to be playing than I would have imagined.  This app has been out for a year and I found it very easy to get into the top 10 of any event.  This application needs more love!  I highly recommend it.  I honestly found absolutely no faults in it.

Rating: 5/5

• Free
• Seller: Cocone Corporation
• Category: Games
• Size: 181.5 MB
• Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, korean, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese
• Copyright: © Cocone

Rated 4+