My Week Unwrapped: May 13, 2017

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Hi everyone! Welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I talk about all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. You may have noticed I skipped last week. That’s because my site has been unstable and is currently under maintenance. There was also a death in the family, so I took a few days off. But I’m back now and this roundup will be pretty long, since this week is already insane and I’m adding last week’s on top of it.

If you are reading this, I would also appreciate some feedback. Do you like getting all these mini reviews and videos in one post? Or would you prefer I also make separate posts for each game, even if I don’t end up writing a full review or walkthrough for it? Would you welcome more posts or would that be too much for those who subscribe to get emailed about each new article? Please let me know in the comments section so I have some idea where people stand. And without further ado, I give you My Week Unwrapped!

Gemini Rue

I continued playing Wadjet Eye Games’ Gemini Rue. I had a few frustrating moments with it when I kept messing up a shooting sequence and then couldn’t figure out how to stop getting chased by a gunman. But I got past that part and am still looking forward to seeing where the story goes. The controls are a little too old school for me, but I find the story interesting enough to keep playing. I’m doing so during down times between more current games, though, so it may take me a while. You can see my progress in the video below.

Ever Knight

Ever Knight by Kyle Barrett looked interesting to me, as it’s like Crossy Road but with enemies everywhere and you slash them with each step you take. It also has no in-app purchases, so I decided to give it a try for a buck. Unfortunately, I got tired pretty quickly of the slow grind for gold. Enemies drop gold when you kill them, but they’re not automatically picked up. There’s even a small delay between the moment you kill them and when the coin drops. So if you’re constantly moving in order to stay alive, you’ll likely miss out on the coins unless you double back for them. Considering how expensive gear gets, I got discouraged pretty quickly. It also didn’t help that the music started to get on my nerves and there’s no option to shut it. In fact, there are no settings at all in the game. I stopped playing when I couldn’t focus anymore because of the music. In its current state, it’s not really my thing and I likely won’t be playing it again unless some changes are made. But if it looks like something you’d like and you don’t mind the music, go ahead and try it.

Yellow

Bart Bonte’s back with another puzzle game and this time it’s simply called Yellow. It reminds me a lot of Ulterior by Pine Entertainment. In each level, your goal is to turn the screen all yellow. There are fifty levels altogether with a lot of variety. Some are cleverer than others and some are more frustrating than fun, but overall it’s a nice mix. It’s also completely free with ads for hints. So there’s nothing to lose by trying it! I also have a complete walkthrough here if you get stuck.

Her Majesty’s SPIFFING

I really wanted to like Billygoat Entertainment’s satirical point-and-click adventure, Her Majesty’s SPIFFING. These days, I have so many games on my plate at any moment, so a short adventure game that’s meant to only take a couple of hours sounded like just what I needed. I also like British humor, the rod “spiffy,” and I was curious about its references to Brexit. Add to that great animations and voice acting in British accents and it seemed like a no brainer. But I was frustrated almost immediately by the camera. While it is technically a point-and-click adventure, the camera makes it hard to click (or tap) to move. It also makes it very difficult to see what’s around you at any given moment, because the camera zooms in too much. Early on, I couldn’t even tell that there was a room past a PC that I needed to get to. There is a floating joystick you can use to move — and you really have no choice but to use it — but I just wasn’t enjoying it. Navigating the game was feeling more like a chore and the camera was making me dizzy, so I decided not torture myself with it. I’ve since deleted it, but I saw an update was added recently. It’s possible some of those issues were fixed or improved upon, but I can’t confirm. You’d have to try for yourself to find out.

Fish Fly Fever

The last Froach Club game I played Picky Pop, an endless high score chaser that lets you take all the time you need for each move. It’s a relaxed game where you think through each move. Their new game, Fish Fly Fever, is the exact opposite. It’s a hectic game with controls that I don’t have the best handle on. I wish I was better at it, because I love the whole presentation. Alas, my best efforts have only gotten me a high score of 68. I do want to try to make it to the boss at 75, though, as I hear some crazy things happen then. Perhaps I’ll have more headspace to practice on a quieter week when I’ve had more sleep. But if you like fast-paced games with controls that take a bit of getting used to, give it a try.

SPACEPLAN

Jake Holland’s SPACEPLAN is a game I almost skipped, but everyone kept talking about how amazing it was, so I finally caved and tried it. It’s sold as a clicker game with a story and an ending. And it is indeed these three things. But unfortunately, they were not enough for me and some UI problems kept me from enjoying it as much as I wanted to. It does have a lovely soundtrack by Logan Gabriel, though, and that was probably my favorite part of it. I wrote a full review here if you want to see what I thought about it. I also have a video walkthrough here if you want to see more of the game.

Just Ski

Farseer Games’ Just Ski is another brutally difficult game that I wish I was better at. It’s relaxing to watch someone play who’s actually skilled at it, but I find it frustrating to keep landing on my face. It’s a little like Alto’s Adventure but with much tougher controls. It’s also not an endless runner so much as a hand-designed path that you try to get a little bit further on each time. The background changes colors as you progress, going through the colors of the rainbow. So it starts off Black, then red, orange, yellow, and so on. What’s really nice is that the sun (moon?) changes to the farthest color that you’ve reached. But there are no checkpoints, so you start back at the beginning every time you fall. This makes it both brutally difficult and also a bit tedious. It does feel really satisfying when you flip over a hill and land perfectly, though. Perhaps one day I’ll have more patience and manage to get through it, but right now the best I’ve done is orange, sadly. You can see my attempts in the video below.

Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo

I’m not much of a blackjack player, but if you are, you might want to check out Headup Games’ Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo. It’s meant to look like An old Street Fighter game, but you’re playing blackjack. I think multiplayer is lacking at the moment due to a shortage of players, but it’s supposed to have cross play with the Android and Steam versions once those are available.

Artificial Superintelligence

I’ve been having a lot of fun with Grailr’s Artificial Superintelligence over the last few days. It’s a game in the vein of Nerial’s Reigns, but instead of running a kingdom you’re trying to build an artificial superintelligence — hence the name. There’s so much stuffed into this game and the humor is right up my alley, so I’ve been finding it rather entertaining. But since I took the time to write up a whole review, why don’t you read that instead of making me repeat myself, meatbag?

Run-A-Whale

I’d been looking forward to Guillaume Loquin’s Run-A-Whale for a while now, even though runners aren’t exactly my favorite genre. The whole game was made by one man during his free time and it’s super impressive. I love the look and feel of it, though I’m still honing my skills. It’s much more forgiving than Just Ski and feels much closer to Alto’s Adventure. It even has the missions and power-ups like you would find in that game. What it does differently is that you tap and hold to go underwater, then release to jump up. You can’t stay underwater too long, though, as you’ll run out of air. I do wish it would replace each completed mission with a new one instead of making you complete all three at once, but I had the same complaint about Alto. It also takes a bit too long to restart, but other than that it feels like a pretty solid game with a lot going on. There are even hats and different whales you can unlock. And you can fly! While riding a whale! You can see it in action in my video below. But if you have any interest in it at all, I recommend grabbing it as it’s a measly buck with zero in-app purchases.

Faraway: Puzzle Escape

Pine Studio’s Faraway: Puzzle Escape is a first-person puzzle adventure game inspired by Myst but designed with mobile devices in mind. Navigation is simple and intuitive, with taps and swipes to open things, grab things, or look around.everything runs super smooth with lovely visuals and a relaxing soundtrack to go along with it. So far, nine of the puzzles have been too taxing, but there’s been a nice amount of variety. And my favorite part is how you need to find letters but some of them are hidden behind a puzzle you’re not even told about. It adds some extra trickiness to the game. I’ve only solved the first five levels so far as I’m working on a walkthrough, which slows me down. But I’ve been enjoying it so much that I paid the $2.99 to unlock all eighteen levels the second I hit my first video ad. I’ll be playing through it and updating my walkthrough over the next week or so, so keep checking back. I highly recommend picking up the game, especially since the first nine levels are completely free. Give it a try and see if you want to spend the money to unlock the rest of the game.

RASTER PRIME

Punk Labs’ RASTER PRIME is a bizarre puzzle game. I really like the aesthetics and music. There’s something very cryptic about it. The puzzles themselves can be a bit confusing, especially at first. I think I’ve been getting the hang of it, but sometimes I’m not exactly sure of the rules and then am surprised when my solution works. It’s a bit hard to explain, but you’re basically given a pixelated pattern and you have two shapes on each side of the screen. You need to tap them in the right sequence in order to draw the pattern in front of you. If you get it right, the puzzle will let you know. But if you mess up, it won’t tell you where. There’s no feedback, so all you can do is try again and hope you get it right. There’s something compelling about it, but also frustrating. I do plan to spend more time with it, but so far I’ve only made it to the third world. You can see it in action below to get a better idea of what it’s like.

Phew! That was a lot to talk about. I’m going to go collapse, as it’s been a crazy few weeks and I’m suffering from sleep deprivation. Again, please let me know if you’d like me to split these posts up for every game and then do the recap to include them all, or just keep the games to the recap if I’m not writing a review or walkthrough. And let me know if you pick up any of these games and what you think of them. Until next time, that’s My Week Unwrapped!

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Kimberly Pagan

    Hi! I’ve been a follower of your blog for a few years now and you’ve really helped me get out of some extremely tricky puzzles, so thank you! I don’t really have a preference in terms of review or email frequency, but one thing I would REALLY like you to add to your emails is the price of the app either right under the title or somewhere near the App Store link. Sometimes, your review in addition to the cost of the game will determine if I download it or not. So it would be nice not to have to exit the email for every single game just to see the price. Anyway, that’s all I got. It would be much appreciated. 🙂

    1. AppUnwrapper

      Thanks for the feedback! That’s actually a good suggestion. The only reason I haven’t been doing that is because I don’t want the prices to be outdated if the game goes on sale. But I have someone helping me revamp the site over the next few weeks and months, so I can ask him if he can help implement something dynamic for that.

      1. Kimberly Pagan

        Awesome!

  2. Beth

    These weekly unwrapped posts are extremely informative and helpful. Its something very unique to this site/you so I hope you keep posting them. I like how you don’t always focus on the most “mainstream” titles …I’ve found so many fantastic apps/games via your recommendations that I would have never discovered otherwise.
    I find myself asking ” I wonder what AppUnwrappers” thoughts on this are and come searching to see if you’ve played/reviewed something yet…lol
    I don’t have any real recommendations …I’m happy reading it all, more reviews just means more games to play!
    Thanks for all your hard work, your very appreciated 🙂

    1. AppUnwrapper

      Hi Beth! Glad to hear you enjoy these posts and find them useful. I don’t always have time to fully review a game, but this has been allowing me to still share my thoughts on everything I’m playing. So it’s good to hear people are finding it useful! 🙂

  3. CHF

    Hi, longtime reader first time poster. I really like the weekly digests as it allows me to decide if I want to dig deeper on a game. Plus I often don’t get to your emails for a few weeks or months so less is more. Thank you for all you do to help share interesting games with the world.

    1. AppUnwrapper

      Glad to hear! 🙂 It always helps to get some feedback.

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