Here are 8 great new apps for the New Year that you can use for a healthy balance of work and leisure
Here’s to a productive, joyful 2018! This list of apps includes some that will help you loosen up and enjoy yourself and others which will help you buckle down and work towards those New Year resolutions.
App Weekly: The best apps of the week
- Dawn of the Titans
Ever wanted to battle as a super-sized warrior while armies crumbled at your feet? Fulfil your fantasies of being a gigantic, world-ending titan in Dawn of the Titans. This game features graphics which make you feel like you are actually on the battlefield. The controls are super easy, you just drag your units onto the enemy ones you have to target. However, this simple mechanic has room for a lot of complexity. Be prepared for nail-biting finishes and skirmishes where either party is equally likely to win. The story picks up several years after the disappearance of the last of the Titans and it is up to you to revive them and have them fight for the good side. All of the graphics in the game are gorgeous, from the menu itself to the scenic battlegrounds. Play Dawn of the Titans for a new kind of game on war.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM61J2L6sK4]
- Timber West
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rvmiGs1UcU]
Timber West is an arcade shooter based in the Wild West where the only law that is followed is the rule of the gun. Play as a male or female shooter as you faceoff against burly men out to get you. A unique feature of this game is the control. Your gun’s target starts moving as soon as you long press and you can control the direction of the target with subtle movements of your finger. You get three or so tries to kill each enemy before they hit back. The levels are small and easy to progress through. The graphics are cartoony and bright but do not be fooled by its mere appearance. This game is only for the quick of the finger.
- Hoppenhelm
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kCIoJYVXjw]
Hoppenhelm is an adorable sideways dungeon crawler. Using just three controls to block, hop and attack, you move your little knight deeper into the dark and dangerous dungeon. The game is a test of your reflexes and how quickly you can judge how to tackle the obstacle in front of you. The game keeps it interesting by surprising you at every turn (hop). There are cute but deadly jelly monsters, treasure chests carelessly strewn about and booby-trapped paths. Play Hoppenhelm for a quick, casual game which tests your ability to keep a tiny knight alive.
- Xenowerk
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDV5Vi1c6w]
Xenowerk is a story based top-down shooter which makes you explore an abandoned medical facility in search of the cause for its abandonment. The cause in this particular case is grotesque monsters who fight back. They actively hunt for your explorer and lie in wait for her footsteps. The game is well-fleshed out, from the story to the combat mechanics. None of that auto-aiming hand holding here, you have to aim your weapon using the secondary joystick, using the first one to move around. Xenowerk is easy to be absorbed into and getting to the fun killing bit is as easy as picking your weapons and armour, and pressing play. Unlike other games which spend several menu screens on gems and five different types of in-game currency, Xenowerk allows you to focus on the fundamentals of the game most of the times. Xenowerk is for you if you enjoy shooters and are comfortable (or don’t absolutely hate) two joysticks controls. The latter takes some getting used to but once you’ve killed a few mutants, you shall be extremely comfortable wielding all kinds of weapons in Xenowerk.
Now that you have a bunch of games to keep you entertained, it is time to look at a few apps which will help you organize your life. You have probably taken a few resolutions for 2018 and these apps can help you track your progress in completing them.
- Todait – Smart Planner, Tracker and Editor
Image: Google Play Store
Todait is an integrated study tracker which helps you set sizeable goals for yourself, and track the time you spend towards achieving that goal each day. Give the app a goal like ‘Solve a hundred questions this month’ and it will tell you exactly how much you need to put in towards the goal each day. The app’s interface is slick and it is quite easy to set up. You’ll be set to work with just a few steps. Todait is better than the simpler Todoist and Wunderlist because it is made especially for people who need to learn. You also can log the time you’re spending studying so you won’t be easily tempted to cheat on your goals. Download Todait because it might just be the app you need.
- LazyDog calligraphy and cursive writing practice
Image: Google Play Store
If this is the year you’ve decided to impress people with hand-lettered cards and don’t know where to start, LazyDog is the app for you. The app guides you through stroke practice for a range of typefaces. Now, dragging your finger along the curves of a letter on your phone is vastly different from doing the same with a calligraphy pen. However, the app will be instrumental in showing you how to form gorgeous letters in cursive or Italics or any of the other fonts here. This app is great for kids who’ve just transitioned from printing or cursive or for anyone who wants their handwriting to be the antithesis of the doctor’s infamous scrawl.
- Writer Tools – Story Planner, Tracker and Editor
Image: Google Play Store
2018 might be the year you accomplish your lifelong goal of becoming an author. Writer Tools will help you in this noble endeavour. Writer Tools brings together the parts of the creative process that can be tracked and planned. Thus, you have a word count tracker, character developer, location planner and quarterly goals. Using this app would require you to first hold yourself accountable for your creative goals. This app, like all other planners, will be quite useless if you’re not honest or motivated to keep track. However, this app helps you gamify your progress on your epic novel, which might be more than adequate motivation for some.
