Neko Atsume – Kitty Collector 

What do you do when you have two fluffy cats in real life but can’t handle taking care of more?

one of my cats in real life


 Well, download Neko Atsume, of course!

The game has been around since 2014 (and updated recently in September) but I only discovered it recently while in the car with my husband’s niece. She told me she was busy waiting for Tubbs (the fat white cat on the lower left) to come  when I found myself watching her “yard” with interest.

She identified each cat by name, and showed me how to “attract” feline visitors to the yard.

“You can’t own the cats,” she said, “but you can take a picture of them.” That, ladies and gentlemen, is Neko Atsume Kitty Collector as explained by a very smart 10-year old named Pia.

Cats are odd little independent creatures who prefer a coolly distant relationship with their human friends. They will wander into your yard if you have food and toys. They will stay a while and then leave with parting gifts (cats don’t do that in real life unless if it’s to gift you with a dead mouse).


The gold and silver fish on the lower left represent currency to buy all sorts of food and toys to attract cats to your yard. (Cue that one hit wonder, 2003 Kelis song if you still remember … My cake box brings all the cats to the yard …)  

You can collect money  from gifts from cats or if you buy gold fish (fancier stuff) using real money.

The next challenge (a very mild one) is finding which toys and food will attract rare and not so rare cats to your yard. In real life, though, boxes often do the trick!

These cats come in different colors and patterns as well as a variety of purrsonalities.  Not sure if there’s more to it than that, or if the kitty bio can help us figure out how to attract rare types.  

purrsonality


And the photos:


The great thing about this app is that unlike other free to play games with timers and the like, where you have to constantly monitor the game for freebies, you can enjoy Neko Atsume offline. In fact, the app  recommends that you suspend or reopen it to refresh and check on your yard. In other words, no need to watch it like a hawk. You can have a life outside of your phone.

Some minor inconveniences in the user interface aside, this cute game is for kids and busy people who want a fun, no strings attached kind of gaming relationship with their phone.

Happy collecting!

p.s. If you love cats, check out my cat’s Facebook page – BB the ragdoll cat ?

Rating: 4.5/5

Download: Neko Atsume – Kitty Collector

Price: FREE (with in app purchases) 


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FREE for a limited time: Heroes of Kalevala and Unstoppable Gorg for iPad

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up that two excellent games are FREE this weekend. These are old favorites of mine and have stunning graphics and solid gameplay.

Heoes of Kalevala is not your typical match three game – it is in fact, one of the very best out there. It comes with a story culled from Finnish mythology featuring eight (8) distinct heroes and a village building mechanic, keeping you hooked on finishing levels to populate your village. It landed in appSIZED’s list of Top 10 Games and Apps for 2010 together with 10tonsltd’s other game Miriel’s Enchanted Mystery.
Link: Heroes of Kalevala HD (for iPad)
Developer: 10tonsltd
 
Unstoppable Gorg is a one of a kind tower defense game with loads of personality and a really tough learning curve. What’s nice about its is that you rotate your towers along a certain path to fend off incoming enemies from all sides. It’s pretty tough. In between you have B-movie black and white clips that perfectly capture the retro sci fi vibe of the 1950s. In 2012, it was selected by appSIZED as one of its Top 10 games for the year.
 
Developer: Futuremark Oy
 
Enjoy!

 

Now Playing: Hearthstone (Heroes of Warcraft) for iPad

IMG_6207

It took me longer than it should to share my thoughts about this amazing new game, Hearthstone (Heroes of Warcraft) from Blizzard, best known for their incredible and genre-defining games, Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo. While these games are serious affairs, Hearthstone takes on a lighter note as its ordinarily fearsome and powerful characters are reduced to gorgeous, animated cards in a deck.

Hearthstone is a card game. If you’re not a big fan of these games (like I am) or if you’re new to them, then Hearthstone is by far the best introductory game you’ll find. Basically, you have a hero with his/her own respective skills and strengths, represented by specific cards. To boost your hero, you also have ‘neutral’ cards or cards that can be used for all classes of heroes. You have a deck of 30 cards and starting health of 30. Each turn gives you a specific number of mana corresponding to the mana required by the cards to be played. The goal is to defeat your enemy who may be AI (in practice mode) or a fellow player who is online (play mode, ranked mode or arena mode).

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appSIZED Updates and a Freebie Alert: Inbetween Land

Dear All,

I’ve been off the grid lately due to my busy schedule, but I hope to be back soon with a Plants vs Zombies 2 review as well as some catching up with other games and apps that came out since May.

In the meantime, here’s an announcement from G5 games:

News Alert – G5 Giveaway: Get FREE Inbetween Landon iOS – Limited Time Offer

Get a FREE FULL copy of Inbetween Land on iOS through August 25th and journey on a mysterious adventure to another world! Inbetween Landacquaints you with the plight of a missing childhood friend, possibly aboard a mysterious flying island hovering just above our world. Through mini-games and fragmented hidden object areas, you piece together the details of your friend’s disappearance and how it ties into the floating Sky Island. The game begins as a science-fiction story and soon involves players in the rescue mission for alien creatures.

The city’s mundane rhythm is suddenly disrupted by the emergence of a flying island high in the sky. Though the island initially appears to be deserted, the citizens realize that they are not alone in the universe. Before long, the island becomes a tourist attraction, increasing revenues and crime. Then one day, Mary, who works at the city orphanage goes missing after a beam of light is seen coming from the island above. And, that’s where you come in. You play as her friend, and soon find out Mary bought some mysterious artifact from the island and then vanished. Following the clues Mary left, you will have to open a portal to the flying land, save her and help extraterrestrial civilization that desperately wants to restore their home. Explore the creepy island, make friends with the spirits of the island’s people, solve challenging puzzles, find missing crystals and take your friend back home in this absorbing adventure.

Inbetween Land has all the key features to provide a delightful gaming experience: soft music, engrossing Sci-Fi themed plot and three game modes – Casual, Normal and Expert – so you can adjust the desired level of difficulty. You also have a useful journal add-in that keeps track of the story and tasks to accomplish. But what really makes this game stand out, is its glorious visuals. Fantastic scenery, comic-like cut scenes and witty puzzles will glue casual game fans to their iOS devices and let them fully enjoyInbetween Land. The game is developed by Specialbit Studio and published on iOS by G5 Entertainment.

Key Features:

  • 52 Fascinating locations to explore
  • 19 Thought-provoking mini games
  • 3 Game modes: Casual, Normal, Expert
  • 4 Engaging comics
  • Out-of-this-world storyline

You can download Inbetween Land for FREE from August 20 to August 25.

Download:

Inbetween Land for iPhone

Inbetween Land for iPad

 

Enjoy! —> appSIZED

Tips and Tricks: Robot Unicorn Attack 2 the Always Edition

I was incredibly excited when Robot Unicorn Attack 2 came out two weeks ago. Being a huge fan of the original Robot Unicorn Attack, the sequel which is awesome on so many levels, has no doubt captured our collective imagination. Having played the game extensively for some time now, let me share with you some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way.

If you’re new to Robot Unicorn Attack 2, read on for a bit of a walkthrough.

Dashing through the rocks

Dashing with the stars

Robot Unicorn Attack 2 (Universal for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad/FREE with in-app purchase) is an endless runner type of game, the sequel to the insanely popular Flash-turned-iPhone game Robot Unicorn Attack. In Robot Unicorn Attack (Universal for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad/$0.99), you are a robot unicorn soaring to new heights in a fantasy world tinged in pink and purple, flying with metallic dolphins, dashing through obstacles and collecting fairies in the process – set to Always by Erasure, which makes the whole experience surreal and laugh out loud ridiculous. Robot Unicorn Attack 2 is true to its roots, but adds a whole new level of complexity and depth to the gaming experience similar to Adult Swim/Pik Pok’s later outings such as Extinction Squad. In Robot Unicorn Attack 2 there are individual goals to achieve in order to level up (rank 15 opens up a new environment, the Ice World) as well as community goals (Team Inferno vs Team Rainbow). The main currency here is the unicorn tear which allows you to buy robot unicorns and their corresponding upgrades as well as boosts to improve your performance.

That said, read on for some tips to improve your gameplay and boost overall performance.

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Where Angels Cry in Review: A Hidden Object Adventure That Falls From Grace

It’s been a while since I last picked up a hidden object game. The thing is, for a hidden object game to sustain my attention, it should be driven by a really interesting storyline. Minutes into Where Angels Cry HD for iPad, I was simply hooked.

Where Angels Cry HD puts you in the shoes of a young monk sent by the cardinal to investigate a mysterious occurrence – said to be a miracle, in a remote monastery. Coincidentally – or not, the miracle coincides with the unexpected death of a resident monk who is believed to have been killed by wolves.

Sounds great so far? I thought so, too.

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Fawning Over Felines? Show My Cat is Instagram for Kitties

 

Love cats? Love looking at kitty photos? Show My Cat promises itself to be your very own kitty Instagram, featuring photos of your beloved feline. No more “spamming” your Facebook friends with kitty photos, here, you have your own space to share your kitty photos with fellow cat lovers.

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iOS App Review: Supermarket Mania 2 HD for iPad

Supermarket Mania 2 HD on appSIZED

Supermarket Mania may be a lesser known time management (TM) game, but it does bring something new to the table that is different from your usual Dash type of game. Read on to learn more about its shinier sequel, Supermarket Mania 2 HD (Full).

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iOS Freebie Alert: Majesty – The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

 
One of my all-time favorite games is FREE for a limited time (was $2.99), in connection with Daily App Dream!
 
Read my review on Technoodling to learn more about this awesome game.
 
Download it here and spread the news!
 
H(app)y shopping!

iOS Sale Alert! Pacquiao’s Pound for Pound, 2 EA Games Gone Free, and EPOCH On Sale!

Pacquiao pound for pound flight control mirrors edge epoch

Because it’s the season to be jolly, some great games have gone on sale early into the Yuletide season! 
 
1) Pound for Pound (Universal/FREE) – Manny Pacquiao fans might want to check out this boxing game with an RPG flavor, to throw some fancy punches, rescue a damsel in distress and be Pacquiao for a few hours. The game needs some work in the controls department, but as far as likeness goes, this freebie for a limited time is a must for Pacquiao fans. 
 
2) EPOCH (Universal/$2.99) – Apple’s former Game of the Week for iPad is a futuristic, cover shooting action game boasting of some pretty gorgeous graphics courtesy of UnrealEngine, the guys behind Infinity Blade. Now that it’s on sale for a limited time, make sure you don’t miss it! 
 
3) Mirror’s Edge for iPad (iPad/FREE) – You gotta love EA for their daily freebies! Mirror’s Edge is a platform game where the Runners (such as Faith, the character you’ll be playing) are the last bastion of freedom in a dystopian future. You can do some pretty fancy running and jumping tricks while admiring the city scenery. The iPhone version is also FREE
 
4) Flight Control HD (iPad/FREE) – This is the game that launched a thousand line drawing games. As part of EA’s freebie deals, this retro-inspired iOS classic is one for the books. The iPhone version is also FREE
 
EA’s other games are also on sale, including Dead Space, Apple’s iPad Game of the Year pick, so don’t forget to visit the EA page in the App Store. 
 
 
H(app)y shopping!