Apps of the Week: Dungeon Highway, Tengami, Astro Golf, and more…

It is hard to believe that March is just around the corner. On my side of the U.S., we still haven’t had a decent amount of rainfall. The sun shines every day while the days start to get just a little bit longer. Where did my winter go?

If you are longing for cozy winter nights, or are sick of the snowfall in your neck of the woods, and want some apps and games to distract you, we’ve got a list for you to check out this weekend…

Card Wars

Those who know me know that I recently (about a year ago) got into Adventure time and am now totally obsessed with it. I love those enthusiastic heroes. Finn says the funniest stuff and Jake has unusual quirks. When anything related to the show comes around, you bet I’m on it. This game is based on a single episode called, “Card Wars.” Players can customize their deck and command an army of fighters, including some iconic characters from the T.V. show, like the Husker Knights, Cool Dog, and the Immortal Maize Walker. This game is available for $3.99.

Astro Golf

Ah, put-put golf. I loved it as a kid. I remember imagining that I lived in those tiny little houses that I swung my club at. Nowadays, it is harder to find a mini golf course than it is to find cheap parking in San Francisco. When you do find a course, it is usually filled with sticky preteens. Yuck. These days, I prefer to play the game virtually. Why not throw some robots into the mix, too. This game lets you angle your shot, adjust your strength, and let the ball fly. Everything is sci-fi themed, even the golf ball, so you can have a put-put adventure in space. This game is available for $1.99.

Dungeon Highway

You may recall from my review that I don’t usually take to endless runner games. I am pretty bad at them. I can never get very far and feel frustrated at having to restart, right from the same stupid spot again and again. Dungeon Highway does have that, start again, element to it, but at least the levels are different each time you restart. Instead of feeling like you are back at the beginning, you feel like you are starting a new level. Plus, instead of gathering coins that are used to buy things you think will help you get further, you get to chop up monsters and watch their pixelated blood splatter all over the path. This game is available for free.

Tengami

I know you may be wondering what a pop-up book is doing on this list. This book is not just some kiddie “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” book. It is filled with beautiful Japanese-inspired paper craft artwork and is actually a puzzle game more than a book. Readers (or players) solve puzzles by folding, sliding, and pulling on the interactive images within the pages. You really have to see this in action to know that it is far more innovative than the images suggest. All of the pages were created using special software that simulates real paper craft. Every pop up is something that can be done in real life. This app is available for $4.99.

Bug Heroes 2

The backyard battle is back on. This time, it looks like the angle is different, the characters are new, and the weapons are more intense. I didn’t even know bugs had weapons. In this version, there are 25 different bugs, including water bug pirates, an aphid sensei, boxing bumblebees, and more. The gameplay is similar to tower defense, but with a bit of a garden variety twists. Send your scouts out to scavenge for food. Send your troops out to defend the food. Place turrets and weapons around the yard to keep the enemies away. This game is available for $0.99.

Blue Eden

I’ve always been a fan of virtual fish tanks. I love watching fish swim around and around. It is very relaxing. However, I don’t want to take care of fish, and I don’t think my cat would like it anyway (or, he would like it too much). So, virtual fish are my kind of fish. This is a game more than a virtual tank. Players breed, feed, and control the movement of their school of fish. You can grow your fish family in different ways and combine with other groups to create powerful schools. There are four different games, each representing one aspect of the Surgeonfish’s life. This game is available for $0.99.

BIAS for iPhone

I am a big fan of effects apps. I have never used them while playing live, but when I’m noodling around in my living room, I love to connect my guitar to my iPhone and play some crazy pedal without having to bring out my gig box and plug into an amplifier. If there is anyone else in the room, I can play as loud as I want without being heard using headphones. This app is an amplifier modeler and processor. It recreates the tone of 36 different amp models, including some dating back to the 1940s. You can also connect to AudioBus to export your tone to a huge selection of other music related apps. This app is available for $7.99.