Apple highlights "Best of April" in new App Store section

Apple has highlighted its favorite new apps and games from last month in a new Best of April section on the App Store. The best overall app was given to NYT Now, while the award for best overall game went to Leo’s Fortune. There are over a dozen other apps included in two categories for “amazing apps” and “great games,” many of which were released or significantly updated in April. A complete rundown of the apps that made the Best of April list in the United States follows…

Best App & Game

NYT Now features top stories from The New York Times that are hand-selected by editors. The app allows readers to catch up on the most important stories of the day with article summaries, morning briefings, a curated stream of great stories and more. Free.
Leo’s Fortune is a platform adventure game that involves playing as a furry creature named Leo, who must hunt down a mysterious thief that stole his gold. Voyage across handcrafted levels, survive vicious traps and follow the trail of gold to uncover Leo’s stolen fortune. $4.99.

Great Games

Monument Valley requires you to guide a silent princess named Ida through a world based on seemingly impossible architecture. The critically acclaimed game includes mysterious monuments, hidden paths, optical illusions and the enigmatic Crow People. $3.99.
Hitman GO is a turn-based puzzle game with challenging levels that put your assassination skills to the test. Beautiful scale model-style visuals, secret passageways and off-limit areas are just a few aspects of the strategy-based Hitman game. $4.99.
Wayward Souls is an action-adventure game that promises to have quick playthroughs and high replay value, featuring procedurally generated levels that require you to explore and fight for survival. Every move matters. $4.99.
Trials Frontier is a biking game created by the award-winning developer RedLynx, in which you explore a vast world on a motorcycle, perform physics-based tricks, compete against friends on global leaderboards and more. Free.
Unpossible is a game that tests your memory and reflexes with frustrating obstacles across several levels. You can play on your own or challenge your friends, but be prepared to die often. $1.99.
FarmVille 2: Country Escape is a mobile-optimized farming game part of the FarmVille series of games by Zynga. Craft baked goods, harvest coastal crops, decorate your farm or house, nurture and raise farm animals, build gardens, fish, and more. Free.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 allows you to become the iconic web-slinging superhero in an action-packed world. New York faces a city-wide gang war and only Spider-Man can stop it. $4.99.
Third Eye Crime: Act 1 is an award-winning indie stealth puzzle game based on a smooth-talking criminal that can telepathically predict where enemies will move to in attempt to stop his heists. Players must rely on their third eye to escape. $2.99.
Horde of Heroes is a free-to-play roleplaying game where you play the role of a medieval hero on a quest to save a kingdom from evil doers. The game features 8-bit style graphics and hundreds of quests. Free.
Fairway Solitaire Blast is an iPhone and iPad puzzle game that pairs classic solitaire with power-ups and golfing. You must play cards one higher or lower and clear them off the board, while using power-ups and playing on golf courses. Free.
Isolani tasks you to fight your way through a mysterious and beautiful alien spacecraft to answer the question — “what happens when the last star in the universe dies?” Free.
The Wolf Among Us, developed by the award-winning games studio Telltale Games, is a violent and mature thriller game based on the award-winning Fables comic books by DC Comics and Vertigo. $4.99.
Skyline Skaters has ranked number one in the App Store games category across more than 60 countries, in which you skate across rooftops by day and night. Choose from cool characters and abilities, and collect over 20 sky boards. Free.
Tiny Dice Dungeon is a free-to-play roleplaying game with danger, warriors, wizards and loot. You must tame evil creatures to fight alongside you, building a powerful army to take over the fantasy universe. Free.
Robots Love Ice Cream is another game that requires you to save the universe with arcade style gameplay. Venture across the galaxy and complete several mini-objectives. The game is free for a limited time, with a regular price of $2.99.
Clash of Clans is based on clan versus clan battles, with the goal to be victorious. The combat strategy game allows you to fight against goblins or other players in a three-dimensional landscape. Free.
Castle Doombad is a reverse tower defense game that revolves around Dr. Lord Evilstein, who has kidnapped a princess and must defend her from heroes trying to save the day. That’s your job. $2.99.
Wind-up Knight 2 is a high-end platform game based on beautiful three-dimensional graphics. Free.
Soccer Rally 2 combines driving with soccer and other sports. The hybrid game features over 20 challenging tournaments, 9 custom cars, multiplayer mode and more. Free.
Cut the Rope: Time Travel is a classic puzzle game by ZeptoLab where you travel back in time with On Nom to feed his ancestors with candy. The game promises time-traveling, candy-crunching and physics-based action. $1.99.
Duet Game tasks you with controlling two vessels in sync, requiring you to survive against all odds and remain calm to achieve success. Avoid everything with fine-tuned precision. $2.99.
Slingshot Braves is an exciting action roleplaying game with simple and intuitive controls. Journey through the once peaceful land of Landova to collect an ancient weapon. Free.
Badland is an award-winning action and adventure iPhone and iPad game with more than 10 million players across 83 countries. It is an atmospheric platformer in which you are a player that travels through gorgeous forests and more. $3.99.
Groundskeeper2 places you in the middle of a war with supernatural robots from outer space. As you progress in the game, you have a better chance of surviving. $1.99.
Shatter Alley is a music-powered game based on a brick breaker style arcade classic. $2.99.

Amazing Apps

Breeze is a pedometer and activity tracker that helps users stay motivated to keep moving. It keeps track of daily movements, delivers credit for completed activity and more. Free.
SpeakaZoo is an interactive app that allows kids to talk to, care for and teach virtual animals such as tigers, dolphins and elephants. Free.
Union is a photo manipulation app that allows you to combine photos in unique and creative ways. $1.99.
Baby Bundle is an all-in-one parenting app developed by a paediatric expert. It offers extensive parenting resources, developmental tools and more. Free.
Comedy Central is the official companion app for the TV channel of the same name, featuring full episodes of popular shows such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park. Free.
Wallykazam! Letter and Word Magic is a preschool literacy app based on the children’s TV show Wallykazam! on Nick Jr. $3.99.
Morning provides you with important information such as the time, weather, stock quotes, news and more based on your current location. $3.99.
Houzz Interior Design Ideas allows you to discover ideas for your home, browse and save photos of interiors and find local professionals to help. Free.
Windy helps you get to sleep, study, meditate or so forth with natural wind recordings and artwork. $1.99.
Duolingo allows you to learn different languages in an interactive way. Free.
Refresh provides you with insight on people that you have recently met. Free.
Sago Mini Monsters allows toddlers to create their own colorful monsters, and keep them happy with paint, food, decorations and more. $2.99.
Slack is a team communication app that aims to make work life simpler. Free.
Fandago Movies is a movie ticketing app that provides the latest movie times, guarantees tickets and provides exclusive content. Free.
Doorsteps Swipe is a real estate app for homebuyers and homes for sale. Think of it as Tinder for houses. Free.
Pinterest is one of the most popular social networks for sharing and pinning photos of things or products you like. Free.
GemShare provides users with personal recommendations for managing their daily lives. It is currently available in the United States only. Free.
SignEasy is a useful app for signing and filling in documents such as PDF, Word and Excel files. Free.
Schoola offers kids clothes for up to 90% off retail prices, including brands such as Gap and Gymboree. 40% of purchases fund school programs. Free.
Maplets by Zaia Design is a comprehensive offline map app with over 10,000 maps in the United States alone for places like Yosemite and the New York Subway. $2.99.
PiggyBot is a parent-designed and kid-tested allowance app. Free.
Superb shows you cool places that your friends would like to visit, prompting you to explore together. Free.
Fly Delta is the official app for Delta Air Lines, allowing travellers to book flights, check flight statuses, track bags and more. Free.
Beamly TV is the social network of television. Follow shows for a personalized feed and chat and share with fans that have similar interests. Free.