Apps of the Week

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new personal finance tracking app with a gorgeous interface, the PPV app showing the fight everyone is going to be talking about this weekend, and a new social app with an AR twist. And as always, we've selected two interesting new games for you to check out.

Slope

Slope was designed from the ground up to be unlike any financial app you’ve ever seen. With its user friendly interface, Slope gives you the power to see your entire financial history at your fingertips. Lightning fast transaction input allows you to input expenses on the go and reconcile with your bank statement later. Other features include categories and tags, multiple account support, receipt storage and much more. There is a SlopePro subscription option, but it looks like most features are available without it. Slope is available for free.

Showtime PPV

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, chances are you've heard about the fight coming up tonight between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and MMA star Conor McGregor. There are a few ways to stream the fight, but the official way is via the SHOWTIME PPV app. It works on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, and makes buying the fight as easy as an in-app purchase. Features will include the stream, fight-related news and behind-the-scenes look at the fighters. The app is free, of course, but the Main Event is going to cost you $100. Showtime PPV is available for free.

Mirage World

This is kind of a cool app, and somewhat relevant given all of the talk these days about VR and AR. Mirage World allows you to create and "leave" digital, interactive artwork in the real world. Think virtual graffiti. You can place gifs, objects, hostages, photos and drawings anywhere for others to see. Just create, post and share using the Mirage app, and your friends can view them and share their own. As with all newcomer social media apps, I am skeptical this will gain much traction, but the idea is interesting enough it might make it into bigger apps. Check it out! Mirage World is available for free.

Death Point

Death Point is a hardcore single-player, top-down, stealth shooter with dual stick control that will test your abilities at every level. Here's the setup: only two from your group have survived—you (agent) and your operator. She is blocked somewhere within the enemy’s territory and you woke up in a prison, barely alive, but determined to get revenge. The countdown has started. Elimination sensors are already ticking in your heads. The mission success and your future depends solely on you. All you have to do is to find the girl and call for evacuation. Hurry up! Death Point is available for $6.

Cat Bird!

If Death Point isn't really your style, then check out Cat Bird! It couldn't be more opposite. This cute little platform adventure game sends you on an epic quest to help Cat Bird get home. You'll venture through unique worlds hovering across pits, traps, enemies, and saw blades. But beware of the mighty guardians that block your path! Other game features include 40+ challenging levels, 3 epic bosses, stylish pixel art, and a beautiful soundtrack. Cat Bird! is available for free (with a single IAP).

More apps to check out Google Assistant for iOS expands to Germany, France and UK Apple’s free app of the week: Colossatron: Massive World Threat You can now take 360-degree photos in Facebook’s iOS app Spark gains Touch ID inbox protection, Apple Reminders support & integration with 10 new services

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a visual menu for over 80,000 restaurants, a new comedy network courtesy of Kevin Hart and a handy app to help you pack for vacations. And as always, we've selected two interesting new games for you to check out.

Wine n Dine

This is by no means a new app, but if you're not familiar with it, it's definitely worth checking out. Wine n Dine features visual menus from over 80,000 of the world's best restaurants that aims to help you always order delicious food. Save dishes with the 'Wanna Try' feature and you'll get reminded of it when you go to that restaurant, create and discover insightful restaurant lists, and browse the food map to see the best restaurant and foods around you. I also really like that the app avoids negativity—it's all about sharing the good, not the bad. Wine n Dine is available for free.

Laugh Out Loud

Laugh Out Loud is the new streaming video service from actor/comedian Kevin Hart, featuring a slate of original scripted and unscripted comedy series, stand-up specials, licensed programming, and live broadcasts. Laugh Out Loud combines Hart’s unparalleled social media savvy with his vision for the future of comedy - social, mobile, multicultural, and seriously funny. Not a fan of Hart's comedy? Don't worry, there are a ton of other comedians featured here. The app itself is free, and you can actually watch quite a bit without paying, but to unlock everything it'll cost you $3/month. Laugh Out Loud is available for free.

Packr

Packr will help you pack your suitcase for each trip. The app creates a packing checklist for your suitcase from 24 pre-defined activities and factors in details like length of stay, weather and planned activities. This is the perfect tool for your summer vacations, long week-ends, road trips and even camping. Plus, Packr learns from each of your trips to organize the packing checklists and adjusts the items it recommends based on that data. Unfortunately some features are hidden behind a subscription fee, which I think is a terrible idea for such a situational app, but the core features and design make it worth checking out. Packr is available for free.

Tunnels & Trolls Adventures

Combining rich interactive fiction with classic RPG gameplay for mobile, Tunnels & Trolls Adventures will let you play through iconic adventures like Naked Doom, Buffalo Castle, Deathtrap Equalizer and more. The world of Tunnels & Trolls is filled with tough decisions, devious traps, and monstrous encounters where the risks are only rivaled by the rewards. Roll your stats, choose your kindred and begin your legendary adventures. Tunnels & Trolls Adventures is available for free (with some IAPs).

Bottom of the 9th

This is kind of cool. Bottom of the 9th is a strategic 2-player baseball game played with cards and dice. This faithful adaptation brings the fast-paced fun of the tabletop game to your phone! Choose your lineup from a pool of players with different strengths and abilities, outsmart your opponent in the stare-down, then roll the dice to trigger the action. Will you lead the underdogs to victory? Or will you defend the league leaders’ unbroken winning streak? Bottom of the 9th is available for $4.99.

More apps to check out Finding your festival friends with ARKit Apple’s free app of the week: Tsuro Instagram launches new ways to reply with photos and videos in Direct Skype previews upcoming Mac app revamp ESPN for Apple TV gains simulcast feature for watching 4 live sporting events simultaneously Facebook begins rolling out Trending News section in iPhone app

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a fun video editing app, an app for discovering new and interesting content, and an app for sharing your travel experiences. And as always, we've picked two great new games for you to check out.

Hypno Cam

So Hypno Cam is a new(ish) app that enables you to quickly and easily add cool effects to your videos. The app automatically scripts your clips with effects, music, and edits synced to the beat. You don't have to be an expert videographer to create awesome videos—Hype your Instagram and Snap stories with the push of a button. New "scripts" are added every week, and there is a beta developer program for folks who want to create their own. For what it's worth, the app has 4.5-star on early reviews. Hypno Cam is available for free.

Mix

Mix is a new way to discover and curate interesting content you find on the internet. I know, this sounds like the same pitch we've heard from dozens of other apps, but Mix is worth checking out. The app uses an algorithm to feed you interesting and relative content, and its beautiful, minimal interface will keep you swiping for more. Use the special 'Mix' button to save and share the things you like, watch videos in-app, and more. Mix is available for free.

Trips

Explore every day with Trips by Lonely Planet — a beautiful, simple and intuitive way to share travel experiences. Upload photos and videos to your timeline, then share your trip with your friends, family and fellow travellers. Discover new places, be inspired by stories from the Lonely Planet community and start planning your next adventure. I know there are a lot of these kinds of apps out there, but the early reviews say this is a great way to document your trips or view others' trips. I think it's worth checking out. Trips is available in the App Store for free.

Titanfall: Assault

Standby for Titanfall! Experience freedom on the Frontier battlefield in a new mobile RTS that redefines the genre with fast-paced action and intense PvP battles. Put your combat skills to the test by unleashing a powerful arsenal of Titans and Pilots, including units from Titanfall 2 plus brand new specialized units only for the mobile game. Deploy Sim Ninja, Boomer, Ion, Scorch and more onto the battlefield to fight for control of the Frontier. Unite and destroy. And lead your forces to victory in The Frontier War. Titanfall: Assault is available for free (with some IAPs).

Swim Out

Dive into the relaxing and refreshing atmosphere of Swim Out, a strategic, turn-based puzzle game, that will transport you into a sunny day by the swimming pool, the river or the sea. Plan each of your strokes wisely and be sure to never cross any other swimmer's path if you want to peacefully enjoy the sea view on a cosy chaise-longue. There are over 100 levels to play and 12 different types of swimmers. If you're a fan of puzzle games, this one is definitely worth checking out. Swim Out is available for free.

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Colorcube Instagram testing two-person live broadcasting

This week's edition of our Apps of the week roundup features a powerful, easy-to-use sketch app, a multitrack music recorder, and a new weather app that serves up both forecasts and GIFs. And as always, we've picked two great new games for you to check out.

PicsArt Color Paint

There are hundreds of sketch/drawing apps on the App Store, but I still think PicsArt Color paint is worth checking out. It offers a full drawing suite with an intuitive UI that makes it perfect for both beginners and professionals alike. Layers upon layers, a color mixer for any color combination you can imagine, fully customizable paint brushes, and an amazing texture brush are just some of the features available here. You can even doodle on that selfie you just took! PicsArt Color Paint is available for free.

Spire

Spire is a multitrack music recording app that automatically adds professional-quality polish to your recordings. Record your music anywhere, edit and mix it to perfection, then share it with the world. Features include working metronome, touch and drag mixing, song exportation, iZotope technology that autwmiatclaly removes unwanted song characteristics, and more. Spire is available for free.

Basic Weather

Weather is emotional. Basic Weather is the daily weather app for people who choose to celebrate the highs and weather the lows (zing!). Features include daily weather notifications with hand-matched GIFs to make you smile, simple and swipeable interface, 5-day weather forecasts, instant sharing, and the developers claim the app's forecasts are extremely accurate. Basic Weather is available for free.

Miracle Merchant

Miracle Merchant is a solitaire style potion brewing card game.In it, you become the apprentice of a master alchemist who creates potions for thirsty adventurers. By mixing and combining different ingredient cards you create powerful potions based on the needs of your customers. Each game has a unique, randomly generated set of cards that will test your skills. By successfully completing games you can collect a variety of masterfully crafted potions. Miracle Merchant is available for $1.99.

Flippy Knife

The title explains it all. In Flippy Knife, you work to become a master at knife flipping using the best knives from around the world. Features include realistic knife-flipping physics, over 35 different blades to choose from, various levels and locations, ranging from a campsite to tree tops, one finger control, and more. I know it sounds kind of ridiculous, but early reviews for the game are glowing. Flippy Knife is available for free (with some IAPs).

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Checkmate! Google Earth for iOS gains 3D imagery, guided tours, 64-bit support & more Apple’s ARKit replicates A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video in real time Plant a tree and get things done with Forest Here’s award-winning PCalc scientific calculator app in augmented reality, because why not? Spark for Mac gains advanced search features & other notable improvements

This week's edition of our Apps of the week roundup features a new AI-based photo editor, an app for quickly finding your group at a large event, and a new twist on the digital recipe book. And as always, we've selected two great new games for you to check out.

Teleport

Teleport is a new, interesting app that allows you to edit live photos using artificial intelligence. No, we're not talking about adding animal ears or swapping faces—this app lets you change your hair color, alter your backdrop, blur the background and more. The interface is intuitive and well-designed, and as far as I can tell, the AI-based effects are impressive. Teleport is available for free.

Turf

Turf is a simple, but smart app that acts as a compass towards where you want to go. Imagine you're meeting a friend at a ballgame, or a musical festival. Well instead of sending countless texts back and forth, or making hard-to-hear phone calls, the people can simply send a point-of-interest using Turf, and your app will take you straight to it. I know other, more robust maps apps allow you to share your location, but this is more straight-to-the-point (no pun intended). Plus no account is required. Turf is available for free.

Tasty

BuzzFeed's new Tasty app features all 1,700+ Tasty videos and a new Step-By-Step instruction mode that explains how to cook every recipe. The "My Recipes" page serves as your own personal cookbook and an innovative Search tool allows you to filter recipes by ingredient, cuisine, and social occasion. You can even filter out recipes with restrictions like vegan, gluten-free, low carb, healthy and comfort food. Easy is available for free.

NEO Scavenger

Play the acclaimed PC survival RPG on your iPhone or iPad. NEO Scavenger is a game where you must survive in the wasteland long enough to figure out who you are. Each turn, you must decide where to go, how to scavenge for supplies, and how to deal with anything and anyone you encounter. And with each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows, your dehydration worsens, your muscles tire, and your body temperature drops in the cold autumn air. Choose your starting abilities carefully, because they and your wit are the only tools you have in the apocalypse! NEO Scavenger is available free (with a single IAP to unlock the full game).

Vista Golf

Vista Golf is a simple but elegant mini golf game, defined by crisp controls and the endless competition of new courses every week. We wanted to create the purest form of mini golf in your pocket, so if you seek both fun an frustration, this is the game for you. Features include Competitive Mode, Infinite (arcade) Mode, leaderboards, and weekly updates. I know there are a ton of golf games out there already, but this one seems worth checking out. Vista Golf is available for free.

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Domino Drop Google launches Trusted Contacts iOS app with Find My Friends-like features Image search and discovery coming to eBay’s iOS app this fall

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a sticker-maker, screenshot-stitcher, and an app for locating and reserving campsites. And as usual, we've selected two great new games for you to check out.

Sticky AI

Sticky AI uses artificial intelligence to help you create your own selfie-stickers incredibly fast. Create still and animated stickers, save them to the sticker pack and share them easily across your favorite messaging apps. Features include awesome comic and cartoon-like sticker styles, bright and colorful backgrounds to choose from, and a simple and clean user interface. For me it's kind of like having Instagram or Snapchat stickers in all of your favorite social apps. Sticky AI is available for free.

Picsew

In the market for a screenshot-stitching app? Check out Picsew. It's not a new app, but it just received a big update. Picsew can automatically merge multiple screenshots into a single image. The developer says it has the leading auto-stitching success rate among similar products, and it also has a manual stitching option for more complex projects. Other features include support for both vertical and horizontal screenshots, high resolution output, watermarks and more. Picsew is available for $0.99.

RoverPass

It's that time of year again! Search, compare, and book with thousands of other travelers using RoverPass. With more than 20,000 campgrounds across the country, RoverPass is the only directory to offer nationwide booking through its online travel agency service. Other features include quick-loading search results, large photos, map exploration, online booking, and more. This isn't a new app, but if you like to camp and haven't checked it out, it may be worth doing so. It has one of the largest campground databases of any app I've seen. RoverPass is available for free.

Dice Smash

In the mood to try a new puzzler this weekend? Check out Dice Smash. This game is simple, with the goal of tapping empty spaces between pairs of dice in an effort to clear the board. Features include daily challenges, support for Apple Watch and iMessage, and a gorgeous interface. Think you have what it takes to smash the dice? Try it. Dice Smash is available for free.

Street Fighter IV Champion Edition

A new warrior has entered the ring. Street Fighter 4: Champion Edition perfects the winning gameplay formula of its predecessor by offering higher resolution graphics, three new characters (Poison, Ibuki and Dudley), wide screen support for newer iOS devices and a host of updates and refinements. Long time Street Fighter fans can jump into the action and have an instant familiarity with the controls. For more casual players, Street Fighter 4 features numerous settings and tutorials that put you on the path to victory. Street Fighter IV Champion Edition is available for $5.

More apps to check out Pocketdex app by Majd Alfhaily and Surenix complements Pokémon GO Apple’s free app of the week: illi Fantastical for Mac gains attachment and travel time support, time to leave alerts & more

This week's edition of our App of the Week roundup features a new map-based social app, a to-do list with a twist, and a new app that keeps you informed on new music releases from your favorite artists. And as usual, we've selected two great new games for you to check out.

YouMap

Events are constantly shaping the way we interact with each other and helping us decide where we go on any given day. With YouMap, you can let the world know what you’re thinking, seeing and feeling, while getting the latest updates at a moment’s notice. Obviously we're skeptical anytime a new social network comes on the scene, but YouMap seems to have the UI and user engagement needed to gain some traction. The early reviews are glowing, with one user saying this is the first social app to "get the map thing right." So if you're feeling adventurous this weekend, see what's going on around you with YouMap. It's available for free.

Purp To-Do List & Goal Tracker

Purp is a well-organized helper, to-do list and task manager app that allows you to achieve your goals and complete your daily tasks. Whatever your goals are—like completing projects, managing daily tasks, work todos, learning languages, mastering skills, sports or travel—Purp will help you to collect, keep, organize and track them, so you can reach them. Features include iCloud sync, task timer, progress dash board, and much more. The first reviews on iTunes are pretty rough, but the UI are feature set are unique enough that I think it's worth checking out. Purp To-Do List & Goal Tracker is available for free.

RecordBird

Record Bird informs you about new and upcoming music releases of your favorite artists and genres. Be the first to know of a new album or single by your favorite bands and musicians and share the news directly with your friends. With Record Bird, you will never miss a new release again. There have been more than a few apps that have tried a similar strategy, that didn't gain much traction. But the early user feedback (4.5 stars on 90 ratings in iTunes) suggest this one might have finally gotten it right. RecordBird is available for free.

Mini DAYZ - Survival Game

How long can you survive in a post-apocalyptic world? Find out in Mini DAYZ—an official pixel art rendition of the massively successful PC survival game (played by over 3 million fans). It's you against the world in Mini DAYZ: explore a randomly generated map and scavenge for food, ammo and supplies. Use anything you find to craft advanced items. Protect yourself against aggressive infected and ferocious wolves. But most important of all: make sure to stay dry, warm and well fed at all times. The weather out there can quickly get under your skin and your wounds will not heal without you treating them. Mini DAYZ - Survival Game is available for free.

Flippy Hills

Flippy Hills is an original arcade game with cool physics that will give you plenty of thrills, spills, epic wins, fails and tricks in two modes of your choice: campaign or arcade. Campaign mode features an adventure spanning over dozens of levels that get progressively harder, and arcade mode puts you in an endless barrage of assault courses to compete with your friends and gain records. The gameplay is surprisingly addictive, but you are going to have to put up with some annoying ads unless you're willing to fork over a few bucks via an in-app purchase. Flippy Hills is available for free (with some IAPs).

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Ridge Racer Slipstream You can now reply to Instagram Stories with photos and videos

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new artsy-photo editor, a new app for making stop-motion and animated videos, and an app for redacting sensitive information in a photo. And as usual, we've selected two great new games for you to check out.

Arty

I know what you're thinking: come on Cody, not another photo editor. But hear me out. Unlike other editors Arty does more than just apply filters. You can use it to create accurate line drawings, zoom in to view and edit tiny details, and pick out colors. It even tracks how long you've been working on your project. Other features include Faber Castell Polychromos color-matching, custom color swatches, shadows, outline, overlay grid, and much more. Turn your device into a Lightbox and trace your image or print your photo to an AirPrint printer from within the app. Arty is available for free.

Frame App

If you're looking for something fun and new to do this weekend, try making a stop-motion or animated film using Frame App. Here's how it works: open Frame App and take a picture. A transparent overlay of the first image will appear on top of your live camera view in a ghost-like manner. Use this ghost image as your guide to easily align and frame your next shot. Take as many photos as you need, then select the ones you like, and staring them together to make your movie. You can edit playback speed, direction and image size, and then export your clip into a GIF or MP4 video. Of course there are other apps that perform similar functions, but I appreciate the simple design here, and the early reviews are glowing. Frame App is available for free.

Redacted

Want to share a hilarious screenshot of your Facebook feed, but afraid to expose your friends or family? Check out Redacted. Yes, I know iOS has built-in image annotation tools and there are countless apps that do this for free, but it's a bit of a chore and it never seems to look right. Redacted makes it quick and easy to redact parts of an image by simply clicking and dragging. You have three options, pixelate, blur and black bar, and once you're done you can share the image to your favorite social network and other apps in the iOS Share Sheet. The app doesn't support PDF files yet, but the developer says it's working on it. This obviously isn't going to be for everyone, but the folks I have shared this app with bought it instantly. Redacted is available for $0.99.

Filmoji

The title explains it all. Filmoji is a game that presents you with a movie title written in emoji, and you have to guess what it is. As you can see from the screenshots, this is definitely a low-budget, indie-style game, but I thought it looked fun and it's nice to highlight lesser-known developers every now and then. I'm sure there's a similar title out there from Zynga (and if not they are probably working on one), but if you want to put your cinema knowledge to the test without a slew of ridiculous IAPs, this game is worth checking out. Filmoji is available for free.

Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow

Chances are, you've already heard about this game releasing this week, but it was still worth mentioning here. Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow is the next epic adventure for the popular animated franchise. Play with all your favorite characters, build your own New New York, combat against alien specials and explore unfamiliar planets on a mission to save the universe. The game is based on an all-new story, written by the creators of the original Fox series, and it features actual dialogue from David Cohen and his team. Yes, you're going to have to deal with pesky in-app purchases, but this is about as good as it gets for Futurama fans. Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow is available for free.

More apps to check out Enhance your iPad productivity with the new Prokeyboard app [sponsored] Apple’s free app of the week: Day One Journal Instagram unveils offensive comment filter, anti-spam tool in 9 languages Frustrated with Reminders? Taskful could be the answer to your woes New demos show how easy it is to bring 3D models to life with ARKit Skype for iPhone gains chat bots, its version of Stories, message & in-call reactions and more You can now edit text files right from Dropbox app Take notes on the fly with Apple Watch and SnipNotes

This week’s edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a fun augmented reality app, a deck of cards that will help you mix up your fitness routine, and a two-way radio client. And as usual, we've got two great new games for you to check out.

Holo

This app isn't new but with all of the augmented reality talk lately, I felt it was pertinent. Holo lets you add holograms of real people and animals into your world and take photos & videos to share with friends. Choose from a variety of holograms including movie characters, celebrities, athletes, musicians and comedians, as well as fun original characters and animals. New content added weekly. Now there are a few negative reviews complaining about performance, and this seems like something that could really benefit from Apple's new ARKit. But it's still worth checking out. Holo is available for free.

Sweat Deck

Sweat Deck is a deck of cards-style workout that will help you mix up your fitness routine with an endless combination of simple and effective workouts! The concept is simple: assign an exercise to each suit and perform them as cards are drawn from the deck—do you have what it takes to make it through an entire deck of cards? Features include a built-in list of common exercises to choose from, joker cards for adding an extra challenge, deck and rep multipliers for higher intensity workouts, and more. Sweat Deck is available for free (with one IAP).

Radio Callbox

Have an instant 2-way, push-to-talk audio connection with friends, family, or colleagues, without the burden of creating an account, logging in, or joining another social network. Now I know that there are other apps that do this, but the no-account needed really stood out to me. And some of you might be thinking if you have the cell service to download and use this app, why not just call the person? But I do think there are times and situations that are more conducive to 2-way radio-style conversations. Maybe a family uses this while camping, or at a theme park. Radio Callbox is available for free.

Touchdowners

Touchdowners is a simple, yet crazy physics-based sports game where you need to grab the ball and touch it down in your opponents end zone. You control a team of three highly trained Touchdowners who must pass, wrestle and jump their way to the end zone then slam the ball to the ground. Features include an arcade mode with global rankings, and a head-to-head 2 player mode. Touchdowners is available for free (with a single IAP).

Age of Rivals

Age of Rivals was inspired by strategy boardgames and designed to be ideal for 1 or 2 players to play in 10 minutes with plenty of depth and replayability. It's the "anti-deckbuilding" CCG, where having only minimal control over your deck encourages endless variety in each game and puts the focus on in-the-moment tactical decision-making. Unfortunately, there is no way to play this game offline at the moment (developers say they are working on that), but there are also no in-app purchases. All game content unlocks at a constant pace just by playing the game. Age of Rivals is available for $0.99.

More apps to check out The best iPhone apps for tracking steps Apple’s free app of the week: Telepaint Instagram testing private sharing feature

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new picture-in-picture sharing app, an easy-to-use beat-maker, and a task manager app with a unique twist. And as always, we've selected two new games for you to check out.

ClippyCam

ClippyCam is a new app that aims to make sharing photos and videos with your friends more fun. No, not with text or stickers or emojis—but with videos. Basically you record a video of yourself and it gets embedded in your photo or video in a picture-in-picture style. Think of it as a way to explain the photo or video you're sharing, or even as a way to brag about what you are doing. "Just hanging out in Hawaii, wish you were here!" The app itself is free, but you'll have to fork over $3 to remove the annoying watermark. ClippyCam is available for free.

Groovebox

Groovebox is a free, beautifully designed music studio app packed with inspiring synths and drum machines. In minutes you’ll be making beats, melodies, and playing with world-class instruments. Play with touchable instruments to quickly create your own beats and melodies, or draw in notes. Need inspiration? Groovebox has hundreds of patterns and sounds to get you started. I know there are a ton of these types of apps on the App Store already, but this one looks sharp and appears to have the features to make it worth checking out. Groovebox is available for free (with some IAPs).

Taskful

Taskful is a smart to-do list and task manager app that helps you stay on track and meet your deadlines. It breaks down all of your tasks and only shows you what you need to do today, so you can stay focused and motivated. Whether you are trying to track your steps, drink more water, or read that book you haven't picked up in a while, Taskful is designed to help you get stuff done. This is another app that is competing in a super crowded space, but again I think the design and feature set here make it worth a look. Taskful is available for $2.

Flipping Legend

Unleash the power of your fists, spells and weapons in this pattern-based adventure game. Hone your reflexes and be one with the environment as speed and rhythm become second-nature. Play with powerful heroes and unlock all their abilities and secrets to help better dispense your foes. Reach new and faraway lands not yet discovered by fellow travelers. Be a Flipping Legend! The game does have some annoying IAPs, but it has a 5-star rating on nearly 300 early reviews. Flipping Legend is available for free.

forma.8 GO

For those who aren't familiar with it, forma.8 is a unique take on the proven Metroidvania action-adventure formula, with a striking visual style and a huge world to explore. As the small exploration probe forma.8 you're stranded alone on the surface of an alien planet. Separated from your companions by accident you have a life or death mission to accomplish: find and recover a lost, powerful energy source before it's too late. Ancient civilisations, great perils and dystopian visions await you. And not everything is what it seems... Forma.8 GO is available for $4 (sale price).

More apps to check out This 5-star Mac productivity tool is on sale for just $4.99 Apple’s free app of the week: Beat Stomper Twitter revamped with dynamically updated Reply/Like/Retweet counts, Safari Reader support & more Box introduces macOS client for its cloud syncing service

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a new Instagram-based travel guide, an app for posting and accepting wild challenges, and a new social network for linking up with friends. And as usual, we've selected two great new games for you to check out.

Sherpa

Sherpa is a community-generated travel guide powered by photos shared on Instagram. It's actually a very clever idea: an app that scrapes Instagram for photos tagged in specific locations, organized into a travel guide. Sherpa allows you to discover over 15,000 cities, regions and countries through the authentic lens of world travelers, adventurers and locals. Save the places you want to visit, and put together the ultimate itinerary. There is one small caveat here: at the time of writing, the app requires an invite code. But it's pretty simple to download the app and request an invite, so this shouldn't be much of a problem. Sherpa is available for free.

Trybeo

Do you find your life bored or lacking direction? Would you like to step outside your comfort zone and discover exciting new people and adventures? Check out Trybeo. It's a social network based around challenges—you can either accept posted challenges or propose your own. These consist of anything from flipping water bottles to doing cartwheels down an isle at the grocery store, or trying to knock a cone off your friend's head with a football. Take on challenges to become the best player, or up-vote worthy opponents. Trybeo is available for free.

Beacon

Use Beacon to signal your availability to your friends and family. Going to be in town for work or just general visiting? Send out a Beacon. Have an extra ticket to an upcoming Concert or want to go see a movie Thursday? Beacon. Post your impromptu event in Beacon and your friends will be notified immediately. When your friends join the event, you're notified immediately. Everyone can comment in the thread, and you can tell people where to go and what to expect. Bored? You're only two taps away from hanging out with a friend. Beacon is available for free.

Cobi Darts

The Cobi games, for me, are always a good time. The gameplay is accurate, fast-paced and easy to learn. Even if you don't like throwing darts in real life, I imagine you can find some fun in the challenge of Cobi darts. Features include 9 awesome game modes, including classic 501 and 301 games, custom darts and characters and even iMessage support. Cobi Darts is available for free (with some IAPs).

Art of Conquest

Looking for something a little different this weekend? Check out Art of Conquest. This new strategy game gives you full control in a world full of dwarves, magic and monsters in a perfect marriage of MMO and strategy. Besiege enemy strongholds to expand your kingdom, slay nefarious dragons with a band of legendary heroes, and challenge players around the world in epic real-time battles. Command, summon, build and explore. Art of Conquest is available for free (with some IAPs).

More apps to check out Apple’s free app of the week: Framed Monument Valley 2 hits App Store Apple announces completely redesigned App Store