Readers’ App Reviews – October 2015
Check out apps released by fellow raywenderlich.com readers in October – from an app for classroom teachers to a game after Elon Musk’s own heart! By Ryan Poolos.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Lander
It is really hard to land a rocket upright on a floating barge in the ocean. Just ask Elon Musk.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Lander will give you a taste of what poor Elon is going through. You’ve got to control your main thrusters and the side thrusters that keep you upright. Steer yourself over to the platform and come in for a landing nice and slow. BOOM! Thats about the point I explode every single time. Its hard to get everything just right in this challenging game. But boy is it addicting. Now I know why Elon keeps trying. ;]
- Author: Leonid Peancovschi @lpeancovschi
- Most useful tutorial: What’s New in Swift 1.2
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Draw Me That
What if an alien race threatened our planet with a challenge of drawing geometric shapes to save our lives? Would you be ready?
Draw Me That will make sure you are. With over 100 shapes ready to be drawn just right, you’ve certainly got your work cut out for you. The game is easy to play, simply tap each dot in the right order and watch the shape draw itself before your eyes. Tap them in the wrong order and you’ll find yourself stuck in the shape of shame.
Game Center will make sure your friends know who’s in the lead to represent earth in the intergalactic tournament.
- Author: Wyatt Mufson
- Most useful tutorial: UIKit Dynamics Tutorial in Swift
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Strategy Duel
Strategy Duel is a board game for your iPhone like Connect 4 and Rock Paper Scissors at the same time.
Strategy Duel starts with a checkerboard of tokens for both players. But you can’t see your opponents pieces. Each turn you can upgrade one of your tokens or attack a nearby token. The goal is to connect 6 of your tokens in a row to win.
You have a variety of options when playing your turn. You can upgrade your 1 star token to 2 star or 2 star to 3 star. You can convert your token in to a bomb, relinquishing your attack but making sure you’re safe from encroaching opponent tokens. You can take a peak at nearby tokens to plan your next move. Or you can do what you do best, attack a nearby token to take over more of the board.
Strategy Duel uses Game Center for multiplayer so you don’t just have to try out your strategies on the A9 chip, you can compete against your friends!
- Author: Daniel Witte
- Most useful tutorial: How to Make a Game Like Candy Crush with Swift Tutorial: Part 1
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Honorable Mentions
Every month I get way more submissions than I have time to write about. I download every app to try them out, but only have time to review a select few. I love seeing our readers through the apps submitted to me every month. Its not a popularity contest or even a favorite picking contest. I just try to share a snapshot of the community through your submissions. Please take a moment and try these other fantastic apps from readers like you.
Finger Tap Challenge
What am I flying on?
Approximal
App Cost
Cartel Kings
Space Erase
Gobi
Painter X
Fourth Estate
Math Race – Race the car using brain power
App Cost
Water++
Periodic Table of Elements Bubble Pop
Chicken Madness: Catching Eggs
TSpeaker
Where To Go From Here?
Each month, I really enjoy seeing what our community of readers comes up with. The apps you build are the reason we keep writing tutorials. Make sure you tell me about your next one, submit here!
If you saw an app your liked, hop to the App Store and leave a review! A good review always makes a dev’s day. And make sure you tell them you’re from raywenderlich.com; this is a community of makers!
If you’ve never made an app, this is the month! Check out our free tutorials to become an iOS star. What are you waiting for – I want to see your app next month!