An Octave Higher ($6) — This unique “visual novel” from Playism takes you to Overture, a fantastical magical city of an epic steampunk style. In Overture, citizens use magic in everyday life through the use of magical talents and magical machines, however in this world where magic defines status and class, there is unrest and possibly a revolution brewing. The storyline introduces three characters of very different backgrounds — a young proletariat factory worker, an arrogant, self-absorbed aristocrat, and a young student of Magical Science — putting the player into the role of each as the story unfolds and their different paths end up intertwining. Along the way, each character will encounter the other two, along with a cast of many more fun and interesting non-player characters. The game features a very deep and engaging storyline, with six different possible endings depending on the choices the player makes for each character throughout. A free “Lite” version is also available that encompasses a quarter of the full story, and only two different paths, which is a good way for checking out the game, but if you like engaging storylines, you’ll probably find yourself quickly gravitating toward the full version.
Broken Age ($10) — Originally debuted a year ago, this point-and-click adventure game from Tim Schafer of Grim Fandango fame was fully funded through Kickstarter and features a number of famous voice acting talents, including Elijah Wood, Jack Black, Jennifer Hale, Wil Wheaton, and Pendleton Ward. While the original game was iPad-only and included only the first act, this new update folds in iPhone and iPod touch support and brings Act 2 at no additional charge – the second act was originally expected to arrive as an in-app purchase. Broken Age continues the story of Vella Tartine and Shay Volta – two teenagers in similar situations but entirely different worlds – allowing the player to guide each of them through a series of unexpected adventures, freely switching between their stories at any time. While the game is enjoyable in its own right for any fans of this genre, fans of LucasArts’ nineties-era work will especially appreciate this homage to the games of that era.
Week Weather ($2) — From the developer of Reader X – an app that provided a unique RSS feed view for the now-defunct Google Reader service – comes a similarly cool and interesting way of looking at the weather. Rather than simply presenting a list view of icons and dates, Week Weather displays the upcoming weather forecast as a set of calendar bars that helps you to visualize what the weather will be like during the upcoming week. Creatively illustrated through icons and color, the grid looks more like a weekly calendar than a weather forecast, and users can switch between a general temperature view or choose to filter the forecast based on temperature, clouds, precipitation, wind, and humidity. Tapping on any timeframe reveals a detailed weather forecast for that period, and you can swipe down to see current conditions as well as a map with data from public Netatmo stations showing current temperatures in your area. General weather data is pulled from yr.no or OpenWeatherMap, and the app can be customized for a variety of units and two different colour schemes. If you find yourself frustrated with trying to interpret weather forecast apps and have been looking for a better way to visualize the upcoming weather at a glance, this app is definitely the one to get.
Apple Store (free) — Considering the staggering number of Apple Watch applications that were available well before launch day, it’s rather odd that it took Apple a week to get its own Apple Store app updated for the new wearable device, but regardless, it’s here now. The update to the Apple Store app lets Apple Watch users get real-time order status updates, check in for Genius Bar reservations, and discover nearby in-store events and workshops, all from the wrist.
Amazon Instant Video (free) — Amazon’s streaming app for iOS gets a nice update that now allows videos to be viewed using cellular data as opposed to only Wi-Fi, while also providing controls for mobile data usage and download quality. Videos can also now be watched in HD. You’ll still need an Amazon Prime membership or have bought or rented movies from Amazon to take advantage of it, but if you’re in that category, it’s a useful update for streaming on the go—assuming your data plan can handle it.
iMovie ($5) — Apple’s latest update to its video production app for iOS devices is mostly a bug fix release that addresses issues with improper cropping of portrait photos and updates YouTube sharing compatibility, possibly due to recent changes in Google’s YouTube APIs. No Apple Watch support here, but then again we’re not entirely sure what you’d do with iMovie and an Apple Watch, although we’re sure there are some interesting theories out there.
