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I’m in the middle of a move. It’s not far, but the amount of work packing up an apartment is the same, no matter the distance. And I’ve got to tell you, it’s the worst –moving is truly horrible. We’ve been very effective, clearing out stuff we don’t need for weeks. As you’re reading this, we’re getting the keys to the new apartment. The moving van arrives the day after.
Needless to say, I’m exhausted. My thoughts are all jumbled, the days are long and filled with heavy lifting. Winding down is important, so I figured I’d share some app and game recommendations with you all.
Zone out with Dark Noise
I like Dark Noise a lot, and it’s proven really useful for when I need to sit down and get work done in the mess that is my home at the moment. You see, the rooms are big, noise bounces around, and yes, we’ve got a 5-year-old running around. Zoning out, be it for rest or to get work done, is essential. It pairs really well with the second generation AirPods Pro, too.
🎧 Dark Noise is $10 as a one-time purchase.
Dicey Dungeons for a calm break
Dicey Dungeons is a rogue-like deck-building game by Terry Cavanagh, and I like it for shorter breaks. It’s adorable, with a game mechanic involving dice alongside the “cards”. Dicey Dungeons launched this summer, but I haven’t picked it up until recently. I keep returning to it because while it does get a bit hairy after a while, it’s a pleasant break between filling up boxes.
🎲 Dicey Dungeons is $5 as a one-time purchase.
Focused Work keeps me focused
I recently wrote about Focused Work 4 (spoiler: I like it), but it really warrants a mention here. After all, I’m editing a book, and that doesn’t stop despite the mess that I’m living in. Add client work to that, and I believe you can understand my need to sit down and focus. Focused Work does this, is doing it right now, as it were, and it’s more necessary than usual due to the state of things. This is truly a great app.
🧑💻 Focused Work is free, with a Pro subscription tier.
Horizon Chase 2 to ride away
I love an old school racing game, and this is just that, a modern take on OutRun and Rad Racer, with a lovely synthwave soundtrack. The original Horizon Chase was a delight, but the sequel supersedes it in every way. Get ready for some tight racing across the world, preferably with a controller, but it works just fine without, too.
🏎️ Horizon Chase 2 is included in the Apple Arcade subscription, so you need one of those.
Pixel-pushing in Pixaki Pro
I’ve been meaning to do a review of Pixaki Pro, a pixel-art drawing app that I’ve been playing with, but, yeah, the move, and everything. Anyway, I suck at pixel-art, but I enjoy playing around with it. There’s no real concept for me just yet, I’m mostly trying things out, which, to me, is really relaxing.
👾 Pixaki 4 Pro is $27, but you can try it out for free (with limitations) in Pixaki 4 Intro. There’s also an upgrade package from Pixaki 3.
Killing monsters in Kaiju Attack
There’s something with Kaiju Attack, and the other games from Game Stew. The Game Boy aesthetic appeals to me, I guess. Kaiju Attack is a pretty simple puzzler where you do your best to kill an invading monster, ultimately the Godzilla-like Kaiju itself. I play this game when I need to sit down for a little while and just do nothing in particular, which sounds a bit disrespecting to the game, but that’s not it at all. The pace is slow, you’ll have to wait for some animations, and failure is definitely an option. It fits my mind, when the other games listed are becoming too much.
🦖 Kaiju Attack is $3, as a one-time purchase.
That’s it for this week. I’m back to putting things in boxes, or, as it probably is when you’re reading this, actually moving out of the old apartment. Wish me luck.
