Would you like to give your brain a good workout? Impulse — Brain Training Games is a great game to start with. First-person horror game Maid of Sker is coming to mobile platforms, and Lorelingo is the app that will help you craft better stories. starryai is an AI art generator that lets you create tons of great-looking visuals on your handset whenever your creative juices run out. Last but not least, Android users can take some of the strain off their handsets with Black Screen, an app that turns off your device’s screen.
All apps listed here have been carefully reviewed by our editors as part of our efforts to ensure they do not contain malicious microtransactions or obnoxious ads. If you want to enjoy completely free apps and games, why not check out our Free Apps of the Week articles, published twice a week?
Maid of Scar (Android & iOS)
Are you ready to be scared to death? If so, why not check out Maid of Sker? It’s a first-person survival horror game inspired by Welsh folklore, and it starts out on a very somber note. Released on consoles and PC a few years ago (and even made it free on Epic), it’s finally available on smartphones. This shows how far smartphone processing power has come and can now handle console-quality titles.
You’re trapped in a historic, secluded hotel that most people would like to avoid. All enemies will be alerted by sound, so you will have to employ stealth-based tactics. Of course, like any modern game, there’s also a fair amount of crafting you need to do to help progress.
Touchscreen controls can always be problematic, so we highly recommend using a physical controller for movement. Otherwise, you may get stuck at a certain point more often than you expected.
Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: Yes ($5.99 for full game) / Account required: No
If I had one major complaint about Maid of Sker, it would be the graphics. In short, it’s different from the console version, but I think that’s due to how well the developers were able to optimize it. Resident Evil Village wasn’t too bad on mobile, but there are noticeable differences in this port. We hope that in the future there will be updates that provide higher resolution textures that will make the whole experience more realistic and scary.
Impulse — Brain Training (Android and iOS)
Keeping my mind sharp is something I always want to do as long as I live. In the early days of the Nintendo DS (yes, I’m that old too! (Editor’s Note: Do portables have colors? How modern), I spent countless hours playing Brain Age. I remember being there. This was a very interesting game that combined the use of a stylus with voice commands. Impulse is one such game that aims to keep your mind sharp on a daily basis by offering countless puzzles to match your previous favorite inputs.
Following the path of checking your IQ while maintaining your memory, you were presented with a series of puzzles, from finding matching objects to choosing the correct order of numbers to memorizing the location of tiles. Of course, completing these puzzles within the stipulated time will give you a higher score. At the end, you’ll see a summary of your score and how you rank compared to other players within the same difficulty level.
Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($6.99 — $49.99) / Account required: No Improve your gray matter with this game on your mobile device. / ©Next Pit
The puzzles on offer here vary in intensity, and with such a wide variety of games to choose from, it’s unlikely that anyone will get bored quickly. I like how the game tells you which areas of your cognitive abilities will improve before you start, with a short, clearly presented tutorial.
Although it can be played without a subscription, there are a limited number of games, and although there are some ads, they are not overly annoying or irritating. Be wary of subscription models, as some user reviews point to misleading charging methods due to user interface issues.
Lorelingo — Write better articles (Android and iOS)
If there’s one special rule about writing that I’ve learned over the years, it’s to never stop writing. Writing is like exercise, and whether you like it or not, you should write regularly. It doesn’t matter if what you’re producing is crap or not, what’s more important is the writing. Some days I can write a lot, other days I only have one paragraph, and it doesn’t matter. At Lorelingo, we ask you to set a weekly goal for the number of words you’ll write to stay accountable.
I love that Lore, my in-app writing buddy, helps me when I hit a wall. Suggestions can also clear up some misconceptions and ideas, but ultimately it’s your prerogative to use those suggestions or not. Write a minimum number of words and corrections and feedback will be provided as needed. With so many genres to choose from, Lorelingo is perfect for helping beginners and navigating the straight and narrow.
Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: Yes ($8.99 — $17.99) / Account required: Yes Here are some apps that might help you on your creative writing journey. / ©Next Pit
I like that the app starts by choosing the language you want to speak and write in. It also gives you the option to select a specific language proficiency level and adjust the corresponding solution. Cheers to the beginning of your creative writing journey. And I hope it becomes a widely read published work!
starryai — AI art generator (Android & iOS)
AI art generation is all the rage these days. After all, what used to take a long time with traditional media now takes just a few seconds to display the appropriate prompt. starryai has a very easy to understand user interface. If you’re creative, there are plenty of styles to keep you occupied for hours.
To generate art, you must use the app’s currency known as Lumens. I tried the prompt “Mario jumps on the Goomba” and the result was artwork. Mario is there, but Goomba is nowhere to be seen. Instead, power-up mushrooms appear throughout the background.
Some users have complained in the past about the decency standards of the artwork displayed there, as there are no safeguards in the prompt wording found in other apps. Thankfully, this issue appears to have been fixed. Because it can’t even generate images of people in beachwear, for example.
Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($4.99 — $89.99) / Account required: Yes Are you lacking in creativity? Why not let starryai do the “thinking” for you? / ©Next Pit
Of course, if you want to get the most out of starryai, you might as well go pro. With the Pro subscription, you get unlimited generations, 1,000 fast generations per week, unlimited 4x and 8x upscaling, and probably the most important thing for many people: ad removal. It depends on how often you use AI image generation in your daily life. For people who rarely use it, the free version is sufficient.
Otherwise, starryai is a solid AI art generator worth having on any mobile device in case the moment comes when you need a specific image on the fly. This app will save you from a difficult situation.
Black screen: Video screen is off (Android)
Using a new mobile phone is always a fun experience. The “height” you get from new units means you have a decent camera and, more importantly, amazing battery life. Of course, this speed will start to decrease as battery capacity decreases over time. Apart from the best practices for charging your smartphone, you can also try using apps that can help you conserve and extend the lifespan of your battery. Enter a black screen.
The name itself is self-explanatory. From clock style to floating lock style to date format, you can configure the look and feel of your handset. Using the app is very easy. Just set the look and feel to your liking and tap the Get Started button to enable it. If you want to disable it, tap “Stop”.
Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($0.99 — $19.99) / Account required: No Turn the screen completely black to save battery. / ©Next Pit
What I found most useful (and I doubt if this is a placebo effect) is the checkbox to enable OLED burn-in protection. However, more useful features, such as an ad-free experience, priority support, and premium features (including media player controls and notifications that appear on AoD) are locked behind a paywall.
That’s all for now, everyone! This week’s “Top 5 Apps of the Week” is over. We will continue our research for next week’s issue. So, check out another list of top 5 apps and games.
