In this App Wrap report, Time Warner Cable News' Adam Balkin checks out two mobiles games that offer a totally different and compelling experience experience from everything else out there.
It’s not often you get a play a game that looks like a moving piece of artwork, teaches you real world history lessons and is actually lots of fun. However, "Never Alone: Ki Edition" checks all three boxes.
The story is one that’s been handed down from generation to generation of Inupiat, an Alaskan native people. You play as both the little girl Nuna and a fox, which helps watch over her. You jump, crawl, climb and swim your way across the Arctic.
The game is narrated by a Inupiat in his native tongue, plus as you progress through the game, you unlock videos made with tribe elders explaining their history and culture.
"Never Alone: Ki Edition," which has been available for a while now on consoles and computers for around $12, is now also out on iOS and Android devices for about $5.
"Reigns" is a mobile card game where you are ruler of a kingdom, each turn represents a year in power.
Each year presents a new challenge; you simply swipe right or left to decide how to deal with that challenge, from military conflicts to food shortages. Each decision you make has an effect on one of those four factors up top: religion, people, military and the treasury. As soon as one of those runs out, or sometimes earlier thanks to bad luck, you die and the number of years you ruled gets put on a timeline. Then, as you assume power again as someone down the familial line you try to see if you can out reign your predecessors.
"Reigns" is out on iOS, Android, PCs and Macs for about $3.