To The Moon, Artificial Superintelligence, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Ever wanted to run your own AI startup, hopefully without bringing about the end of humanity in the process? A new game from the maker of the popular CARROT series of iOS apps gives you exactly that opportunity.

That’s just one of the great apps we’ve got covered in this week’s Awesome Apps roundup. We’ve also got a Snapchat update, a Steam gaming classic finally landed in the App Store, and a great Myst-inspired architectural puzzle game. Check out our picks below.

To The Moon

Beloved indie RPG To The Moon has been around for a few years now, but only this week did it finally make its way to mobile, courtesy of a remastered version from Ragnarok Online devs XD Network.

This heartwarming game tells the story of two doctors who travel back through a dying man’s memories to help fulfill his final wish — and discover why he made the wish he did. It looks a bit like a classic 16-bit 2D RPG, but eschews battles and inventory gathering for a focus on narrative.

I don’t want to give too much more away for fear of spoiling the experience, but this is a modern classic that will hopefully find a whole new audience on iOS. Highly recommended!

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $4.99
Get it from:
App Store

Snapchat

Snapchat
Snapchat got some smart new features this week.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Ever since disappearing messages app Snapchat became an unexpected hit a few years back, its biggest features have been shamelessly stolen borrowed by rivals.

This week Snapchat tried to get its edge back by introducing some new features, including a “infinite” running time for Snaps, which allows a recipient to keep viewing a message they’ve been sent until they choose to close it.

There’s also a new Loop tool for videos, similar to Instagram’s Boomerang feature, so you can decide if your Snap plays once or loops until your friend is ready to tap to the next Snap. Finally, users can take advantage of a Magic Eraser tool, plus the ability to draw with emojis using the Doodle tool.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost:Free
Get it from: App Store

Artificial Superintelligence

Thanks to the consistent quality of his apps and his wicked sense of humor, CARROT developer Brian Mueller is one of my favorite indie devs out there. His latest creation is a game for iOS, titled Artificial Superintelligence — and it’s a whole lot of fun.

You play the founder of a startup with ambitions of bringing about true artificial intelligence. Presented with a series of decisions, it’s your role to swipe left or right to decide on which path to take, like a CEO version of Tinder. Each choice leads somewhere different, with 52 unique endings available.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $2.99
Get it from:
App Store

Faraway: Puzzle Escape

Aspiring to be a modern update of the classic 1993 adventure puzzle game Myst, Faraway is a first-person perspective “tactile puzzler,” set in a world of ruined desert architecture. The multitude of varied puzzles involve a variety of panels, dials, switches and the like, which you’ll have to solve to beat the game’s 18 levels.

You can play the first 9 of these for free, but the others must be unlocked through a single $2.99 in-app purchase. In other words, not only has it lovingly borrowed the concept behind an all-time great early 1990s game, it’s pilfered the “shareware” payment concept, too.

Definitely worth checking out. And not just for the Myst-inspired nostalgia factor, either.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free (with $2.99 in-app purchase)
Get it from: App Store

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