EpicWin App Makes To-Do Lists Fun [Review]

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EW_ipad

We all hate chores. Whether it’s taking out the trash, washing the dishes or any other number of horrifyingly dull tasks. Game developer Rexbox aims to inject some fun into these mundane tasks with the release of EpicWin for iPhone, which turns your to-do list into a game.

There was a lot of buzz around this app when the game was announced a month or so ago, and the trailer (below) did nothing but fuel that fire, with the promise of getting things done and taking on the role of an ‘Ent Mage of Paperwork Mountain’!

Whats it about?

The concept of the game is simple. You have a to-do list in which you enter your daily tasks. Each task is categorized as building either your strength, stamina, intellect, social or spirit. The task is awarded a level of Epicness, which equates to XP in conventional terms. For every task you complete you will gain experience points and then over time move up a level or two.

You can manage your profile, view loot that you have collected along the way as well as viewing your ongoing quests (tasks). If you have a task that happens every day or week then you can also set a recurring plan for that task.

Mixed Bag

EpicWin is a well-thought-out, well-built app (though it is notably lacking in Retina display support). The graphics are polished and you can see that a lot of time has been put into character development and user interaction on the RPG side. I do however worry for the task management side.

I am a long time user of Cultured Code’s Things, both for Mac as well as my iOS devices. In my opinion, Things is the best GTD app available. It includes Dropbox syncing across Macs, as well as local syncing over Wi-Fi for my iPhone and iPad. Things is an all-round task-management solution.

This area is where I feel EpicWin could be an epic fail. The addition of tasks is simple enough, but there are no grouping options, no reminders and no synchronisation with calendars or other devices. Because of this I don’t see how it will ever become a way to replace my to-do list, and I am not sure I have the time or inclination to manage two!

Having said that, I know I’m not your average Joe. My lists of the day verge on OCD at times and I have very high expectations when it comes to software too.

Should you buy it?

If you currently use a task management app and are happy with it, then I wouldn’t recommend this app for you. Though the RPG elements are fun for a while, they are not enough to change task management app for.

If however you don’t use a GTD app and are thinking about getting one, you could do a lot worse than EpicWin. As I have previously said, apps such as Things offer far more features but they are also four times the price. EpicWin offers a fun and innovative spin on task management.

EpicWin is available now from the App Store | Price $2.99

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