A fun, appropriately retro game retelling of the first season of Netflix hit Stranger Things is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”
In addition, we’ve got a great action-packed top-down blaster, a superb upgrade to a popular iOS camera app, and… YouTube? Check out our picks below.
Stranger Things: The Game
Ahead of season two of its Stranger Things hit series, Netflix this week released a free tie-in game to promote the show — and, for a free game (with no in-app purchases), it’s surprisingly great.
The game is essentially a retro RPG that lets you play as Hopper, Nancy and Lucas — each with his or her own unique abilities — to relive the events of the show’s first season. You explore different locations in the town Hawkins, battle with enemies, investigate a shadowy government conspiracy, and more.
Just like the show, the game is divided into chapters, and there’s a surprising amount to explore in each of them. As an extra cool bonus, if you collect the various video tapes scattered through the game, you get to watch an unreleased trailer for the second series.
A much better game than it has any right to be.
Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store
Camera+
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac
One of the more popular apps available for iPhone photographers, Camera+ got a big upgrade this week, taking advantage of new features offered by iOS 11.
One such feature is a new Smile mode, which will take a photo whenever it detects its subject to be smiling. It works for both the rear and front camera, but is probably most useful for selfies — to avoid you having to fiddle around once you’ve got the framing right.
Camera+ also now allows shooting in the new HEIF format, a smaller file size which retains JPEG quality, so you can store more photos on your phone. In addition, the app provides full depth support, which gives iOS photographers the ability to makes color or tonal changes to a background to make a foreground subject stand out. Add in a few more interface tweaks, and a good camera app just got a whole lot better.
Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store
Kick Ass Commandos
Looking for some fun action-packed gaming to round off your weekend in style? You’ll certainly find it in the excellent Kick Ass Commandos, a mobile port of the top-down dual-stick shooter which launched on Steam this time last year.
With everything from machine-guns and flamethrowers to rocket launcher and grenades, there’s plenty of explosive action to enjoy as you assault enemy bases and free commandos to join your team, while destroying everything in sight. Missions are varied, there’s some great destructible terrain, and the bosses (which include giant genetically-engineered alligators) are a whole of fun, too.
Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $2.99
Get it from: App Store
YouTube
Photo: Cult of Mac
There’s this new video streaming app called YouTu… okay, so there’s basically no chance whatsoever that you’re finding out about YouTube for the first time. However, we’re featuring it on this list because this week its official iOS app got a handy update — letting users find and share their favorite videos directly through an iMessage app.
This means that you no longer have to switch apps to find a funny clip during a conversation. It also lets you watch the videos you’ve received inside Messages, so you won’t be redirected to Safari or the YouTube app, and therefore taken away from your conversation.
Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free
Get it from: App Store
