App Watch: game on

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Although I’m not a hardcore gamer, I do my fair share of gaming, largely on my Mac or PC, but iOS has demanded my attention as a gaming platform as well. Console gaming doesn’t greatly interest me, however, due to the cost of games and limitation of genres. But I don’t mind investing into a gaming PC that I can also use for work, school, and countless other things, and my iPad Air 2 is also great for playing the more graphically intense titles on iOS.

More recently, gaming moved beyond iPads and iPhones to alight on users’ wrists with Apple Watch, which is our primary focus in this article. Although the games are very basic, as they should be, many are designed to burn a few minutes while in line or other places where pulling out an iPhone isn’t entirely convenient, while others are built exclusively for Apple Watch.

Lifeline…

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The decision-based gameplay behind this Apple Watch app isn’t new, but Lifeline takes a fresh approach to this concept. Players receive a desperate cry for help from someone stranded on a distant planet after their spaceship crashed. The marooned individual is a student, not at all trained for space travel, and has no idea what to do to survive. That’s where your job comes in, as your decisions could mean life or death for the poor fellow.

The game can either be played from iPhone or Apple Watch, with each version of the app being fully capable of all gameplay. It’s as simple as tapping which message you want to send, but the game can’t be beaten in a day, as users have to wait for “Taylor”, the student, to sleep or walk long distances before another problem arises and more guidance is needed. Lifeline is available for $2.99, and be sure to read our full review of it.

Trivia Crack

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I downloaded this game soon after it went viral, played it, was quite good at it, got a series of bad questions resulting in bad games, and deleted it in a rage. But being able to play it from Apple Watch is a novelty that might just be enough reason to download this infuriating game again. Being able to play a move against your opponent – from choosing a category to answering the trivia question – from your wrist is a level of convenience that makes quickly demolishing your friend’s sense of knowledge and self-worth an easy task.

If you haven’t tried Trivia Crack, I do recommend it, as it’s fundamentally a great game to play with friends, but be prepared to receive user-made questions that you don’t understand and that obliterate your winning streak. Perhaps that’s the beauty of it, though. You can download Trivia Crack for free, or get Trivia Crack (Ad Free) for $2.99. Keep in mind, however, that the free version doesn’t display ads on your Apple Watch, only on iPhone.

Runeblade

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The first game to be played exclusively on Apple Watch, this role-playing game is simple as expected, but follows an interesting concept. The tap-based battles are basic, but players can level up, unlock spells, and participate in boss fights. The iPhone app isn’t altogether unused, however, as it contains information about the world in which the game is based and its characters, as well as a yet-to-be-populated in-app store.

The Apple Watch-only factor is unique enough to justify giving Runeblade a try, as it’s free with no in-app purchases at this time, although it looks as if they may arrive later. You can also check our article on it.

Letterpad

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If you like word puzzles, and more specifically word puzzles on your wrist, Letterpad will fill that gap in your life. The way it works is simple – receive a word prompt and tap the given letters to spell out a word that is similar or related to the prompt. Some are easy, and some are rather difficult, as I had trouble on a few of them even from the beginning, but the game has an option to share a puzzle for easily crowdsourcing your game.

Letterpad is an app that works very well with Apple Watch, as its simple concept allows for undemanding interactions, unless you consider staring at letters on your wrist for minutes at a time to be demanding. All things considered, Letterpad is a rather enjoyable game, which you can download for free and read more about here.

If you’ve come across an outstanding Apple Watch app in your travels, let me know about it by dropping a line to timothy@idownloadblog.com or by leaving a comment below.