I’m pretty sure that this month, I set a record for the number of games I started but didn’t finish for one reason or another. Nevertheless, here is a list of three free spooky ones:
B is for Ballads at Midnight, a romantic visual novel that can get pretty dark.
C is for Curyeux, a platformer. A bit dark, or just serious, I guess, but not a horror.
I’ve also been tinkering with this blog. If you don’t notice any changes, that’s a good thing. If you notice any changes, hopefully they are positive ones. And it should look even better in NetSurf, the famous and popular web browser.
As Nova Launcher is dead, I would like to find a replacement. To explain what I would consider a replacement, I should explain how I used Nova. It had a variety of customisation options, but most of what I did falls into three categories.
Firstly, I have several tabs in the app drawer. The Main tab is an inbox of sorts; the Background tab contains all apps that I basically don’t use but need for one reason or another. Then there’s another tab that has a bunch of store and payment apps (we live in a capitalism, after all).
Secondly, I have five folders: Phone, Web, Media, Games and Tools. I try to keep them neat and minimal, with six apps per folder being ideal and nine being a bit much.
Lastly, there is the desktop with, currently, only two screens, some widgets, and those five folders. I don’t use a dock, a search bar or anything else. I do use gestures, but not many.
The phone is great for swiping and tapping (i.e. gestures and tabs, and folders and widgets). It is not good for typing though, so I’m not even going to consider all those search-based launchers that are popular for some bizarre reason. Phones don’t thock (mechanical keyboard joke)!
And Nova was great for all that! You can create folders and tabs. You can put folders in tabs. You can put the same folders on your desktop and customize their appearance. You can customize basically everything!
Before trying to replicate that in other launchers, I would like to narrow the search to only open-source apps for an obvious reason: I don’t want another Nova accident.
At first glance, the launchers that should be in the ballpark are: Fossify Launcher, Lawnchair and Neo Launcher. Can they do what I want?
I hope that the death of Nova will inspire other launchers to improve. The release of a new version of Lawnchair may be an example of that. Then again, maybe I’m reading too much into it. Regardless, it is better than Fossify, but still a couple of steps away from what I want. However, those steps can be achieved! I’m keeping an eye on it.
It’s not one-to-one, but I managed to replicate my Nova setup. The drawer has tabs or folders, so I chose tabs.
Then, I created five folders on the desktop and hid those apps from the drawer. It’s clunkier that way: you can’t customize (rename, change icon) the hidden app. Maybe putting all the folder apps in a separate tab that I would “forget” about would be a better solution, I don’t know.
The desktop remains largely the same, including gestures and widgets.
Sadly, but not surprisingly, there are drawbacks. Let’s put it this way, I want:
tabs and folders in the app drawer;
the ability to put those folders on the desktop;
to assign an icon to folders;
to be able to customize hidden apps;
better handling of icon labels (the text rarely fits, even with multiline and a small font);
the ability to use any image as an icon;
a couple more gestures;
customizable desktop bubble (a pop-up menu that appears when you touch and hold the desktop).
And last, but not least, the assurence that it’s not dead. Launchers don’t need frequent updates. In fact, it’s better if they don’t, so you can set it and forget it. There seems to be ongoing development, but a stable release from a couple of years ago feels scary.
It goes without saying, but I can change my opinion if something changes. I bet we’ll see other launchers – existing or brand new – trying to replicate Nova’s features.
I can’t say that Metroid Prime Trilogy – I just finished Metroid Prime 3: Corruption – would be among my favorite games of all time. I don’t actually have any sort of list like that anyway. But the good parts are so good! I like exploration. The scanning almost feels like detective work. I like movement in a world, with a couple of caveats. I like those worlds a lot.
And all the fiddly parts that drag the series down a bit? Most of them seem to be massaged into an acceptable shape by the third game.
If they manage to make Prime 4 with that gameplay, quality-of-life improvements and all, I would be happy to play it. Maybe someday we’ll see what the canceled version of Prime 4 looked like, but for now, the current one seems pretty fine.
[Panel from chapter 10]
If you have a sort of “chill beats to study to” equivalent in a book form, would you want it to change much, if at all? After Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō, other books by Hitoshi Ashinano I read – PositioN, Kumabachi no koto and Kotonoba Drive – have very similar vibes, structure and art style. And that’s a good thing in my book!
Eternium is another podcast game that won’t bother you with its monetization. You’ll do a lot of grinding, but that’s the point.
What if fire cleaning simulator? That’s a silly but accurate way to describe Nuclear Blaze. Spreading flames will be your main antagonist in this neat-looking platformer. You also save cats!
So, Quake II, huh.
[Strogg’s best friend]
Zaero for Quake II is a fan-made campaign. Although it has a couple of unique features, it doesn’t stray far from the original and therefore fits nicely with the other official add-ons.
/i\Updated: you can have 8 profiles, but it is clunky.
Bottom line: I want a gamepad with four programmable back buttons. It’s a disability thing: my right thumb starts to hurt after a while. But I’ve been into gamepads for a long time, so not only do I have a pretty decent collection, but I’ve also have become pretty picky about what I like.
[It’s up there]
Why did I choose the Flydigi Apex 5? In short, no software is needed, it has six programmable buttons, dual mode triggers, and sticks that I adore.
Let’s expand on that.
No software needed… is mostly true. With a screen, you can remap all six additional buttons, switch between connections, profiles, adjust triggers, and so on. However, without official software that only runs on Windows, the experience is incomplete: you don’t have access to full remapping, RGB lights, vibration settings, etc. However, you can set up everything on one Windows PC, and the settings for all profiles will work everywhere.
The four programmable buttons on the back are finally in a vertical configuration, similar to Xbox Elite gamepads. Two additional mini bumpers are back from the Apex 2. There’s not much to explain here; they all feel very comfortable.
[Plying with paddles]
The way Apex implements dual mode triggers is a bit awkward. First of all, what does that even mean? On Nintendo Joy-Cons and Pro controllers, the four shoulder buttons are digital, they are either pressed or not. On PlayStation, Xbox and many other controllers, however, two of the buttons (triggers) are analog, meaning the further you push, the greater the output. This is primarily used in racing games to control speed, like a pedal in a car. Some gamepads now give you the option to switch between these two modes. Vader gamepads have a physical switch that limits the movement of the trigger and moves a button underneath it. Most gamepads do it that way too.
On the Apex 3 and up, force feedback does that job instead. This means you have more control over where you want that stop and can have fancier features, such as a trigger that fights you instead of stopping you. But it can feels flimsy sometimes. Again, it’s not a switch from an analog spring to a digital physical button like you have on most other gamepads. It’s a motor that waits for you to push and then applies force by turning gears to stop you or fight back. It’s sort of like a swinging door with a magnet to keep it closed instead of a bolt; you can sometimes feel it wobble. It’s not a huge deal, but I would say it’s a compromise between having more control and a solid feel.
Sticks are probably the most “me” thing of it all, the one thing I care about, but no one else does. They tend to start squeaking. They still work fine, but you can feel and often hear plastic parts rubbing against each other. And that annoys me! If you’ve ever looked at how those sticks are made, you’ve probably seen some plastic parts that are too close together, and I blame them. Whether or not it is the Hall effect is irrelevant here, by the way. The way Flydigi redesigned theirs is a bit hard to explain. You can kind of see it in their official video, and there are other in-depth reviews that explain it better, but I like to imagine two bowls (like a soup bowl, a part of a sphere), one sitting inside the other. The outer bowl is connected via one axis to the gamepad itself, and the inner bowl is connected by another axis to the outer bowl. Since the bowls don’t need to be thin, they are made of sturdier plastic. So the parts that touch are only those axes. This means less squeaking, if any!
[Screw attack]
It’s also great that you can adjust the tension of the sticks so that they require minimal force but don’t wobble on their own. This helps with my thumb problem. There are three heights of replaceable sticks to choose from, but they are sold separately. I use the middle-height sticks, they are compatible with sticks from other Flydigi gamepads.
Are there any negatives? Of course! As is often the case, the software is the weak part. To be fair, Flydigi’s is pretty decent, less buggy and more finicky. I remember needing to download WeChat (I’m not joking) to change the Apex 1 settings, so anything after that is an improvement. However, I had a bad experience with the Android version, and they keep changing the Windows version: if you have a range of devices, you might need to install three versions. Well, probably only two. I don’t have any experience with the software-only features they often brag about, so I can’t say anything about that.
I also don’t like that they changed a bunch of things for no good reason. You can still swap the d-pad and stick with the previous Apex and Vader models, but the clear faceplate is different from the Apex 4 (and the Apex 3, as far as I know). They also changed the mobile phone clip, which had been there since the Apex 1, and moved the Capture button, along with the new Turbo button, to the bottom edge of the gamepad.
In addition to the regular four, you can have four Nintendo Switch profiles, but they made it more clunky than before. You have to set up a profile for the Switch as you want it, then “transfer” it to the Switch version. After that, you can change that profile to anything you like; it will not affect the Switch version. There is a way to export and import your profiles, so it’s not that cumbersome, but it’s still inconvenient.
I can also see how they could improve feature-wise, but I’d rather not say. I’m tired of buying new gamepads…
So, while I do believe that Apex 5 is a clear improvement over Apex 4, there are some annoyances. But as I said, I’m pretty picky. Is Apex 5 the best choice for everyone? Of course not!
I’m not going to list all the gamepads I own, just one that might be important for comparison:
Regular:
Xbox One S and Xbox Series X|S;
DualShock 4;
Nintendo Switch Pro.
Elite-ish:
Xbox Elite 1 and 2;
GuliKit KK3 Max;
8BitDo Pro 2.
Flydigi:
Apex 1, 2, 4 and 5;
Vader 2 Pro and 3 Pro.
If you’re interested in how they compare, feel free to ask!
I can vouch for the quality of all the Flydigi gamepads I’ve used, except for the squeakiness (again, that might just be “me” thing). Two of them got squeaky: one of the Apex 2’s (I have two) and the Vader 2 Pro. Percent-wise, I’ve had far more problems with Xbox Elite controllers, they’re famous for that.
If I didn’t care about any of the additional features, I would’ve probably gone with their Darewolf line or even the Dune Fox, which is as basic as you can get.
The Vader line is also great. You not just get most of the Apex features, but with some steps back. Because those steps are often not back, but sideways, so they are not “cheaper, but worse”, they are legitimate alternatives to each other. In a way, Apex is a testing ground for Flydigi, with some dead ends (poor Apex 2, you were unique), and Vader is their actual flagship controller.
The QR code in the box leads you to the online version of the manual. However, I prefer to have a PDF version just in case, so I asked support for one and they sent it to me. I cropped the English page, but kept the original just in case.
I can only assume that the creators of Van Helsing thought they would go after something like The Walking Dead. However, I think that it is more or less a classic Sci-Fi (Syfy) channel deal. Those shows figured out two things. First, they realized that they need likeable characters so that, no matter what adventures the writers sent them on, the show would still be entertaining. Second, the storyline shouldn’t be too hard to follow.
[Vanessa]
I’m not going to point any fingers, but some shows have crawled up so much of their own creativity, that no length of “Previously on…” would help. Even if the first thing – likable protagonists – is still there, it just stops being enjoyable.
In a sense, Van Helsing is a fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world, rather than a post-apocalyptic world with vampires instead of zombies, as it seemed at first glance. However, it doesn’t delve too deeply into its lore and magic rules, so you can enjoy it more casually. I stopped watching it for months at one point, but managed to pick up where I left off pretty easily. So, yeah, not bad, not bad at all.
Herdling is neat. Okay, it’s not horror at all, so let’s consider it a vacation that many people traditionally take in August. The game isn’t long or complicated, but, as with other games by the same developer (I like them all), it’s pleasant and has a good atmosphere.
Xenowerk is a straightforward, polished, and enjoyable “podcast game.” It’s free to play, but in the least intrusive way possible: you can watch ads for coins, and that’s it. Actually, it’s not even worth it. The game is grindy, hence the “podcast game,” and those coins aren’t going to make a dent.
,..,
But enough of that. Here are some short horror – or at least somewhat dark – themed games you can play in your browser for free. Small bites!
I love Fossify apps! I use several of them: Calendar, Camera, Clock, and Gallery. However, their launcher is so basic that it’s unusable.
I hope that the death of Nova will inspire other launchers to improve. The release of a new version of Lawnchair may be an example of that. Then again, maybe I’m reading too much into it. Regardless, it is better than Fossify, but still a couple of steps away from what I want. However, those steps can be achieved! I’m keeping an eye on it.
It’s not one-to-one, but I managed to replicate my Nova setup. The drawer has tabs or folders, so I chose tabs.
