Midnight Girl requires you to explore Paris in the 1960s where you solve puzzles, while Pzizz hopes to help you drift into dreamland with some really soothing sounds. 5 Minute Journal helps you get started on your journey of self-reflection on a daily basis without causing anxiety.
In a new town and want to make new friends? Supzy might be able to help. Last but not least, there is JustFit, an app that hopes to help you get some workouts done in the laziest manner. It sounds like an oxymoron, which is what piqued our curiosity.
Our editorial team has carefully assessed every app highlighted here to guarantee they are free from annoying microtransactions and intrusive ads. If you’re interested in discovering completely free applications and games, don’t miss our “Free Apps of the Week” article, which we refresh bi-weekly!
Midnight Girl (Android & iOS)
Ah, another puzzle-solving adventure that sees you thrown into the mid-60s of Paris. This casual 2D point-and-click adventure game clearly draws its influence from half over half a century ago with Parisian vibes, Belgian comics, and heist films as a pair of thieves’ adventure to steal a precious diamond went awry.
Monique, a tomboy who enjoys her adrenaline-rushing escapades in relieving others of their valuables, ends up in jail and meets with a strangely enigmatic fellow thief who tells her of a precious jewel. It is a highly entertaining story that takes on a point-and-click, or rather, point-and-touch format to progress.
I found myself having to look at each ‘room’ or ‘panel’ closely to remember anything out of the ordinary or to think out of the box and see whether something normal could be one of the key items in progressing further into the game. Progress is not too difficult and I never really found myself getting stuck. Puzzle purists might object to the ease of completing the game, but I think it provides a decent enough challenge in this age of short attention spans.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes
Overall, the lovely art direction, pace of storytelling, and responsive controls work great. Some people might not like the prompts that pop up from time to time to aid you in the game’s progress, but I like such gentle nudges.
Pzizz (Android & iOS)
I don’t know about you, but there are days when things happen at work or generally life throws me a curveball and I find myself having trouble falling asleep no matter how physically tired I am that day. While there are apps for that, Pzizz is a minimalist app that claims to help people like me fall asleep and more importantly, remain asleep so that I can wake up refreshed.
Pzizz uses what it calls “dreamscapes”, which is a curated mix of music, voiceovers, and sound effects which were specially designed to use the latest clinical research so that listeners can lull themselves into dreamland at the drop of a coin or take some much-needed power naps during the day.
The user interface is simple. You can choose from Sleep, Nap, or Focus. Focus will only unlock if you decide to fork out money for a subscription. It basically helps you get into “the zone” and increase your productivity with the right audio environment. I suppose it works better with a pair of headphones.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($1.99 — $69.99) / Account required: No
The Nap and Sleep modules work pretty much in the same manner, although the former will be shorter in duration as it should. You basically choose the length of time, and let Pzizz send you off to la la land soonest possible. I can choose the type of narration and dreamscapes that I like.
5 Minute Journal (Android & iOS)
Showing gratitude and being thankful are often overlooked by us most of the time. I boil it down to the consumer mindset, “What’s in it for me?” which dulled our more altruistic senses. I find myself much more at peace when I am able to count my blessings (which do not only show up as something monetary, mind you!), and having an app like 5 Minute Journal definitely helps. It basically harnesses the power of positive psychology to make me happier in just, well, 5 minutes!
I can choose to have morning or evening reflections, and I love how there is a fantastic quote on the home screen to help my thoughts fall back into a more positive headspace. There is also an emotion rating system so that I can keep track of how I am feeling that particular day, allowing me to look back after a while and view myself more objectively instead of remaining in a cloud of depression.
The user interface is extremely simple and easy to use. In fact, it takes very little time to get started, perhaps a couple of minutes or so to update my entries, and helps steer my thoughts in the right direction before I kick things off for the rest of the day. Overall, I found this it to be an intuitive journaling experience that can be adopted if previous journaling apps did not appeal to you.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($4.99 — $99.99) / Account required: Yes
There is no amount of money you can place on mental well-being, which made me ponder whether paying a subscription for it is a small investment for longer-term mental health. I hope that future versions will allow me to add more photos each day as there might be moments when life is on an upward trajectory, and I would like to remember those. Overall, highly recommended!
Supzy (Android & iOS)
Not another dating app? Well, you don’t find a shortage of new pizza joints springing up in New York, do you? Supzy used to be known as BeFriend and is an app that helps you know others around your area. It claims to ease the pain of meeting like-minded people so that you can get down to the business of making friends right away! After all, moving to a new city or place can be a daunting experience if you’re alone without a social circle for emotional support.
What makes Supzy different? Well, I honestly do not find any obvious differentiating factor from the other dating/friendship apps. If I were to look at it from face value, you would most probably meet the same profiles in other similar apps. Swipe through them, and get in touch, it works the same way.
You can perform voice and video calls though, which goes some way in reducing anxiety before meeting since you know exactly who the other person on the line looks like. It is far less creepy, and I like this feature that helps safeguard users.
- Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($1.99 — $19.99) / Account required: Yes
It also allows me to connect with communities who share the same interests, as I can share my thoughts and experiences for others to read. Of course, filtering the users can always be tough on the developer, so you are bound to run into some mentally unhinged people who might be homophobic, racist, or even making unwanted advances. There is no perfect dating/friendship app, so this is one area that you might want to brace yourself for if you decide to give it a go.
JustFit (Android & iOS)
Look, it is already October and before you know it, it is time to usher in the New Year once again, complete with its customary resolutions. Fitness is always something on everyone’s minds, and JustFit allows me to get started on my fitness journey without a gym membership or having to pick up expensive equipment, now how about that?
I key in all the necessary information, and the app analyzes all my data before offering a curated plan that helps me achieve my fitness goals. The lessons are extremely easy to follow, making it ideal for beginners. Seasoned veterans who want to take a break from their extreme physical exertions can also use this.
- Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($69.99 for an annual subscription) / Account required: Yes
I like how virtually all their exercises come with a clear video explanation on how to get it done, and it can be executed virtually anywhere and anytime, even when I am dressed shabbily at home! This is ideal for those who do not have time to go to the gym or carve out a proper outdoor exercise regimen.
Some of the plans include wall pilates and belly workouts that will help you in the fight against belly fat. Of course, paying $69.99 for an annual subscription will provide you full access to the app’s features and functions.
And it is a wrap for now! Wait another week before the next Top 5 Apps of the Week edition is released. Come back then to see what we have in store for you!
