Image rights from top: Charlie Chapman, Nomada Studio.
White noise can block out
the sounds of the world to
help you concentrate, and it
can help you get to sleep by
giving you something to listen to that
won’t stimulate your brain. But what
works for one person might not work for
another, so Dark Noise offers more than
30 different kinds of white noise, from
crackling campfires to the sound of
heavy rain.
The emphasis here is on the sounds,
and they’re all very high quality
recordings. The differences between
some can be very subtle; for example the
difference between white, brown, grey
We’ve recently been blessed
with a glut of beautiful iOS
games: first Sky, then
Journey, now GRIS. This
latest offering from Nomada Studio is
a gorgeous 2D platformer that tasks you
with restoring color and life to a ruined
gray wasteland.
As you explore the world you collect
points of light, which form paths across
voids and unlock skills to overcome the
various obstacles you encounter. Each
level is characterized by a color, and each
presents different challenges requiring
different tactics. The red level is beset by
mighty dust storms that temporarily halt
Dark Noise
Bring the noise, quietly
$3.99 From Charlie Chapman, darknoise.app
Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 12.1 or later
GRIS
This game passes with flying colors
$4.99 From Nomada Studio, Devolver Digital, devolverdigital.com
Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 10 or later
GREATEXCELLENTDark Noise’s sound catalog includes classic
white noise and more natural sounds.Each world presents different challenges, such
as these shape–shifting platforms.and pink noise is just a matter of minor
pitch differences, but it’s easy to find
something soothing and put it on a timer
so it won’t play on while you sleep.
The app integrates well with iOS,
offering Siri Shortcuts, a customizable
Today screen widget, a selection of
colored home screen icons, and AirPlay
support. It also has Dark Mode support,
plus a True Black mode for OLED screens,
and it offers a range of schemes other
than the default purple/black design. It
also enables you to mix its sounds with
audio from other apps, although for now
that’s an experimental feature so the
results can be unpredictable.your progress, the green areas feature
shape–shifting platforms that require
precise timing, and so on.
Like Journey, everything feels geared
towards the creation of a beautiful
experience. The splashes of watercolor
when you progress, the piano notes that
rise and fall based on your movement,
the intricate hand–drawn world you
inhabit — GRIS is a sensory pleasure that
gets even better with headphones.
It’s not perfect, though. Some of the
puzzles are overly confusing, and we
often had to check online for solutions.
There was also a bug where either the
music or the sound altogether would cutDark Noise is clearly a very niche app,
but it does what it does extremely well
without unnecessary features, invasive
ads, or other irritations. It’s a great way
to bring the noise.
THE BOTTOM LINE. Dark Noise only
really does one thing, but it does that
thing really well. CARRIE MARSHALLout — given the beautiful score backing
the game, it was sorely missed.
Occasional frustrations aside, GRIS
is a stunning game that frequently
imparts a sense of awe and wonder.
THE BOTTOM LINE. An easy–going
puzzler set in an incredible world. Color
us impressed. ALEX BLAKEmaclife.com DEC 2019 65Tough testing, trusted ratings