App: PEAK

It's been a while since I gave you guys an app recommendation, and the sad thing is that I've had this sitting and waiting since January. You have no idea how long I've been putting aside writing this review. But you know, much better late than never in my case! -nervous laughter- Ahem. Continuing on.

I've been trying to get more use out of my iPad these years. Since I've gotten my [semi-defunct] smartphone, I haven't been giving it the attention it deserves. I still use it for a few games (like Blendoku) or crying over the fact that SYMPHONIA no longer works. But I shall cry no more, because I've added PEAK into my ranks.




I first downloaded the game on January 14th, and I've been playing it since. PEAK is a brain training that helps you work on memory, mental agility, wordsmithing, and problem solving. I need help will all of these, I feel like. Since I've first started this review and in the time I've been playing, they've added more games for you to play.

The app itself is free to download and free to play, but if you want to play more than four games at a time, you need to get the pro subscription, which honestly isn't that bad. Regardless, four games a day shouldn't leave you wanting for too much. More on that in a bit.

One of the things I like about the game is that you can choose to have friendly reminders. You can set up a reminder for yourself in case you want to stick to some sort of schedule to play the game. The time, the days — it's all up to you. Whatever's convenient for you is your PEAK schedule. When you get to the reminder screen, you have the option of skipping it altogether. To me, though, that little feature is very important.

The interface is very clean and simple and has a steady flow of updating. If you can convince yourself to stick to a schedule, you can really benefit from the exercises. I've coupled the PEAK exercises with reading books, and I honestly felt better about my mental strength. Something that you need to keep in mind is pacing. Don't try to complete all the exercises in one day if you can't. You have until midnight to do the daily exercises, and you can play them over and over again as many times as you like.

However, the exercises can be merciless. It could take you 200 plays to level up, but it could take you six mistakes to get you knocked down. That's right. You can get knocked back down. It's not a play on your intelligence, so please don't believe so. If you try to force yourself to complete or do better in an exercise, you might make a bit more mistakes. By nature, some exercises are just harder to level up in. It's not about constant, instant repetition. It's about steady progressing and advancing. These exercises are made to match you to provide adequate challenges.


Available now on the App Store.