Android Christmas Apps

Christmas (2013) is coming soon, so I've been testing out dozens of Christmas-oriented games and puzzles. I've narrowed them down to the ones described below, some of which appeal to me and some of which might appeal to other people.

App developers sometimes add or change or remove features, so there might be slight discrepancies between my descriptions (below) and the current versions of some apps.

Find the Differences

In these games, two pictures are identical except for five differences which you must find. Some of these games have a countdown timer, and if you make a wrong guess then you receive a time penalty.

Christmas Find Difference by Xronus.inc (free) - When you spot a difference, tap it on the bottom picture and it will be outlined in red on both pictures. At the top right corner of the screen, the white number inside a Christmas tree tells you how many differences are left. This game is harder than most of the other "find the differences" games, but there's no timer and no penalty for wrong guesses.

Christmas Find the Difference by CoRa Games (free) - When you spot a difference, tap it on either picture and the difference will be fixed. At the top right corner of the screen, a circle will turn green each time you tap a difference. At the top of the screen, the "arrow" icon will take you to the level selection screen, where you can change the difficulty level. The "one star" difficulty level has five differences and no timer and no penalty for wrong guesses. The "two star" difficulty level has six differences and a timer and a time penalty for wrong guesses. The "three star" difficulty level has seven differences and a faster timer and a time penalty for wrong guesses. At the bottom of the screen, the "question mark" icon will show you a difference. This game is easier than most of the other "find the differences" games, plus it will randomize the differences so you can re-play the same level with new differences to find.

Christmas Hidden Objects by Next Difference Games (free) - When you spot a difference, tap it on either picture and the difference will be fixed. At the top left corner of the screen, the number of remaining differences is displayed. Below this, a timer will count up to 100% and then it will display a "Reveal" button (tap the button to reveal a difference). The "Zoom x 2" button will enlarge the pictures, and you can move the pictures around by sliding your finger. In this game, some of the differences are fairly easy to find, and some are quite challenging. On my phone, the screen goes blank every time the ads change (I've emailed the developer about this bug), but the game works fine if I turn off my Internet connectivity.

Find the Difference Christmas by Titan Inc (free) - When you spot a difference, tap it on either picture and it will be outlined in red on the bottom picture. At the top of the screen, a white light bulb will turn yellow each time you tap a difference. The "magnifying glass" icon will outline a difference for you (up to three times). This game is harder than most of the other "find the differences" games.

Jigsaw Puzzles, Etc.

These are different types of puzzles in which you put the puzzle pieces into the correct positions to assemble the picture.

Christmas and New year Puzzle by Fundoo apps centre (free) - A "sliding tile" puzzle in which a picture is divided into a set of rectangular tiles, then the tiles are randomly shuffled around. Slide a tile into the empty slot and try to re-create the picture. The numbers in the center of the tiles indicate the order that the tiles need to go in (tile #1 needs to be in the top left corner).

Christmas Jigsaw Puzzles by CoRa Games (free) - Select a picture, then select the size of the puzzle pieces (2x2, 3x3, etc.). To solve the jigsaw puzzle, slide the puzzle pieces onto the picture. Tap a puzzle piece to rotate it. The picture is visible to help make it easier to solve the puzzle. To hide the picture, tap the "light bulb" icon at the top of the screen. The "triangle" icon at the top left corner of the screen is the "Back" button (tap this after you solve the puzzle).

Christmas Jigsaw Puzzles by Titan Inc (free) - Tap the "Play" button, then select the type of puzzle you want to play. Option 1 has standard jigsaw puzzle pieces, and you must slide them to the proper positions. In option 2 you drag a square puzzle piece onto another square puzzle piece to make them swap places. Option 3 is a "sliding tile" puzzle in which the square tiles are randomly shuffled around, and you must slide a tile into the empty slot to re-create the picture. In option 4, the square puzzle pieces are all in the correct positions, but you must tap each piece to rotate it into the proper orientation. Tap the option that you want, then select a picture (slide the pictures left or right until the desired picture is displayed), then use the slider to choose the number of puzzle pieces, then tap the "Start" button. While you're solving the puzzle, there are two or three icons at the top left corner of the screen. The first icon returns you to the previous screen where you can choose a different picture or a different number of puzzle pieces. The second icon re-shuffles the puzzle pieces. The third icon displays the solved puzzle so you can see what the picture looks like.

Christmas Jigsaw Puzzles 123 by GiggleUp Kids Apps And Educational Games (free) - On the initial screen, tap the "gears" button to select the number of pieces in the puzzle, then tap the "back arrow" button. When you're finished changing the settings, tap the "back arrow" button to return to the initial screen. Tap the "Enter" button, then tap the Christmas picture, then select a puzzle picture by tapping a white silhouette. Slide the standard jigsaw puzzle pieces into the large square. To see what the finished picture looks like, tap the "light bulb" icon at the bottom of the screen. To change the number of puzzle pieces, tap the "gears" button at the bottom right corner of the screen, then tap the number of pieces, then tap the "gears" button.

Christmas Puzzle Game: Jigsaw by MadRabbit (free) - Solve the jigsaw puzzles by dragging a square puzzle piece onto another square puzzle piece to make them swap places. The "Peek" button will display the full picture, but you only get three peeks per puzzle.

Room Escape Games

In adventure games, you travel around picking up items to add to your inventory, and you must figure out where and how to use these items (or solve puzzles based on various clues) in order to accomplish some type of goal. Room escape games are similar, but the goal is simply to open a door and escape from the room.

In all of these games, the key thing is to tap everywhere in order to pick up items, and if it's not obvious where to use the items in your inventory then select each item and tap everywhere. In some games you can combine or dismantle items, in which case you should try combining and dismantling everything you pick up. Sometimes the clues that you find will make logical sense, and sometimes they won't. Sometimes your phone needs to be tilted a certain way, and sometimes you need to shake your phone. Sometimes the sounds or noises will be the clues, and sometimes you'll want to write down the clues to help figure them out. If you get stuck, search the Internet for the name of the game plus "walkthrough" (e.g. "100 Chimneys walkthrough"), and you'll find websites which explain what to do on each level. You can also search the Google Play apps store for "cheat" apps or "guide" apps for these games. However, it's more fun if you stick with it and try to solve the clues and puzzles without cheating. When I've cheated, most of the time I realized that I could have figured it out if I had kept at it, although sometimes I never would have figured out the clues without cheating.

These games are fun for the entire family because anyone might find an item that the others missed, or solve a clue that the others couldn't figure out. In my family we're having a blast with these games, giving each other hints when we figure something out so we can all progress through the levels together.

100 Chimneys : Xmas by Amphibius Developers (free) - In room escape games which have a Christmas theme, sometimes the clues relate to special dates such as Christmas Day or New Year's Day. For example, in level 3 the digits "0123" need to be rearranged into the date of the upcoming new year: "2013" (I don't see how anyone will guess this, so I'm giving you the answer). Similarly, in level 20 you must arrange the shapes into "2013." Your inventory is displayed at the bottom of the screen (tap the gray square to open the inventory).

100 Doors : Christmas Gifts by The Escape Games (free) - Your inventory is displayed at the bottom of the screen. When the door/window/chimney is unlocked, Santa (or some other character) will appear, and a present will appear in his hand. Tap the present to exit the level. Tap the "curved arrow" icon at the bottom of the screen to reset the level.

100 Floors- Can You Escape? by Tobi Apps (free) - Tap the "Levels" button, then rotate the dial and tap "Main Tower" (which has numerous levels) or "Seasons Tower" (which has a number of Valentine's levels and Christmas levels and Halloween levels) or "Annex" (which has more levels, but can only be unlocked after you complete the "Main Tower" levels). Your inventory is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Tap the "curved arrow" icon at the bottom of the screen to reset the level.

Santa Escape by Amphibius Developers (free) - Your inventory is displayed at the bottom of the screen (tap the gray square to open the inventory). When the chimney is unlocked, tap the red arrow to exit the level.

Other Christmas Puzzles and Games

Christmas Frenzy by White Lord (free) - Combine Christmas objects to score points before the timer runs out. The current object (e.g. a candy cane) is placed somewhere on the board with a yellow rectangle around it. Tap any empty square on the board to move the current object to that square (or tap the current object to place it in its current position). If three or more of the same object are touching then they'll disappear and be replaced with a single object with a higher value. Get rid of green gremlins by surrounding them with other objects, or by tapping them with a wand. A star can combine with any two or more of the same object.

Frozen Tails by Runaway Studios Inc. (free) - Cute little animals are trapped in ice. Slide a finger across the ice to slice the ice and allow the animals to fall to safety, getting all three stars. On each level you have a limited number of slices.

Oh Wolves Christmas by hecjava (free) - Move Santa through the streets by tapping where you want him to turn, avoiding the wolves. When Santa completely surrounds a house, the Christmas present in the house will be opened. One of the presents will contain a key, which will appear in the top right corner of the screen. When you get the key, you can enter the house at the top of the screen to finish the level. The faster you find the key and enter the house, the higher your score. Some presents contain power-ups, such as giving Santa super-speed or pausing the wolves. To play, tap the "triangle" button at the bottom right corner of the screen, then tap "Survival" or "Arcade." In "Survival" mode you have one life, so the game is over when a wolf gets you. In "Arcade" mode you have five lives, and you lose a life when a wolf gets you (the wolf is then removed from the game).

Roller Polar by Nitrome (free) - A small polar bear is running on top of a large snowball which is rolling downhill. When the snowball picks up an object such as a rock, tap the screen at the appropriate time to make the bear jump so it can avoid the object. For larger objects such as a tree, double-tap the screen to make the bear jump higher. You can see the objects on the left side of the screen before the snowball picks them up, but it's still a tricky game.

Run Santa Run - Original by AXL-Dynamics (free) - An endless runner game in which you help Santa deliver presents. When Santa is near a house, tap the screen to make him jump on top of the house, and he'll leave a present at the house. If he runs into the side of a house then the game is over. Sometimes there will be red springs that he needs to jump onto for extra jumping power.

Santa's run by Drowning Zebra (free) - Help Santa gather as many presents as possible before the timer runs out. The abominable snowman (named Oogie Boogie) is also trying to collect presents, and a leprechaun is helping Oogie Boogie. Santa needs to collect more presents than Oogie Boogie does. Santa can also collect candy canes, and when he gets several candy canes then they give him extra power (speed?). Use the joystick at the bottom left corner of the screen to move Santa around, and tap the screen to make Santa jump.

Santa's Village by Making Fun, Inc. (free) - Customize the North Pole with over 120 buildings and decorations. A snowman and Santa will give you quests or tasks to accomplish, such as building a house for elves to live in, or building a workshop where elves can make toys, or teaching reindeer to fly, or playing mini-games, and so on.

ShakyTower Xmas (physics game) by Mobillness (free) - Tap the screen to drop square blocks onto each other to build a tower in order to accomplish the goal for each level. Tilting your phone causes the tower to sway, so the game will first prompt you to calibrate your phone's sensors.

Christmas Puzzles and Games for Younger Children

Christmas Countdown Story ElfA by Ploosh (free) - An advent calendar for counting down the days until Christmas.

Christmas Games by kidgames (free) - A collection of games (swipe up or down to see all of the games). In the Memory game you tap the tiles to find matching pairs. In the Memory 3 game you tap the tiles to find matching triplets. In the Jigsaw Puzzle game you drag one puzzle piece onto another to make them swap places. In the Shape Puzzle game you drag puzzle pieces into the correct positions in the silhouette of a picture. In the Connect The Dot game you tap the dots in numerical order to reveal the picture. In the Scratch game you swipe your finger across the screen to reveal the picture.

Christmas Matching by SweetDaySoft (free) - A "memory match" game. In "Timer Mode" you must find all of the pairs before the timer runs out. In "Two Player" mode you select a type of picture (e.g. snowmen), then you compete against another person. In "Free Style" mode there's no timer.

Christmas tree decoration by kidgames (free) - Decorate a Christmas tree by selecting an item using the icons at the bottom of the screen, then dragging the item onto the tree (use pinch-to-zoom to resize some of the items). The first icon at the bottom of the screen allows you to change trees. The second icon brings up a list of Christmas balls to choose from. The third icon brings up a list of Christmas lights and Christmas rope. The fourth icon brings up a list of Christmas presents. The fifth icon brings up a list of snowflakes and stars and candy canes and so on. The sixth icon turns the music on or off. The seventh icon allows you to share your picture. The eighth icon opens up the Google Play apps store with more apps by this developer. The last icon brings up this app in the Google Play apps store.

Decorate X-mas Tree by PKMH (free) - Decorate a Christmas tree with different colors, Christmas balls, Christmas bells, candy canes, gifts, and so on. To fill in a section of the tree with a color, tap the color on the right side of the screen (the selected color is displayed at the bottom of the list of colors), then tap the tree. To add items to the tree, tap an item on the left side of the screen (scroll up or down to see more items), then tap the tree. To delete items from the tree, tap the red "X" at the top of the list of items, then tap the items to be deleted. To add a yellow or red chain to the tree, tap the chain (at the bottom of the list of items), then drag your finger around the tree. At the bottom of the screen, the first icon allows you to select a different picture of a tree (swipe left or right to see the different trees, then tap the desired tree). The second icon allows you to email your picture. The third icon saves your picture to your SD card.

Find Santa (Kids Puzzle) by Sunshine Soft (free) - A picture of Santa is displayed at the top of the screen, and you must tap the matching Santa. In the "Normal" game, you have one minute to score as many points as possible. In the "Endless" game there's no timer.

Free Kids Christmas Game by Corvid Apps (free) - A pattern-matching game. Santa must travel the world to pick up the reindeer and elves to bring them home. When you successfully match three patterns then the reindeer or elf will get into Santa's hot-air balloon.

Kids Christmas Snow Globe by Kidoteca (free) - Tilt or shake your phone to make the snowflakes bounce around the screen..

Kids Connect the Dots Xmas by Intellijoy (free) - Tap the dots in numerical order to reveal the picture.

Snow Globe by VicPlay (free) - Tilt or shake your phone to make the snowflakes fly around inside a snow globe. The first icon at the bottom of the screen changes the scene inside the snow globe. The second icon changes the background scene. The third icon turns the music on or off. The fourth icon changes the song. The fifth icon changes the speed of the snowflakes. The sixth icon changes the number of snowflakes. The seventh icon changes the amount of time before the snowflakes stop falling. The last icon explains what the other icons do.

Live Wallpapers

"Live" wallpapers (LWPs) are animated background scenes for your home screen. I've tried out dozens of Christmas LWPs, and these are the best ones I've found so far. LWPs tend to use a bit more battery than regular wallpapers, but the holiday season is fairly short so I don't mind the battery usage for some extra Christmas cheer.

Christmas HD Live Wallpaper by HaRaN (free) - Displays a snug log cabin at night in the snowy woods, with snow falling.

Christmas HD Live Wallpaper by IDteam (free) - Displays a fireplace with a roaring fire and Christmas decorations. The image slowly bounces around the screen like a screensaver.

Christmas Lights LiveWallpaper by Applet Turnover (free) - A window frame is placed around your home screen, looking out at the night sky, with flashing Christmas lights around the window.

Christmas Rink Live Wallpaper by 7art Studio (free) - See people skating across your screen in the falling snow. In the Settings menu there are two free backgrounds and several other options. Tapping the skaters causes them to speed up, if this option is enabled in the Settings menu.

Dream Christmas Live Wallpaper by Lylawei (free) - Displays snow falling, with several background images in the Settings menu. Tapping the screen causes a sparkle effect, if this option is enabled in the Settings menu.

Happy New Year LWP by CrystalSpring (free) - Displays snowflakes (with different patterns) falling, with several background images in the Settings menu. The snowflakes respond to the tilt of your phone. Tapping the screen causes snow to fall where your finger is touching the screen (slide your finger for more snow), if this option is enabled in the Settings menu.

New Year Countdown Wallpaper by blakit (free) - Displays a fancy analog clock showing the current time plus a timer at the bottom of the screen which counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Christmas Day.

Snowfall Free Live Wallpaper by Kittehface Software (free) - Displays snow-covered pine trees gently swaying in the breeze with snow falling around them. The camera angle shifts slightly as you swipe left and right to your secondary home screens.

Modification History

January 14, 2015 - Added 100 Doors : Christmas Gifts, Frozen Tails, Roller Polar, and Santa Escape.

November 15, 2013 - New page.

Dave Root

email:	dave.root@live.com
home page:	http://daveroot.neocities.org