Top 5 Apps of the Week: Carrion, Pokémon TCG Pocket, and More!

Turn the tables on humanity by being the thing that goes bump at night in Carrion, devouring all in your way as everyone flees in terror. Crazy Challenge: Mini Games 3D provides endless fun with bite-sized games wherever you are. Pokémon TCG Pocket brings all the collectible cards right into your palm, making you an instant card lord if you can afford it.

Arc Search is an AI-enabled browser that claims to be able to deliver more accurate results faster. 3D Wave Scapes is an Android-only app, where you can enjoy a range of curated wallpapers daily for a fresh new look on your phone always.

If you're keen to uncover truly free apps and games, be sure to check out our "Free Apps of the Week" section, updated twice a week for your convenience!

Carrion (Android & iOS)

They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. Well, if you are the big bad, then surely you would wish you could hear the screams of your victim, as in this game. Dubbed a 'reverse horror game', you are an amorphous creature with a mysterious origin. Basically, you have been poked and prodded from all directions, being experimented upon, and now that you've broken out, it is time for others to experience their just desserts as you spread fear and panic throughout the facility.

You are not all that powerful though, as you might need to use stealth and some puzzle-solving power to get past certain obstacles. It does feel like I am controlling one of Marvel's symbiotes in this game.

The visuals are amazing despite the rather pixelized format, it does convey the speed and carnage you unleash on a visceral level without slowing down. A mid-range phone is good enough to handle all the game's mechanics, and as usual, I much prefer a physical controller compared to touchscreen controls simply because I love more precise controls.

• Price: $6.99 / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No

This game is free to try, but to unlock it forever with all the DLCs, you will have to pay $6.99 for it. I found it worth every penny, turning the tables on humanity and terrorizing all those lab coats and hired muscle. Who said a soft, huge amoeba-like lifeform lacks the intelligence to survive and wreak havoc?

• Download Carrion from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

3D Wave Scapes (Android only)

Feel bored with your phone, and do not have the kind of photography skills to capture great-looking scenes that are wallpaper-worthy? Fret not, an app like this allows you to change your wallpaper at the snap of your fingers. It is as simple as scrolling through the entire collection before deciding on one of them, where you can choose to have it as your home screen, lock screen, or both.

Do bear in mind that these are 2D wallpapers and not 3D wallpapers per se, so do not be fooled or expect otherwise. Some of the better-looking wallpapers will require you to sit through an ad, which is not too shabby. Wallpapers are refreshed daily, giving you a virtually endless array of wallpapers to choose from.

Needless to say, all the wallpapers here are AI-generated, so you do not have to worry about running afoul of copyright laws. There are numerous categories to choose from, and all of them do a decent job of sprucing up your smartphone's background, be it the home screen or the lock screen. 

• Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: None / Account required: Yes

Get this only if you are one who likes to have a different wallpaper every single day, or heaven forbid, every hour. I personally prefer my wallpaper to remain the same, even after switching from one phone to another as there is this comforting sense of familiarity. Well, I guess those who are young at heart will find this fascinating!

• Download 3D Wave Scapes from the Google Play Store.

Crazy Challenge: Mini Games 3D (Android & iOS)

Is it me, or do people have really short attention spans these days? Crazy Challenge: Mini Games 3D intends to give your brain a workout while having fun. After all, that is how we learn best, isn't it, while playing? There is a range of activities and fun games to help improve your IQ.

It is suitable for all ages, where you get over 20 mini-game challenges to occupy yourself. I would say this is a great time killer and is easily accessible across all age groups with a little bit of something for everybody. Among the games include balloon smashing, archery, phone charging, and car driving. Each subsequent level ups the ante in the challenge department.

I like the variety of puzzles each time which offer plenty of fun, but some of them can prove to be a bridge too far for my aged brain to process. This is like WarioWare: Touch! on the Nintendo DS all those years ago but with a boatload of ads.

• Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes ($2.99) / Account required: No

Did I already mention a lot of ads? If there is one major gripe I have about this game, it would be the insane amount of ads. There, I'm repeating myself. Granted, these mini-games are already short in nature, but to move from one to another in the free version and having to sit through ads is just irritating. I would highly recommend you fork out the $2.99 for a much more enjoyable ad-free experience.

• Download Crazy Challenge: Mini Games 3D from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Arc Search (Android & iOS)

Hmmm, do we really need another browser on the smartphone? I am quite sure many of us have our favorite browsers and are deeply entrenched in using them, but keep an open mind with Arc Search. This browser aims to be different from the plethora of browsers out there, centering its function on search while offering a bunch of providers (Google included), and more importantly, the built-in Browse for Me feature.

What does Browse for Me do? It will crawl the internet to look for specific data that is relevant to your query. For those who are familiar with Perplexity's "answer engine" output, this is somewhat akin, albeit offering snippets in a concise manner. 

Arc is, at its core, Google Chrome, letting you enjoy fast webpage load times, a wide range of website support, and an interesting tab management system that resembles an OS more than a browser. It will require you some time to get used to it, and some might turn away from it.

• Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: None / Account required: No

Bear in mind the Android version is lacking in terms of profile support, synchronization, and extension support compared to the iOS version. However, if more people were to jump aboard, I am sure the developer would make concessions and pad it up with the relevant features.

• Download Arc Search from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Pokémon TCG Pocket (Android & iOS)

Everyone would have had some sort of exposure to the world of Pokémon by now. What started off as an RPG on the humble Game Boy has grown to be a billion-dollar business over the decades, spawning its own card game along the way. Well, if you have always looked on in envy at card lords, you can be one yourself for a fraction of the cost with the Pokémon TCG Pocket game!

Enjoy playing Pokémon cards no matter where you are on your mobile device. You also get two free booster packs each day to obtain new cards, and here's hoping the randomizer smiles on you so that you can claim as many rare cards as possible. There will be crowd favorites from the past as well as all-new cards exclusive to this game.

The new immersive cards will also debut here, sporting a 3D feel that makes you feel as though you have stepped into the world of Pokémon. Virtual binders to store virtual cards? Check! It will require you to hit level 3 before the actual battle gameplay element is unlocked, while additional features will be unlocked later.

• Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($0.99—$99.99) / Account required: No

New cards appear each dozen hours, and there is also the Wonder Pick feature that allows you to select a card from an opened deck by others. Poké Gold purchase is the only pay-to-win element here, letting you buy more card packs, but I like how you also don't need to spend money to win. 

• Download Pokémon TCG Pocket from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

With that, we have come to the end of our list. We look forward to seeing you next week with a new Top 5 Apps of the Week selection.