Android Character Creator Review

Androidify: An Android-themed avatar creator that oozes the usual Google quality

Googling Thang

There is a decent selection of games on the various app stores that allow for some admirable avatar customisation, but there are few as nimble and fun as Androidify. It’s pretty difficult for developers to make games whose sole focus is the customisation of avatars because it’s obviously a rather self-limiting genre, but this hasn’t stopped Google inc. from doing their Googling thang and having their hard-working workers come up with an avatar customisation app that’s distinctly Android in its theme and original in its presentation and interface.

Considering that the app’s usefulness is ultimately limited to the creation of Android-style avatars, Android specialists Larva Labs has done a rather good job at making the whole experience fun from beginning to end, and even bringing its online community even closer with the ability to share custom avatar creations with others. Continue Reading

Game Trailer

10 Million+ Can’t be Wrong

Androidify is an avatar enthusiast’s dream come true: it is an app dedicated entirely to customising your own avatar – albeit one with a fairly unchangeable general format – and all through a beautifully clean interface that presents a pretty hefty array of customisation options. Androidify’s simple and easy-to-use interface as well as its customisation options combine to make an app that has already been downloaded by over 10 million users on the Google Play Store. Clearly Google are doing something right in this case!

You, Robot

So when you come to be the ten millionth and whatever’st person to download and open Androidify, you’ll be greeted with the swift micro-tutorial that shows you what to do. Firstly you need to set the side of the Android character’s body parts. This is achieved with a smooth swipe mechanic that allows you to change the size/thickness of the head, torso, arms, and legs of Google’s iconic robot-cum-mobile-operating system by swiping laterally or vertically until you achieve the proportions you desire.

Next comes the classic customising options seen in other character creator games from The Sims 3 to Batman Creator. You get to play around with various sections such as the colour of the Android itself as well as having rows and rows of garments for the torso (including dresses, shirts, casual t shirts etc.), bottoms that range from naked to skirts, shorts, trousers, tights and boxer briefs. Sneaker-heads will be disappointed that there aren’t hundreds of Nike/Adidas trainers on here, but there are quite a few options for footwear including low and hi-top trainers, heels, flip-flops, UGG boots, and many more. Further options include choosing a hair style and colour, facial hair (from serious options to novelty ‘taches and the like), and accessories like glasses, pipes, necklaces, and hats.

In all, there is a serious roster of variables here, and if you do the maths on this then you’re looking at trillions of different combinations to adorn your Android-shaped canvas with.

Google Quality, Through and Through

There’s really only so much that can be said about the avatar creation aspect of the game (see all words above) before it’s worth talking about the app itself in terms of design and execution. There is a lot to be said for the app’s design; typical of Google, Androidify is gorgeous to use, with clean and simple design throughout.

The welcome screen shows you what to do from the outset; the Android robot takes up most of the screen space while the options scroll along the bottom; you can even share your design once you’ve finished it with a simple press of a few on-screen buttons. So it’s easy to say that this app has as good of a design as you will ever see in an avatar creation app. It’s also updated regularly, with an improved interface and some clothes that fit in with the Gay Pride event that has happened recently. The sounds that punctuate each press of your customisation options also add weight to the app; it gives it a certain slickness that you don’t find in most avatar creation apps. Androidify is quite simply gorgeous from start to finish, and though it is a simple app with not much depth, it serves its purpose very, very well and Google Inc must be credited with this.