App reviews: Guess the Emoji, Splashy Dots

Guess the Emoji

"Guess the Emoji" has you do pretty much exactly what you think you would: guess the meaning of strings of emoji. Sometimes the questions are essentially a "say what you see" puzzle - a flag and a ship become "flagship" - while others are more thematic. In most cases, players will be able to work their way through them, though there are hints available if needed.

You can earn free hints by completing puzzles, or pay a minimum of $1 to collect more in those instances where you're really stumped. The app is ad-supported. This is not a sophisticated game. You probably won't be far off in calling it stupid. But it is strangely fun and pleasantly mindless. And that sort of thing can be important to have on hand sometimes.

Free, for iOS and Android devices.

Splashy Dots

This soothing puzzler features smooth jazz and pretty colors - essentially everything you need to take your mind off the world for a moment. Players are faced with sparsely dotted canvases that they must complete by connecting the dots in a particular order. With a sweep or two of your finger, you can turn the puzzling paint dots on the canvas into a colorful answer. But don't worry if you end up out of order; it's easy to backtrack, even without turpentine on hand.

"Splashy Dots" is ad-supported. Players can pay for hints, in case they get stuck on a particularly tricky painting. You unlock more paintings as you go, and the game comes with a handful of levels to keep you entertained without spending any money.

Free, for iOS devices.