APP OF THE DAY
Making maths entertaining
Numbala
Cool math game
Learning maths can seem like an uphill struggle, but rarely an adventure. Which is why Numbala is such a delight.
A sci-fi, arcade game set in space, it’s an app with a side hustle in teaching children aged 8-12 better numerical and cognitive skills. And in a way they’ll quickly engage with.
The premise is easy, and emotive: you need to save your captured dog. This, in turn, takes you on a journey.
Put in charge of your own spaceship, you need to avoid missiles and hazards, switch lanes at speed, smash boxes and, crucially, solve increasingly difficult numerical puzzles in order to progress through the game, and get closer to freeing your furry friend.
With a pacy narrative and levels that never feel rote or formulaic, kids will be so bewitched by the storyline that they’ll almost forget they’re learning.
As you progress, you’ll need to collect tokens and can experiment with driving new spaceships, all the while getting the hang of increasingly complicated mathematical concepts. You can track progress on an analytics board within your gaming profile.
Filled with thoughtful, stylised illustrations that raise the game above other simple arcade concepts Numbala’s award-winning artwork is also worth a mention. It just feels more cerebral – suitable for an app that’s teaching you something as you play.