Akinator the Genie

Summary

I'm sure plenty of you have tried the Akinator. Well, the popular app is back with a new name: Akinator the Genie. We couldn't resist checking it out to see what's new and what's changed. If you're curious too, check out today's review.

So, was I correct in assuming that many of you have heard of or perhaps even tried the Akinator? For those of you who are drawing a blank: the Akinator is a sort of guessing game meets psychic genie in a bottle. Think of a famous person and get the genie to guess who you are thinking of.

The app has been around for a while, but it was recently re-released as Akinator the Genie. My jury's out exactly why this name change occured, but I believe it to have something to do with copyright laws.

The game features a genie who claims to be able to guess whoever it is that you are thinking of, be it fictional protagonist, historical figure or pop starlet. And I must admit that whatever algorithm it is the genie is working with, it's doing a pretty good job. I was able to outsmart him a few times (poets aren't his forte, nor are lesser known anime characters). That said, when the Akinator does get it right, not only will he guess the correct person, he will also display a picture of said person.

The genie can guess who you are in about 12 guesses on average; if ever he can't figure out who it is you are thinking of, you can enter this person into the app's data bank for future reference.

The app's UI has been completely re-styled and now suits the whole genie in a bottle them a lot better. Sadly, it's no longer possible to change the genie's appearance, but on the bright side he is now fluent in lots of languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Slovakian and Spanish). There's also a fun music playing (which can also be switched off).
There's a back button if ever you think you answered a question incorrectly, and on the whole the app seems a lot nicer after the makeover.

Having said this, there is something that really got my goat: there's no price reduction for users who already bought the previous version of Akinator the Genie. I find this to unfair towards and disrespectful of the Akinator fans.

Bottom line:

Akinator the Genie is a pleasant surprise indeed. The UI suits the theme a lot better and there are more language options. Thumbs up!
 

The app has been revamped and I personally prefer the new look to the old one. Furthermore, it's very user friendly as font size for the options and answers is well chosen, making tipping on the wrong field by mistake almost impossible.

Overall, Akinator the Genie strikes us as easy to use and nicely designed.

Akinator the Genie performs seamlessly: it's fluid and dependable—which is to be expected seeing as the graphics aren't super elaborate.

Akinator the Genie costs EUR 1,59, which would be a perfectly fair price if users who had already payed for the current Akinator's predecessor got some kind of deal when downloading the new version of the app. Unfortunately, however, not only is there no special deal, if you download the new version you will no longer get updates for the older version...