Are you getting the most out of your Alexa-enabled device? With Alexa you have a handy assistant to perform the simplest tasks like setting up timers, giving quick weather reports and running through the day's headlines, as well as the more complex stuff like controlling your smart home devices and doing online shopping. Alexa saves you time, helping you multitask and avoid the most mundane tasks, like getting back up to turn off the lights.
But Alexa's skill set isn't limited to helping you with the serious side of life. You can ask Alexa to play your favorite songs on command, tell jokes and even alleviate boredom with a roster of fun yet thought-provoking games to stimulate your brain. To get you started, here are our 10 favorite games.
Escape the Room
This puzzle-type game by Stoked Skills isn't all that fancy or overly complex, at least not compared to live escape room situations or even the ones you play on your smartphone. The puzzles are shorter and more straightforward. Still, they've done a great job at making each room (there are four in all: Jail Cell, Office, Car and Garage) challenging enough so you'll be scratching your head in some spots.
Plus, you might think this type of game is too complicated for a voice-command situation. But they've done well simplifying the game's navigation as well as helping it understand your prompts so that it feels intuitive, allowing players to actually enjoy the game instead of spending time and effort figuring out how best to speak their commands.
We like the fact that all of the rooms are free to play so you aren't forced to make in-app purchases.
Price: Free to enable on your device
Millionaire Quiz Game
Inspired by the hit TV show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Voice Apps' Millionaire Quiz Game takes you through 14 trivia questions that test your knowledge in different categories. Each game grants you three lifelines that you can use when faced with a difficult question, and each question answered correctly takes you a step closer to "winning $1,000,000."
Though you won't be a million dollars richer at the end, this game is not only great for testing your general knowledge skills but also an entertaining way to learn some fun facts. It's effortless to navigate — you can just say the letter of your answer, for example — so it's a no-brainer to play. Well, that is, as long as you know the correct answers. The questions themselves go from easy to a bit challenging and force you to use not just your brain but also your common sense and intuition.
Play alone or with friends.
Price: Free to enable on your device
WhereInTheWorld
Geography nerds will love this game, as do we since it satisfies our wanderlust. Or does it aggravate it? We're not quite sure anymore. What we are sure about is that this trivia game that puts your geography skills to the test is not only entertaining, but also very informative. Example questions include "In which landlocked European country can you find the largest cave in the world?" and "Approximately how many islands are there in the Philippines?"
In each game, Alexa asks you five questions, each containing a fact about a particular country or destination. You guess at the correct answer and try to get five out of five. It does a great job of understanding most of your responses, which makes playing a breeze. Plus, you can say "Repeat" if you need to hear a question again.
One drawback is that the questions can get repetitive after you've played it a few times. We're hoping the developers will add new questions.
Price: Free to enable on your device
World Detective
Feed your love of geography, trivia, detective games and film noir in this geography game by Volley Inc. World Detective lets you play detective and race around the world in pursuit of a missing person your current client is trying to track. Following their trail, the game takes you to three different countries. You can progress and get closer to finding your man (or woman) by determining each country correctly based on the clues provided.
The great thing about this game is that while some clues are a bit obscure, you can request another by saying "Clue," so although it's challenging, it's possible to get all three answers right. You race against another player, making it even more exciting as you each try to find the missing person first.
You can also see your standing against the community of World Detective players.
Price: Free to enable on your device
Jeopardy!
What brainy games list is complete without the King of Trivia? The Jeopardy! game, inspired by the classic game show, is one of our favorite games. Much like the show, it tests your knowledge in several categories and you answer in the form of a question, which Alexa has no problem understanding.
It isn't as involved as the actual show — you only get a total of six questions spanning six categories (including pop culture, sports, history and geography) each day. However, the questions are quite challenging, so you literally learn something new every day.
Two things we love about this game are (1) if you miss a day, you can play catch-up, and (2) if you're a Prime member, you get the Double Jeopardy! round for free, giving you six extra questions each day. Non-Prime members have to pay a monthly fee to get this feature.
Price: Free to enable on your device; $1.99 per month to get Double Jeopardy! for non-Prime members
Categories Game
Sharpen your brain and hone your quick-thinking skills with Categories by Verto Lab. This speedy word game forces you to think of words on the fly according to a particular category and a specific beginning letter.
The game is simple: Alexa starts the round by rolling a letter. The letter remains constant throughout the round. She then gives you a category — animal, country, actor, movie or superhero, to name a few. All you need to do is give her a correct word that starts with the letter she announced that also satisfies the category. You answer by saying the category followed by your word.
This is a game for quick thinkers and those who won't fold under pressure, as it only gives you six seconds for each answer. The more you play, the more you get used to thinking on your feet. Plus, every time you complete a round, a new category unlocks, so the game isn't repetitive.
Price: Free to enable on your device
Memory Match
While the classic memory game is fairly easy and straightforward, the Amazon Alexa version demands a lot more focus and attention as the visuals are factored out. The game involves 12 cards, laid out in 4 rows of 3 columns, instead of the usual 8. Not only do you have to remember each card type, you also have to remember their exact row and column numbers. Of course, you can take the easy way out and cheat on a piece of paper, but that sort of defeats the purpose of the game.
Will it improve your memory? The jury's still out on that. But it's definitely entertaining and a great use of your spare time.
Price: Free to enable on your device
The Wayne Investigation
Who killed Bruce Wayne's parents? While the murder is commonly attributed to fictional character Joe Chill, the character has been given several makeovers in the many different versions of Batman's origin story — he's gone from being a run-of-the-mill mugger to a hired gun to a mid-level crime boss. In this DC Comics and Cruel & Unusual Films mystery-slash-choose-your-own-adventure game collaboration, you won't know who he is until the end. And it's your job to find him.
The game, which was originally intended to promote the "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" movie, offers more than 35 different choices that will help solve the crime. Many of them lead to a dead end, and Alexa will seize the opportunity to make fun of your bad decision-making, so you really have to think about your every move. The designers have taken the time to set the mood so that it sounds like you're in a detective film noir.
Price: Free to enable on your device
Amazing Word Master Game
Here's a great example of how simplicity can go a long way. This version of a popular road trip game, designed by Bhokaal Labs, either will test your vocabulary and possibly help improve it.
The Amazing Word Master Game is simple. Alexa starts off with a word, you answer with another that starts with the last letter of her word, and she comes backs with a different one that starts with the last letter of yours. On and on it goes until someone fails to come up with a word. The object, essentially, is to get a higher score than Alexa's. To do that, you have to come up with longer words.
Admittedly, this game needs a bit of tweaking, as Alexa doesn't always recognize more complex or uncommon words. Still, it's a lot of fun.
Price: Free to enable on your device
The Magic Door
Much like The Wayne Investigation, The Magic Door is a quest, mystery and choose-your-own-adventure game. It takes you to a magical land, where you meet interesting creatures and characters and solve puzzles along the way.
You help find a princess's crown, help a family of monkeys, attend a holiday party at the castle, repair a broken mirror and help a wizard to turn back time, to name a few escapades. It's an addictive game with fun special effects and an immersive narration.
Beyond quenching your thirst for adventure, your exploits in this game also allow you to use your memory and problem-solving ability. It's just the ticket for family game night!
Price: Free to enable on your device
[Image credit: Amazon]
