Top 5 apps to get you in an Independence Day spirit

In the 68 years since its birth, Pakistan has seen countless ups and downs. Even today, the county’s condition is far from stable. The political turmoil is at its peak, socio-economic issues are spreading like wildfire and amidst all this a common man sees no hope. We cannot foresee the future, but we do know one thing that despite all odds Pakistani people have the resilience and courage to keep fighting. Female filmmakers who have won an Oscar and an Emmy. The first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest. World-renowned musicians. The world’s youngest Nobel laureate. Legendary Squash players. Celebrated cricketers. Brilliant scientists and researchers. All these people are proud Pakistanis.

So today, we focus on the bright and positive. Following TechJuice’s tradition of celebrating and promoting our brilliant minds in technology, we round up the top 5 Independence Day themed apps. While these apps may not be perfect, they will definitely instill you with patriotism.

1. Run Sheeda Run – Azadi Special

Run Sheeda run has been around since 2014 and is a true Pakistani game to its core. The game is a desi version of the hit game ‘Subway Surfers’ but has a Pakistani spin to it. Before you start saying this is an old one, the game recently released an Azadi Special version. Sheeda, your usual naughty kid, runs around the Pakistani streets with a stolen murghi, the streets are decorated for 14th August and are of course blocked with barriers, a truck or a desi cart.

In the background typical Punjabi music, the beat of the dhol gets faster and faster as you move further into the game. Unlike Subway Surfers which moves only in the forward direction, you can take turns into streets as well. You get a ‘Dil barai farokht’ if you lose a life and the Kisai’s comments are hilariously entertaining. Needless to say that with its perfect graphics and Pakistani touch this is our favorite one on the list. We recommend you play it because this game will remind you what it’s like to be Pakistani. The game is available on Android with an iOS version in the works.

2. Rickshaw Racing

No matter how much you hate them, Rickshaws are a defining feature of Pakistan. While we may be getting Electric Rickshaws or Wi-Fi Rickshaws soon, when you hear the word rickshaw you automatically assume a bright colored vehicle with desi designs on it. This is what this game is all about. You get to design your own rickshaw – choose from a wide range of bright colors, decorate it with lacings and patterns. Once you’re ready, you get to race an opponent to the finish line – with the rickshaw’s noise as the background music. The game is pretty simple and the graphics won’t impress pro gamers, but it nicely replicates one of our most prominent vehicles. So go play! Available on Android.

3. Azadi Pro

The world is obsessed with taking selfies and a recent trend on social media is to add filters to your pictures. Azadi Pro is just that – an app that lets you add Independence Day themed filters to your pictures. No hassle of having to go online and searching for filters, this app does tat for you in your phone. The app does, however, crop pictures to a size smaller than many people would like. This is why the picture quality may lessen a bit but once the filters are applied, the overall picture quality seems perfect. So get in some Independence Day spirit by going green. App available on Android.

4. PK Cargo Transport

Pakistani’s truck art is world famous. As the name suggests, you have an artistically designed truck with cargo in it that you have to transport to an end location while the music of a Rubab plays in the background. The game is fairly simple to begin with, but the truck gets difficult to maneuvre as you move ahead in levels. Some annoying factors about this game are the amount of ads that pop up and the game gets a little unresponsive. Moreover, if the app had an option for designing and customizing the truck that would’ve certainly sparked more interest. The app is available for Android only.

5. Hopscotch Pakistan

We have all played hopscotch aka staapu in our childhood – at least the 90’s kids did. This game brings back those memories with staapu markings on the streets of Pakistan. You can also choose your own backdrop city – Lahore is free, Islamabad and Karachi can be unlocked with in-app purchase. One thing that will annoy you the most is the ads that you can’t opt out of. But what is the harm in playing some old school hopscotch? Available on Android.

While these apps may not be entirely perfect, they will certainly remind you of small things that are a part of our life as a Pakistani. We hope you’ll enjoy them. Go support the work of your fellow Pakistanis.