Igni

The process of scheduling a system shutdown is not all that inviting, and it’s understandable that some users may find having to use the built-in Task Scheduler somewhat unintuitive. As is often the case on Windows, third-party tools can provide viable alternatives for almost anything, including scheduling system shutdowns.

If intuitiveness and a slightly playful nature is what you’re looking for in such a program, then Igni should be for you. At its core, it’s a simple system shutdown tool that employs a cool trick: to visualize the remaining time until shutdown, the app displays a campfire that slowly fizzles out.

At its core, the app is no more than a simple shutdown tool. Use the scroll wheel to set an appropriate timer for you, and the clock will start ticking down. Once time’s up, your system is off. That’s the gist of it.

Even so, I can’t help but appreciate this idiosyncrasy of breathing life into the tool through pixel art. Normally, you would expect nothing more than a practical, no-nonsense tool that you wouldn’t really have much to write home about. Of course, not to discount the practicality of this one — it works as it should — but this is a clever concept.

As stated earlier, the app really has a unique way of informing you about the shutdown timer. To start counting down, light the campfire: the longer the timer, the higher the flame’s intensity. As time inevitably starts counting down, so too will the flame lose its intensity to meet its demise.

That part was a little dramatic, but all will be well once it’s time for shutdown: you will be logged out and your machine will be put to sleep.

Functionality wise, there’s really not much to Igni: it’s a simple shutdown timer app at its core. The implementation is a different matter, however, as the pixel art-style confers the app a great deal of character.