App Aims: Relaxation and Entertainment

Reviewer’s Comments
At first glance, an iPhone app that shows fish swimming under some lily pads seems like a rather lightweight piece of programming, but after just a few moments of playing around with Koi Pond, relaxation sets in and the appeal of this beautiful application becomes clear. It’s obvious that the developer spent a lot of time creating a realistic experience as well as listening to the users’ comments and requests concerning the app experience.

This version has all the features from previous versions plus a few more like customizable water colors, light settings and the cool holiday version available from November to December. You can use four ambient sounds separately, together in any combination or none at all. This new version comes with a sleep timer that you can set and it will automatically turn off after the designated time. As always, you can feed the koi, move the lily pads and allow the koi to nibble on your fingers if you hold still for long enough.

Feed the fish in the pond by shaking the iPhone or iPod touch. Select ambient sounds to enhance your personal oasis. The sounds (rain, birds, wind, frogs or crickets) are stereo quality when you wear headphones. There are two lighting options: bright mid-day or evening and two “splash” sounds that play randomly, but they become predictable after a few minutes. You also get a new pond bottom; where before you had rocks on the bottom; in this version, a selection of different tiles is available.

Interacting with the app is elegantly simple. Tap to make ripples or drag your finger across the pond to create a wake. If a koi swims beneath the ripples, its shape refracts realistically. Hold your finger on the screen and the koi will swim to “nibble” on it. If a lily pad obstructs your view, simply drag it out of the way. While you can tap with two fingers and get water ripples in multiple spots, you can’t entice the fish to nibble in both spots.

Contributing to the Zen experience are the fading Information and Help buttons. If your finger moves near either button, they will “wake” but fade out with time if you don’t touch them. Custom option instructions are presented in pictograph form.

The graphics used in this app are beautiful and put Apple’s high-resolution screen to good use. The colors and clarity of the different elements are lovely. The rain is an especially fun new feature as it drops on the top of your pond and with the sound effects, it's even better.

Koi Pond ran without crashing during testing.

The Blimp Pilots took user comments to heart in producing this new version of Koi Pond. That, combined with improved FAQs on their website, is evidence of their commitment to producing a high-quality product.

The smooth interface, beautiful graphics, and well thought out details make Koi Pond a bargain at 99 cents.