Still Pond Review

By , on September 29, 2010


Still Pond
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Quirky subversive humor.
  • Additional unlockable modes.
  • Simple zen-like atmosphere.

CONS

  • Trying to finish the basic mode may frustrate some.

VERDICT

When games like Still Pond try to do nothing more than to have a little bit of fun and entertain you at no cost but your time, it's almost incredible to think of the money spent on games far less deserving of price tags.


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Still Pond by Tapnik is a free title, so feel free to queue up the download while I run through this review. I'm just that confident that you'll get a smile or two out of this quirky whack-a-mole style game.

Still Pond is best described as subversive; what looks like a simple zen-like experience of tapping leaves before they interrupt the stillness of a perfectly calm pond is certainly so much more. Soon those leaves will turn in to rhinoceros and those rhinoceros will turn in to burritos. Are you lost yet? Don't worry, this title is all about throwing a few spanners in to the mix to keep players on their toes.

Small touches in the art style really help to make Still Pond work perfectly, from it's alluring zen style calm monotone visuals to the subtle effect of the debris disturbing the pond surface. But in keeping with the game's whacky charm, the visuals are also ready to throw people off their game (I'm looking at you 'Nightfall') so don't take anything for granted.

If I have to pick any holes in this otherwise amusing time-wasting game, it'd have to be the need to restart the entire process from the start should you fail just once. Still, should you survive there are bonus levels and additional modes to unlock, so for the price of nothing Still Pond isn't just great fun, it's great value.

Screenshots

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