Peridot
By Erin Brereton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fairly engaging companionship app teaches relatable skills.
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Peridot
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What’s It About?
Kids interact with and care for a virtual pet in PERIDOT. They can project their pet into their environment using augmented reality and play fetch, pat them, or explore real-world settings together. Completing tasks from a list of Desires -- such as patting the Peridot, which fills its Attention Meter -- will help the creature grow. Kids will also unlock traits and rewards, such as a tennis ball. New Peridots can eventually be hatched that have similarities to animals like a cheetah or potentially contain traits from other generations.
Is It Any Good?
The app's format, which doles out a few activities at a time, doesn't provide an action-packed experience -- but kids may still get a kick out of engaging with a virtual pet via augmented reality. In PERIDOT, kids hatch a type of creature they're told has been absent for some time -- but has recently started reappearing, offering an opportunity to repopulate the species. The AR feature lets kids view their Peridot within their current surroundings. Some of the Desires kids are given -- essentially, a list of things the creature wants to do -- involve walking around and engaging with your Peridot and various objects, such as looking at a tree trunk. Those actions, along with otherwise caring for your Peridot, will contribute to its growth. Kids are told fulfilling Peridots' desires, in tandem with giving them attention and feeding them -- which adds to their Fullness Meter -- helps Peridots grow and eventually reach adulthood.
Some of the actions kids can take produce a festive response; double-tapping on the screen, for instance, will summon the Peridot, who eagerly pops up in your view. The augmented reality capabilities can be a bit glitchy at times, though. The Peridot may become less transparent and even briefly disappear when chasing after a ball, or not respond at all when you throw it. The generally innocuous tasks kids try to complete could serve as a way to practice working toward goals -- and they also help give the experience some structure, so kids aren't just wandering around with their phone. Parents may be less excited about the time constraints the activities feature. A Desire request can expire in 7 hours, for example, which could make kids feel like they need to frequently check the app to avoid missing out. In limited quantities, however, kids may enjoy using Peridot to watch their virtual companion prance around their living room, backyard -- or another location, based on what they're told their pet is interested in checking out.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about working to complete tasks in Peridot. What goal could your child work toward in real life that mimics the game? What's a good way to get started?
Discuss some approaches you can take when you have more than one task to complete. How can you determine what to do first? This is a great lesson in prioritizing.
Does multitasking make your child feel stressed? Talk about some healthy ways to cope with pressure -- and how to break big undertakings down into more manageable steps.
Talk about why it's important to not always allow apps access to your camera. How can this be dangerous?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: June 6, 2023
- Category: Simulation Games
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- Publisher: Niantic, Inc.
- Version: 1.0.3
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 14.0 or later or Android 7.0 and up.
- Last updated: September 15, 2023
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