Tommy is your average hyper-active little boy who just doesn’t want to go to sleep when it’s bedtime. But Dad has an idea. Give him a present. That’ll help him sleep! So Dad gives Tommy “Pilo,” a pillow toy. Tommy finally falls asleep… And then the adventure begins!
Overview
Pilo 1 is an interactive story book for both the iPhone and iPad that includes 3D animations with professionally voiced characters, puzzles and games for you and your child to play through.
The characters in Pilo are fully customizable. The role of the child can be played by either a boy, (Tommy), or a girl, (Sunny.) Pilo can be dressed in various ways, using various shirts, (I chose the Spider-Man shirt for the little pillow fairy), hats, and glasses so you and you child can have fun making Pilo look just like you want.
The voice acting in Pilo is professional, and well done. (Although the Dad’s voice was a little grampa-ish.) The graphics and animation are high quality and smoothly rendered.
The key word is interactive with Pilo, as you work your way through the storybook. At various times along the way, you’ll play hide-and-seek, put together puzzles, interact with boxes, and various other activities as you follow along with the story. Pilo will even react in different ways when you touch him. The dream world is fully interactive, and part of the fun of the game is touching various screen objects to see what happens.
I noticed that when you’re putting the door to the dream world back together, (it gets shattered, I won’t spoil it for you and tell you how), as you grab a puzzle piece, a subtle hint is given as to where to place the piece. A nice touch that will aid children in being a little less frustrated when attempting to assemble the puzzle.
As is standard with interactive storybooks of this type, you can jump into any chapter directly, or work your way sequentially through the storyline.
One nice touch is the ability to change the language of the storybook. The languages available are English, Chinese, and Korean. Skin tones of the little boy or girl characters are also adjustable.
Verdict
If you have small children, and are looking for another great way to get them to go to bed and settle in for the night, Pilo 1 is a great app to download to your iOS device. The interactiveness of the Storybook is a welcome chance to spend time with your child learning and sharing time together.
The graphics and voice acting of Pilo 1 are top-notch, and bodes well for future episodes in the adventures of Pilo, the Pillow Fairy. The puzzles and activities are engaging, and enjoyable for both you and your child. This would make an entertaining addition to any iOS device.
Rating:4/5[rating:4]
Price: $2.99 – Available for both the iPhone and iPad in the App Store [DIRECT LINK]
Pros:
- The graphics and voice acting are excellent.
- The puzzles and other activities are entertaining and engaging.
- The ability to customize the look of Pilo is a great feature.
Cons:
- The first few minutes after Pilo comes alive might be a little scary for kids, especially when the Tommy/Sunny character reacts by freaking out a little and hiding. It shouldn’t be a problem for most kids, but…
- Save points in the book would be nice. Sure, you can jump directly into a chapter, but sometimes you might forget where you were the previous session.
