Summary

This app is just the ticket for anyone who’s ever yearned for an easy-to-manage, cute pet that you can take with you wherever you go, just as you would your keys or cell phone...

This review was written by Paulina Gegenheimer, a high school student.
 

Virtual Panda is reminiscent of Tamagotchis which a lot of us had when we were kids, but that we eventually forgot about and thus – sadly – killed. For anyone who isn’t familiar with them: Tamagotchis are virtual pets that have to be fed, cleaned, and taken care of in order for them to be happy and content. If you forget to take care of them for one or two days they die… And that’s this game’s objective: you have to humor the little panda (you can choose a name for him) and make sure that he doesn’t get hungry. If you do a good job you’ll be rewarded with a happy panda, which is a reward in itself, because when the pet is happy, you’re happy!

When you start the game up for the first time you will be greeted with an advertisement blurb from the developer, as well as asked what you want to call the wee animal. Once you’ve picked a name the game can begin. At first the tiny panda – sitting right in the middle of the screen – is in a rotten mood and keeps crying. It’s your role to change this. You can select one of six symbols located at the bottom of the screen. One of these symbols is a zipper. If you touch it your panda will automatically be fed.

The second symbol is a slide-rule which stimulates the panda’s intellect and allows him to learn new things. You can also make him do drawings, bathe him, box with him, or check out your score. You receive points every time you satisfy one of the panda’s needs.

Once you reach a certain score you can access a mini game. It’s up to you whether you want to play or not. I’ve attempted several of these mini games but have never completed one successfully, as I don’t quite understand the gameplays.

Once the panda is happy you can sit back and relax.

If you press on the heart symbol you can see the panda’s current hygiene or educational level in percentages, as well as how old he is and your current score.

All in all I have to say that although I like this application it can get a bit boring after a while as there’s not always a lot to do.

 

I didn’t encounter any difficulties or unpleasant surprises in regards to speed or stability.

Virtual Panda can be downloaded free of charge from the Market.