I have been cutting down on the review of iPad apps lately since we have been limiting the usage of it for our 5 years old boy on weekends only but when I received this pitch, I thought I'd give this app a go as our 2.5 years old girl is a fan of cat and I noticed there are a few features on this app which is worth to review.
* Title: Komaneko
* Price: $3.99
* Category: Education
* Released: May 14, 2014
* Version: 1.2
* Size: 172 MB
* Language: English, Chinese, Malay
* Seller: PixFusion LLC
* Rated: 4+ Made For Ages 6–8
* Requirements: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPad
Description from the product page:
"Komaneko is a clever and creative cat who is planning to shoot a stop-motion movie all by herself. Watch and read the story of Komaneko as she creates her first movie, and the magic that happens after she is done. Developed and directed by Tsuneo Goda, the creator of the iconic Domo character, the Komaneko eBook App is based upon the short film Komaneko—The First Step, which was a finalist at the Melbourne International Animation Festival, the London International Animation Festival, and the 8th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. The stunning graphics, story and bonus features will appeal to children of ages 6-8. It is the fourth story in the Kideo eTales series of heartwarming, inspiring and educational stories. "
* There are a few options you can play with from this app: read, watch or play.Under the Read option, you can read the story or record your own version. As for Play option, there are 6 games you can choose: Coloring, Movie Maker, Spot the Difference, Matching Game, Puzzles and Mission Button.
* I like that there are a few languages offered in this app, namely: English, Chinese and Bahasa Melayu. As a Malaysian, I feel it is good for the app to feature the major languages of the country so that it can cater for more children.
* The background music when you play the movie is very nice, catchy and soothing.
* I let our 2 kiddos take turn to go through the app. Our 5 years old boy and 2.5 years old girl both listen and watch as the story plays and take turns to play the games in the app.
* Some things I find weird from this app is there are certain scenes in the movie which features Komaneko cat in 3D version while certain scenes features the cartoon version of the cat.
* Also when I select the Bahasa Melayu option, I can't help but noticed the translated words for 'Movie Maker' is 'Bikin Filem'. I thought the word 'Bikin' is an old word. I think it would be more appropriate to use 'Buat Filem' or 'Rakam Filem' instead. Just my 2 cents.
* Overall a fun and yet educational app for the kiddos!
You can purchase the "Komaneko" app from the iTunes App Store.
I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"
