The iFluff Pets app, created by SGN, is destined to be (OK, fine, already is) the sort of application that I absolutely don’t need but inexplicably love. The mobile version of the popular Facebook application (fluff)Friends, iFluff is a virtual pet-owning application that doesn’t actually do much other than look adorable. If that’s all you want it for, though, you’re in good shape, because it is awfully cute.

All right. In all seriousness, let’s take a look at what you can do with iFluff Pets.

Adopt your pet. There are numerous options ranging from tigers to penguins to plain old puppies. I myself am the owner of a baby white tiger named Roland. There are options to feed and pet your new friend, both of which are fairly simple (and not terribly exciting) actions. The pets themselves aren’t animated, so they don’t roll around in glee when you pet them (stars and hearts do float around them, though), and the only thing that happens when they eat (other than an increase in the “fph” which we’ll get to in a moment) is that a text bubble pops up telling you whether they liked it. (They’re picky eaters, by the way; my tiger complains a lot about the things I feed him.)

Race. The race mode is the only part of the application that really resembles any sort of game. Pick an opponent, place your bet (the currency here is “munny”), and race your iFluff pet, tilting the iPhone to help guide him around obstacles that are in his way. The higher your pet’s “fph” rating (that’d be “fluff per hour” and is increased by petting and feeding your pet regularly), the faster he goes. The races are short, and really easy once you get the hang of them, but kind of addictive in a brainless sort of way.

Spend your munny! The more races you win, the more food you can buy for your pet to help bring his fph up — there’s a decent selection, ranging from bananas to boots to what looks like a mojito. There are also habitats to buy (check out Roland’s sweet jungle background above) and “decorations” you can purchase, like floating hearts and raindrops.

iFluff Pets could use more actions; it’d be nice to see my iFluff pet frolic around a little. I expect (and hope) that future updates will expand on owner/iFluff interactions. Also, as far as I can tell you can only have one pet at a time — I decided to get myself a puppy as well, and much to my chagrin, Roland was immediately nowhere to be found.

Stability-wise this application seems pretty sound; I’ve used it a fair amount with no trouble.

Overall, iFluff Pets is probably best-suited for kids, but it’s also a fun, mindless way for a quasi-adult such as myself to kill some time. Not a lot of time, probably, but some.

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category: Best Free Apps, Games, Kids Games, Simulation