The developers who collaborated to bring the stellar list app Clear (Free) to the App Store, Impending and Realmac Software, are teaming up again to throw their collective hats into the gaming ring. Well, “game" I guess only if you consider virtual pets games, which I do! Their upcoming virtual pet simulation Hatch has just been unveiled, and it’s looking promising. I was able to check out an early version of Hatch at WWDC in June this year, and was impressed with just how thoughtful the design and interface was. Plus, your little pet is just so cute.
That Hatch is well-designed should be no surprise for anybody that’s used Clear before. It’s easily one of the cleanest, most intuitive apps I’ve ever used period. I’m willing to bet that with all their expertise in UI and UX design that Impending and Realmac will make sure that Hatch is a joy to use and check in with on a daily basis. You can get a tease of Hatch in action in this promo video.
Ever since cell phones became a prominent part of everyone’s life, I’ve always felt that a little virtual pet type of thing would be a perfect fit. Like the video above says, you’ve always got your phone with you. The problem is that while there’ve been some pretty decent virtual pet sims on iOS, nothing has ever compelled me to stick with one for very long. I have killed more virtual pets through sheer neglect and disinterest than I’m comfortable admitting. However, I still love the idea and I’m waiting for that one perfect virtual pet to love. Hatch’s tagline is the “app that loves you back," and I’m hoping this is the start of something beautiful.
Hatch is set to come in “early 2013" but if you want to get in on the virtual pet-sitting early you can go to Hatchpet.com to reserve a special early adopter edition color Hatch (I’m a Sparky man, in case you were wondering) and you’ll be all ready to go when the app launches. Oh, and here’s a secret tip: if you watch the video above directly on the Hatchpet website there’s a cool surprise waiting for you at the end. Try it! We’ll let you know when Hatch hits the App Store, hopefully in the earlier part of “early 2013."
