Peridot

About

Peridot is a single player casual simulation game. It received neutral reviews from players.

Peridot is a single-player simulation game featuring unique virtual pets that you can explore the world with. It offers good gameplay and pretty visuals, creating an engaging and immersive experience. However, the game is often hampered by too much advertisement and is full of bugs, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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43%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,140 reviews

gameplay26 positive mentions

monetization42 negative mentions

The game is adorable and fun, with cute graphics and animations.
Recent updates have introduced ways to earn nests for free, improving gameplay.
The variety of Dots and their unique traits make breeding an interesting mechanic.

The core gameplay mechanic of breeding is locked behind a paywall, costing $5 per nest.
The game drains battery quickly and can cause phones to overheat.
There is limited content and activities to engage with once Dots reach adulthood.

gameplay
214 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
82%
6%
The gameplay of this game is heavily criticized for locking its core mechanic—breeding pets—behind a steep paywall of $5 per attempt, which many players find unacceptable. While the concept and visuals are appealing, the overall gameplay experience is described as shallow, repetitive, and frustrating due to frequent crashes, poor battery optimization, and limited free content. Players express disappointment that essential gameplay features are monetized, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is cute and compelling enough that I've felt motivated to go on daily walks with it.”
- “The breeding mechanic is really cool, and there's a ton of different combinations that your dot can be.”
- “The creatures are adorable, and gameplay is easy and relaxing.”
- “However, hiding core gameplay behind a paywall is not a type of marketing to make a great game.”
- “The main mechanic (breeding using nests) is locked behind a paywall, so the game essentially becomes unusable after fully growing 2 dots.”
- “It's ridiculous to have your core mechanic behind a paywall!”
monetization
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
39%
53%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as excessively aggressive and predatory, with many players labeling it a blatant cash grab. Users express frustration over high costs for essential in-game items, which significantly hampers gameplay and progression, leading to a perception that the game prioritizes profit over player experience. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the current monetization model is seen as a major barrier to enjoyment and sustainability.
- “I completely understand that in-app purchases are necessary and revenue is needed to make a great game.”
- “I love these real-world games, and have paid hundreds of dollars to Niantic in their other games to do so, but the game should be interesting, fun, and playable without in-app purchases.”
- “Game has lots of potential but bugs that were reported in beta remained after launch, the battery use is crazy thanks to poor optimization and always-on AR, and the monetization was horribly done since they charge too much for hatching new dots which is a core gameplay loop.”
- “The microtransactions are predatory, and the game offers little to do.”
- “I think it's a really cute game, and I've enjoyed playing with the sweet little creatures, I'm just really sad because it feels like a cash grab because you have to spend actual money to get more than 2 peridots, and the point is to collect them, so the premise is pay to win.”
- “This game has so much potential but right now making everything cost real money looks like a cash grab and it's such a shame because I was looking forward to this.”
stability
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, glitches, and performance issues, particularly related to the augmented reality (AR) features. Many players experience overheating devices and battery drain, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While there is potential for the game, its current state is marred by these persistent bugs and a lack of content, leading to frustration among users.
- “With every update, the game crashes, glitches, won't let you log in, and more.”
- “The gameplay is still buggy and choppy, though it needs work.”
- “The fact that it's buggy as hell is a point that can be fixed over time as the game matures.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
51%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the cute visuals and art style, while others criticize the performance issues, glitches, and simplistic design. Some users report that the game runs well on their devices without overheating, but others experience lag and graphical bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the aesthetics are generally liked, there is a consensus that improvements are needed to enhance the visual quality and stability.
- “Great graphics!”
- “Good artwork and animation.”
- “I love the aesthetics of the dots and the uniqueness of each one I see!”
- “I like the concept of the game but it's laggy, things take a while to load, graphics are okay but could definitely do with some improvement as the dots without fur just look wet and it looks kinda weird.”
- “Graphically it's a buggy nightmare and once your first dot reaches adulthood there's basically nothing else to do.”
- “Constant glitches and bugs and visuals that are frankly off-putting in themselves.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engaging narrative, with players noting minimal lore and repetitive quests that quickly become tedious. While the initial charm of caring for virtual pets is acknowledged, the reliance on paywalls for essential items like nests and the absence of meaningful interactions or a story mode detract from the overall experience. Many users express a desire for more diverse missions and a richer narrative to enhance engagement.
- “I liked it in the beginning; the graphics are cute and quests involving looking for items through the screen feel fresh.”
- “There are occasionally weekly quests with nests, but a few of them have required you to hatch something to get the nest, which doesn't feel great.”
- “In my opinion, you should've been working on additional missions to interact more with the real world, and the game is definitely missing something like a private space (nest) to interact with Peridot without AR.”
- “Edit: sadly, after playing for a few weeks now it seems like you can't earn the nests required to hatch new dots unless you complete long weekly quests or pay real-world money.”
- “Interactions and missions are shallow and very quickly become repetitive.”
- “Doesn't provide much to do from the story perspective either.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting severe performance issues, including excessive battery drain and overheating on devices. While some players experienced smooth gameplay without bugs, the overall consensus is that the game requires urgent optimization improvements, particularly regarding its augmented reality features and battery management. Many reviewers express hope for future patches to enhance performance and usability.
- “Performance: runs well, no bugs or glitches encountered, and looks good, but after only 10 minutes of play it used up 20% of my Pixel 7's battery and my phone was uncomfortably hot in my hand.”
- “Cute idea, but still needs optimization.”
- “I'm hopeful that Niantic can pull this off. I already love Pokémon Go; in fact, the native refresh rate option makes Pokémon Go amazing, but they really need something like that in Peridot as well as optimizations.”
- “The biggest negative so far is just how hard it is on your phone's performance.”
- “Game is super unoptimized and buggy.”
- “The game also requires the camera to constantly be running which really hurts performance and battery life.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, often feeling that essential features like breeding are locked behind a paywall after an initial free attempt. Many express frustration with the repetitive daily actions required to progress, as well as the cumbersome controls and lag, which detract from the overall enjoyment despite the game's appealing concept.
- “A core game concept (breeding) is locked behind a paywall after one freebie, there's a fair amount of lag, and the controls are rather tedious for a game with very few mandatory controls anyway.”
- “The idea and game concept are great, but after playing for a week, it has become tedious.”
- “The daily actions are tedious as you need to do it over 8 times to max out.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging due to the wholesome interactions with cute creatures, fostering a strong attachment. However, some express disappointment over the limited gameplay mechanics that hinder deeper emotional connections, leading to feelings of heartbreak regarding the game's monetization and development choices.
- “Watching your pet playing around is so wholesome.”
- “This game is cute and gets me emotionally attached to these cute little creatures. I am in love with this game.”
- “But $5 a nest for the basic premise of the game is just too much...and honestly for me it's pretty heartbreaking.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and beautiful qualities, enhancing the overall experience. Users appreciate how it complements the animations and gameplay, with some even leaving the app open to enjoy the music while they sleep. However, there are concerns about the app's performance impacting the listening experience.
- “The music is relaxing, the little creature is perfect, and raising them is so much fun!”
- “The music is beautiful; sometimes I just leave the app open so I can sleep to it!”
- “I love the animation, I love the music; I just can't get into it without burning up my phone.”
- “I'd like my dots to notice the music I play and do a two-step and something like Lilo & Stitch moves.”
- “I love the animation, I love the music, I just can't get into it without burning up my phone.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Users have mixed feelings about the game's replayability; while some appreciate the addition of free nests that enhance playability, others feel that the overall value does not justify additional purchases, leading to a generally negative perception of replay value.
- “With the addition of free nests, the game is much more playable.”
- “A couple of free nests per month does not make the game more replayable.”
- “Not worth the money to buy more, and the replay value is disappointing.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of passive-aggressive complaints that aim to encourage players to engage with the environment, often leading to amusing situations. Players find the absurdity of certain tasks, like showing a dot a tree trunk and a person, to be particularly funny, highlighting the game's quirky approach to humor.
- “They complain about other things in a funny way, but the screen complaining is a pushy, passive-aggressive attempt to get you outside by complaining.”
- “And this is funny: I was supposed to show my dot a tree trunk and a person.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's atmosphere as one that fosters joy and friendship, creating an inviting and positive environment for players.
- “Thank you for providing and encouraging an atmosphere of joy and friendship.”