Description
Walk the sand.
Discover yourself.
Communicate.
Write a message in a bottle and cast it into the sea. Where will it wash up and who will discover it?
Walk along an endless beach and find messages in bottles launched by people from all over the world...each from their own distant shore. What will they have to say and how will you respond?
Distant Shore by The Blimp Pilots
Features:
- Communicate with people from all over the world
- Beautiful 3-D graphics
- Soothing ambient sound effects
- A fun new way to express yourself
Distant Shore is the newest application from The Blimp Pilots, creators of Koi Pond - the #1 Paid App of 2008.
Distant Shore is a proud member of the App Treasures label. For more great indie games visit www.AppTreasures.com
***Note: iPod touch users need a WiFi connection to use Distant Shore.
What's New in Version 1.1
Distant Shore 1.1 adds the following features:
- Increased inventory space.
- Ability to email yourself (or anyone else) transcripts of your favorite conversations.
- Editable signature that will be appended to new messages.
- Replies will now replace existing threads in your inventory.
- Reply indication for messages you have responded to.
Customer Reviews
My review
The concept behind Distant Shore is simple: you write a message in a bottle and cast it into the sea. It will wash up on someone else’s beach for them to discover it. Walk along this endless beach and you’ll also find messages in bottles launched by people from all over the world, each from their own distant shore. To send your own messages you must collect enough sea shells. The app has enjoyable 3-D graphics, soothing ambient sounds effects, and a variety of objects on the beach that collectively make it a very relaxing get-away. These items include beach balls, palm trees, birds that fly overhead, beach blankets, chairs, beach umbrellas, surf boards, toy sand buckets and shovels, buoys, lifeguard stands, outhouses, lite fires, hammocks, portable coolers, an occasional pier, and, of course, the sea shells and messages in a bottle you’ll find along your journey.
When you first launch the app you will find yourself at your beach house. You can’t see yourself because you are invisible to the eye and leave only footprints in the sand. Your beach house is where you’ll begin every walk you make. It has lights on each of its corners, a smoke chimney, and a turtle in the back where you will find replies to messages you have cast into the sea. From the beach house you can walk the sand endlessly. At any time you can select the beach house icon to get back home. There’s also an icon for your messages. Tapping it will provide you with an inbox indicated by a pair of glasses. Here you will see any messages that are to be read. You can also choose to send a message in a bottle by selecting the pen. If you have collected enough sea shells you simply tap a bottle, compose your message with your iPhone/iPod Touch keyboard, and choose to launch it when you’re done. From there you’ll get to see the bottle tossed into the sea. In the Info icon located at the top left corner you can change a few settings, read the help article, get Blimp Pilot news, or see the version info.
To switch gears, I have used Distant Shore extensively since it was released and have to say that it is currently my most frequently opened app. I usually love discovering a bottle laying along the beach. I also enjoy hearing the splashy sound you get while walking against the surf. Some of the messages you get are silly, funny, insightful, or interesting, and some others are just plain ridiculous. I’ve been asked to cuddle with other invisible ghosts that walk the beaches of Distant Shore more than a few times. Some kids just want to have sex chat with you. I wish they would add an age setting so that you can’t receive messages form certain age groups. Some of my precious messages have been completely wasted on an 8 year old.
This app may lose its luster after awhile without any further updates. For example, when I first used the app I tried to sit in the hammocks and chairs or flick the beach balls into the sea but they were immovable and that was very disappointing. Also, I hope Apple adds copy and paste because it can be tiring typing out long stories or funny quotes when trying to compose a message in a bottle. Overall, I love this app even though it’s a mixed bag and can’t wait for new updates to set things right. It’s an addicting, incredible, unique, and ground-breaking new way to randomly communicate with people all over the globe.
List of Features I’d Like To See Be Included
1. Kick beach balls
2. Sit in chairs or hammocks
3. Lay on the beach towels
4. Create your own avatar instead of being an invisible and anonymous resident of Distant Shore
5. No annoying inventory pop-up message
6. Age restriction settings so that you can’t send/receive messages from particular age groups
7. Copy and paste messages
8. Pick up objects
9. Surfing
10. Setting to increase message bank from 10 through 50
11. Run instead of just walking
12. Email yourself any messages you’ve received
13. Send photo ability, which you can disable at anytime
14. Friends list
15. Correspondence with friends in friends list
16. Draw in the sand
17. Build sand castles
18. Additional objects to pickup like coconuts and starfish for example
19. Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
20. Night and day effects
21. Weather conditions: rain, snow, sleet, lightening, wind, etc.
22. Weather events: tropical storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.
23. Animals: more turtles, sea otters, dead fish, spiders, an occasional sea monster, etc.
24. Messages in a bottle can be seen floating to shore
25. Build fires
26. Go inside your beach house
27. Eat and collect food like fish, berries, fruit, coconuts, turtles, etc.
28. Fishing (so you can eat)
29. Fish like tuna, barracuda, blue marlins, sailfish, etc. that can be caught and be seen jumping in the sea
30. Boats, rafts, and ships in the sea
31. More ambient sounds like thunder, rain, bubbles, etc.
32. A waterfall and small pond where you can drink water
33. Swimming
34. Scuba Diving
35. Marine life under water like starfish, octopus, sting rays, etc.
36. A radio in the beach house you can only listen to while there
37. Nickname to give your avatar
38. Collections baskets that provide close ups of objects you found such as seas shells, starfish, eggs, etc.
39. An actual collection basket you can carry around
40. Different beach themes such as scary or kiddy themes
41. Beach towels you can add photos too
42. Signs you can post
43. A treehouse and ability to climb trees
44. Pets you can keep and take care of
45. Date, timestamp, nickname, and country of origin auto-displayed on all messages
46. A clock in the beach house with adjustable time settings
47. Voice messages to those on your friends list
48. Throwing bottle back yourself
49. Different mailbox location
50. Occasional episodes like scavenger hunts or tropical events you have to survive through
Needs a Lazy Feature
This is an addicting game, but they need to add a lazy feature. Maybe something like....you can sit at the beach and just wait a few minutes or so for a bottle. I don't mind walking all over this beach, but it gets boring real fast. Then if you would like more bottles, either you can re-use the ones you get while being lazy, or get off your but and find the 5 shells. If you like this feature added, click on YES.
Cold War Fruit: Distant Shore Review
"Walked out this morning, don't believe what I saw
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore."
- Sting and The Police
Press Start:
Makers of the top paid application of 2008, Koi Pond, The Blimp Pilots have again unleashed upon the world an experience that is hard to classify. Distant Shore allows users to walk along sandy beaches, collect shells, and communicate with those beyond the horizon.
Ideology/ Worldview:
Based upon the mercy of the user and his/her own viewpoint. Experience will vary from message to message.
Interaction/ Gameplay:
Tap your way along the beach. Collect 5 shells to obtain a bottle. Write a message and toss it into the sea. Replies will be received via mail turtle.
In the End:
I am intrigued. Distant Shore is a modern day experiment in communication. The app weighs its entire experience upon users across the globe. The messages that are received and sent could contain almost anything from questions to statements to random thoughts. One will never know what message lies inside the virtual bottle. I will note that The Blimp Pilots have set up a system to report offensive messages. The subjective nature of what is offensive and what is not will surely keep the developer busy policing bottles. In the end, the longevity of Distant Shore will be based upon its users and the messages that they send. A curiosity at $0.99, the price of admission is low enough to recommend engaging in this social experiment.
Review Score:
* DEFCON 5 – Just buy it already
- Category: Entertainment
- Updated Feb 13, 2009
- Current Version: 1.1
- 9.8 MB
- Languages: English
- Seller: Brandon Bogle
- © 2009 The Blimp Pilots LLC
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later.
