Amaru: The Self-Care Pet

Destiny R

4 years ago

This app is great! It's all in real time which is regulated so you don't get addicted and so you can do other activities. It holds you to your goals and is a safe place to journal and take some time to your self including breathing exercises, thinking exercises, etc. It's very calming and very useful! Not to mention you can play mini games with your friend for entertainment!

Celia

2 years ago

It's clear that the people behind this app care about helping people. I am genuinely floored about how focused the game is on self-care and the player. This is especially apparent in the 'free trial' aspect of this app- none of the self-care elements are behind a paywall, and they have an entire system for people to donate full copies of the game to those in financial need. The game is reassuring and never unhealthly pressures.also the animation is so good. I'd say more but I have no more space.

Ashley Furman

2 years ago

A lovely self care toolkit with a charming pet and world built right into it! There are a lot of options to choose from for completing your daily self care goals. From journaling (different types of journals to meet different needs available), to guided breathing/meditative exercises (also different options available), to making a personal commitment to going outside or exercising; it's easy to choose what commitments best suit your needs. I could say much more; but just try it. :)

Valerie Smith

2 years ago

Lovely game, hands-down the best self-care app I've found. What I most like about it is that the true self-care materials are not behind a paywall—just the fun stuff! And even that the team's working to make affordable. Wish I could give it more stars. Edit: If I could suggest anything at all, maybe the possibility of the option to add more gems for goals? Although I see the benefits of keeping it as three as well (people may overwhelm themselves, costs, data, ect.)

Lainey Larsen

2 years ago

It's a little juvenile, but it reminds me a lot of Neopets, so it offers a lot of nostalgia to me. My favorite part are the journals - I had never heard of GLAD journaling until now, and I am so happy for the exercise. I'm also amazed that so many of the guided meditation audios are free, I only expected maybe one or two. I also appreciate that the minigames are sufficiently challenging, especially the tile game, which I have set for five minutes total.

Kat Lowder

2 years ago

Finally, a game that promotes (and reinforces) positive, long-term mental-health habits! It's enjoyable & the artwork is beautifully done. Daily goals are customizable, but there is a variety of preset goals to choose from to get you started. It's calming at the end of your day and refreshing at the beginning. Doesn't leave you frustrated and mentally depleted like most other games. Plus, magic kitties! ❤️😻

Andy Brokaw

2 years ago

Amaru is super cute! It's nice the app keeps you to three goals a day. My Finch has exploded into a massive todo list, which is helpful but not as calming. The meditations here seem pretty solid although I haven't done many yet. I also really like the minigames. They're the sort of thing that make you think and be aware, but which don't last long enough to drain you. I'm finding playing a few minutes of them is helping me reset during the day.

Jill

3 years ago

Adorable. Helpful for building routines, and finding mental calm. There are so many apps that let you build a virtual garden but I'm an animal person, not a plant person. This is like Headspace meets Neopets and I love it. The free version offers a lot and I recommend it. It's helpful and it's enough on its own if you can't afford to pay, but I want to do more with it so I'll definitely upgrade to the full version soon.

Mary-Beth Griffin

4 years ago

It's a decent app. I wish I could play with amaru more than the bonding level. I also paid for the full version and can't travel or play any games other than the music one and bonk the baddies. It's cute and fun and definitely helps with the reminders and goals, but I would like to see more included so I can include it in my daily life like I do my tamas!

Lousious

3 years ago

It's an amazing app that helps with many things you need to overcome. The animation is awesome and the quests you do, simple things that make you feel accomplished are great to have. It has a journal you can write things in, it's quite helpful when going through a hard time. I love how they have a timer, it lets you play but not long enough to get zombified or get addicted to it.

Reese Z. H

2 years ago

I adore this little app. It's helped me so much in my journey with ADHD and gender dysphoria. I've purchased a golden key, cake, and a plush (which is super cute!) My only problem is with the story - I have a really, really hard time seeing animals in distress, especially cats. I'm sure that the story gets more lighthearted as the games goes on, but I wish there was a way to turn it off. Otherwise, 11/10 app. No bugs encountered so far, well polished, and adorable animations. Thank you devs <3

John Stephenson

3 years ago

I have been in a psych Ward three times and this app accurately resembles a lot of what I've learned over many years. Yes, make sure you see licensed professionals for medication and more tailored help. But if you want a much more fun/tolerable/doable daily assistant, this is it! It provides fun, goals, adorable visuals, and learning in a way that helps take away the 'clinicalness' and turns self care into a little more fun. Yeah of course it doesn't solve everything, but it still helps!❤️

The Lupus Bard

2 years ago

This is super wholesome, and has been helping me to get at least small things done each day, which can sometimes be hard. Being rewarded for accomplishing tasks, both with in game items, and affirmations, works well for me. Also the cat is super cute and I love that you can customize him. I don't have the full version yet, but plan to eventually buy it. Even without the full version though, it's been helpful.

Jaydev “Jay” Bhateja

1 year ago

All around a great app. Pricey, but that's understandable given that you're buying 3 people's access + your own, and that this is developed by individuals. I'd give it 4/5 because - some features are confusing (didn't know how to rewatch chapters until I joined the Discord); a lot of the FAQ are quite helpful though - it'd be great if there were more meditation exercises, but the current ones are already pretty good - there's no way to transfer between Apple and Android

Sheena Cook

1 year ago

Truly a helpful tool for helping one learn to meditate, journal, and just relax and let things go. All paired with a cute little game of getting to take care of an adorable winged cat. There are mini games too if you need to take your mind off things but you don't have to rely on those to make progress and there's no pressure at all to use any micro transactions which are purely aesthetic.

Sandra Glessner

1 year ago

I love Amaru so far! The winged kitties are so cute and the guided exercises have actually really been helping me. Right now I just have the free version, but it actually gives you access to quite a bit. I like that it's customizable, you get to choose which exercises you want and when to do them. If you struggle with some minor depression or anxiety I highly recommend this app.

Elisabeth Reineke

1 year ago

This app has kept me more motivated to keep up with self care for my mental health than anything else. That said, I'd love to see some improvements like more direct interactions with Amaru and more idle animations for him. The biggest improvement would be fixing texting on here. It's so bad I actually switch to a separate journal app to journal there and then copy and paste that into Amaru. My other issue is I lost my streak today even though I only missed a day and I am pretty sad about it.