Babel, the King Review

Babel, the King is a very special universal interactive application with wonderful production value and is very-well written.

Meet Babel, a cat said to be “ a megalomaniac cat who dreams of becoming king” - a description that caught my attention, to say the least, when first being given the privilege of reviewing this application.

This story is exceptional, making my mind wander to Don Quixote as this app deals with Babel’s visions of grandeur, fighting with the clouds as well as his quest to become king after finding a birdcage he mistakes for a crown creating an unknowingly combative relationship with the mischievous bird trapped in this cage whom Babel assumes is the sky talking to him.

It is tempting to write in great length and more detail about the storyline of this tale, but it was my great pleasure to read this book the first time, and I don’t want to deny readers this experience.

I am sure that young children will enjoy this tale, but the audience for this book is older than one would expect to fully appreciate this fantastical storybook. Mature issues of trying to rule a kingdom are dealt with such as taxes or the concept of attacking enemies violently, although it may not be what it seems. These issues may go over the head or not be appropriate for young children, including the ugly manipulation by the bird character in general during this marvelous app - making this app possibly best for grade school and up to adults who collect children’s literature.

The illustrations are as marvelous as the story itself - colorful, stylized and beautiful and modern in every way, as well as highly interactive in a way most sophisticated and varied that will appeal to adults as much as it will to children.

I also greatly appreciate the ability to see hints with the tap of a finger, marking the interactivity as well as giving readers the option of opening each page with this information. A menu of pages is also included - a nice touch that comes in handy in this lengthy 20 page story.

Both French and English translations are included, and although I can only comment on the English version of this narration, I can say that it is pitch-perfect and simply wonderful in its own regard, as well as including a thoughtful use of music. I also appreciate the ability to hide the text or silence the narration, allowing one to simply read or listen to this story if one chooses.

The only notes I have is that when exploring the interactive elements, there is an issue with the narration cutting out momentarily - a distracting glitch I hope can be fixed in a future update. I also found the blowing into the iPad or iPhone for certain interactions problematic as I felt as if the blowing got in the way of seeing the interaction at work, an issue I would love to be resolved, possibly with a option to "blow" with a tap instead of fully blowing into the iPad or iPhone, an act that some parents may want their children to avoid with their devices.

Even with this note, Babel is a perfectly realized story wonderfully told with illustrations and animated, interactive elements to be enjoyed by all ages.

I sincerely hope this review does not read as a non-review, but words escape me to describe my fondness for this delightful application. The story itself is both unique as well as reminiscent of timeless literature in a way that will make adults smile and jog their memory of other classic stories that they have come across in their lifetime.