I used to have a different Zen Garden app that was amazing. It had the rocks and sand, but also, music and plants and other Zen objects. It also had the sound of the sand being raked. I play my own meditation music in the background when using this app, but I do miss the plants, leaves and other objects the other app had. But I do love the lighting options!!!! The other app didn’t have that!

Seriously, it surprised me how impossible it felt to get a simple zen garden app for on the go. I thought there would be a bunch but almost nothing. I decided to get this one to satisfy myself because I seriously couldn’t get raking sand out of my head and I have not been disappointed. I wish you could customize your sand color but otherwise it’s everything it needs to be. I enjoy calming myself with the creative gardening and if I find rocks or patterns I like I can save them so I don’t feel bad shaking them away or starting with a new one. This had potential to be partially done cheaply made with a sand texture and some stone jpgs, but there’s a 3D element to the sand and it’s lighting which makes this both quality and extremely satisfying to use. Every once in a while the sand clips but then you just re-rake it 🤷🏼‍♀️ No undo buttons in a real garden ;)

The sand raking mechanic is very good. It’s a bit unpredictable at times but that’s nature. I didn’t enjoy the sand colors. Three of them are okay in daylight mode and the other three look like artificial turf, which puts me off. Very photoshop color changey. The other lighting modes could have been done a little better too, as they seem to have just changed brightness level on the screen, which only makes them harder to see. The rocks are good. A bit tricky to figure out but once you do, it gives you lots of options. The polish seems a bit odd, and I’d like to see more shape options. All that would have had me rate it a 4 star, but there’s no sound and no greenery or garden objects. How can you have a relaxation app without sound? I’d have liked to hear the raking sand and a choice of meditation music in the background, maybe a water fountain or sōzu. Little temples or statues or bridges or bonsai. It just seems to be missing something.

Very relaxing to choose rocks and ‘rake’ sand with your fingers. Different lighting and sand colors. You can position the different rocks in the sand to create different shapes from the same rock-all except the sphere of course. You can even choose the amount of polish on the rocks. Overlapping rocks doesn’t create shadow on the lower rock. Otherwise a very calming, realistic experience.