Pearl Tide

How to play

Pearl Tide is a calm underwater adventure: no timer, no danger and no way to lose. You'll find all of this in the game too, under Settings > Guide.

Swimming

Press and hold anywhere on the screen to swim; after a moment you start moving forward. While holding, slide your finger left, right, up or down to steer. The farther you slide, the sharper the turn. Let go to drift to a stop. Tap the dash button for a quick burst.

If you ever get stuck, open Settings and tap I'm stuck: you'll be moved to the nearest open water.

The compass and the map

The compass in the corner turns with you, and the glowing notch on its rim always points home. A pink heart shows someone who needs your help, and a gold star where your story leads. Pearls are small white dots, gifts little colored gems, and things ready to gather colored dots.

Tap the compass to see the whole map: where you are, home, the places you know, your friends, and what grows. Go home on the map takes you straight to your cabin.

Your story

The gold line under your pearl count says what to do next; tap it for a reminder. The Journal's Story page keeps every chapter so far. It begins with the reef's colors fading, and Auntie Ink at your door.

Pearls

Pearls rest on the seafloor, each with a soft beam of light rising from it. Now and then one is golden, and worth three. You also earn pearls by helping sea creatures, finding keepsakes, meeting new creatures and growing friendships, and the tide leaves you a gift each day.

Spend them on outfits, colors, jewelry, furniture and companions. Tap your pearl count to see every way to earn more, or to buy a pack of pearls.

Helping sea creatures

Now and then a creature needs your help: a pink heart on the compass and a soft pink light show where. Swim close and it tells you what it needs. Tap I'll help, or Not now to come back later. Tap the line under your pearls to see how to help, or to give up and try another time.

Each one rewards you with pearls, and the first time you help each kind you also earn something special: a new top print, a hair color, a companion or extra pearls. On the reef each also gives you a glow shell; five of them wake the great whale asleep in the canyon.

Your satchel

The Satchel, the bag by the compass, holds what you carry, your keepsakes, your pets and your photos. Gifts lie about the sea (sea glass, old gold coins, abalone shells and sunstars), and each part of the sea grows three things of its own. Swim close to gather one; it grows back where you found it.

Friends

Lady Sapphira and Old Sage live on the reef, a curious creature watches the sunken stones, and Isla and Lumi are two mermaids of the kelp forest. Swim close and tap Talk. Bring them gifts; each loves one kind most, and their chats give hints. Friendship grows in hearts, and at two and four hearts a friend gives you something of their own. At five hearts, Isla or Lumi will swim with you if you ask.

Auntie Ink

Auntie Ink, an octopus who makes things, lives on a ledge just outside your door. Bring her what grows in the sea and she'll make it into furniture for your home, and something your story will need.

The wardrobe

Inside your home, swim to the wardrobe and tap Wardrobe. Change your top and its color, your hair color, your skin, lips and eyes, your tail and fins, and your jewelry. Drag sideways to turn around. Most colors and patterns cost pearls; some are earned instead, and say how. Outfits keeps your favorite looks.

Your home

Inside, tap Decorate. The view moves above your room, divided into squares. Tap Shop for furniture and My items to place pieces you own. Drag a piece to move it, tap it to rotate it, recolor it or put it away. Small pieces can stand on tables and shelves. Your room grows as your story goes, and you can paint each room and build walls of your own.

Photos

Tap the camera by the compass. Drag to move around her and pinch to come closer; Selfie swings round in front of her. Choose a Pose, a Filter and a Frame, then tap the big button. Your photos are in the Satchel under Photos, where you can save them to your phone or share them.

Companions

A companion swims beside you and fetches pearls, gifts and things that grow near you. Choose one in the Satchel under Pets. Some are free, some cost pearls, and some are earned. Holiday companions come five at a time in a companion pack.

Riding the whale shark

The Lavender Whale Shark is in the Satchel under Pets > Mounts, for pearls. Once it's yours, a round button appears in the corner of the sea: tap Summon, then Ride. Riding, you swim half again as fast. Tap Hop off to let it go.

Holiday collections

Every month brings a holiday collection: a top print, a tail and a hair look. Each comes to the wardrobe for pearls on its holiday, and stays. A month before, you can try it on and get it early with early access. Each collection also has a pack of five companions. Find them all on the holiday card, which opens from a holiday piece in the wardrobe or the link at the top of the pearl shop.

Keepsakes and sea life

Ten keepsakes from the world above are hidden around the ocean, five on the reef and five in the kelp forest. They glow gold, and each one you find is carried home to a shelf in your room. Swim close to a creature you haven't met to add it to the Journal's Sea Life page.

Graphics, sound and saving

Settings has three graphics levels: High looks the best, Medium is the default, and Low runs coolest and saves the most battery. If the game slows down, it lowers the level for you. You can set sound effects and music separately, and turn reminders on or off.

Everything saves automatically on your device, photos included. Deleting the app deletes your progress and photos, so save the photos you love to your phone first.

Still stuck? See Support.