Tussock

Gelopard

About this app

Tussock is a toy for your fingers. There is nothing to win, nothing to finish and nothing to keep up with. Open it, touch something, and put it down whenever you like.

Six modes

Stir: draw slow circles through drifting motes. Slow, steady movement warms the colour and swells the tone.

Fireflies: a dark meadow with a few slow lights. Hold a finger still and they gather round it one by one, each with its own quiet note.

Tiles: tap or brush triangles to turn them over and uncover a soft picture. Each time you open it, one of three patterns and one of three colour sets is picked for you.

Knead: press, poke and drag a lump of play dough. It keeps every mark until you reset it.

Wind: a grassy valley with a breeze that slowly turns. Draw across it to send gusts through the grass.

Fur: stroke two-tone fur. Brushing against the grain shows its second colour, and the marks fade back on their own.

How it feels

Everything answers softly. The colours are muted, every tone comes from one musical key so nothing clashes, and the phone gives a light buzz under your finger. Moving slowly gives you more, never less.

What it leaves out

No scores, levels, timers, streaks or notifications. No accounts, no ads and no tracking. Sound, vibration, motion and full screen can each be switched off at any time.

Headphones are recommended; the sound is quiet by design.

What’s new

A new mode, Fireflies: hold a finger still in a dark meadow and the lights gather round it. And the picture fills the whole screen again after the app has been in the background.