# Living Worlds - Mark Ferrari — user reviews > 45 indexed App Store user reviews of Living Worlds by Pixfabrik, rated 4.80/5 from 88 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/living-worlds-mark-ferrari/id1371140984/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/living-worlds-mark-ferrari/id1371140984.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 74 · 4★ 11 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 2 ## Newest reviews (13 of 45) ### 5/5 — Zen *2023-09-04* This is the perfect app for relaxing. I’ve gotten so much use out of it. I wish more people could experience it. ### 5/5 — Was beautfiful, still beautiful. *2023-05-31* Some things never get old. ### 5/5 — Lush living world *2023-03-22* With the recently added soundscapes I was inspired to finally leave a review. I ended up buying an old iPad just so I can feature this app and it’s gorgeous pixel art. So relaxing to listen to and watch the weather change. Worth the price absolutely!!! ### 5/5 — Wonderful *2022-05-17* Known this for years from the HTML demo and saw the app on hacker news. Wonderful! ### 5/5 — Sound at last! *2022-05-06* I reviewed this app when it first came out. And I said I would only give it 5 stars once they added the ambient sound effects that I had grown so used to from the Canvas Cycle website. Well after a lot of waiting they have finally added sound! Only up to May so far but I am very happy about the development. Not quite sure when it happened. But now I can hear as much as see these lovely landscapes! ### 5/5 — Amazing Art *2022-03-01, version 2.3.63* Mark Ferrari is a very talented pixel artist. It’s great that ambient sounds are being added to the scenes this year. Would you consider adding an option to enable the sounds even when my phone is on silent? Thanks! ### 5/5 — <3 the app, wish new effects can be disabled *2022-01-01* Love the app and the artwork - brings back memories of old 90s games. My one wish was the additional effects can be disabled (for example snow) via settings so the animation is color-cycle only. ### 5/5 — worth the few bucks *2021-09-24* absolutely gorgeous animated pixel art that I’d love to have as my phone’s animated background! I love the little journal entries and the ‘hunt’ feature, it’s all just so cute! ### 5/5 — Beautiful *2021-04-25* What a throwback. Beautifully drawn, beautifully animated. Only wish there was a 24h clock :D ### 5/5 — I have been waiting years for this *2021-02-18* I bought Seize the Day back in the day, and have missed the Living Worlds. I have kept looking for anything like it ever since. While the low res is unfortunate, it’s great to have the scenes back. Update: I was informed of the new changes in Feb. 2021 and immediately downloaded the new version. The days are different now, not the same over and over. The scenes can progress (notably the leaf colors in October and the snow and Christmas tree in December). Days must be swiped through to move to the end or beginning of a month, though. Overall a much-welcomed change. Still wouldn’t mind a calendar function though. Old: I am realizing though that there aren’t 365 different days. It seems to be the same day repeating, but with a mixture of weather and the like. I’d love it if it could be redone with all the daily variations. Rainy days, clear days, snowy days, boring days, weird days. It was like another world. I spent so much time jumping to specific times/dates in my salad days.... Would love to have that back. ### 5/5 — Great to See New Updates! *2021-02-17* Thank you for the new options to show random months. Glad to see there is still new development being done in this great app. So while we’re talking about it, here are a few requests for future updates: - Allow the ability to select a specific day of the month (late October for fall leaves anytime, or early December for the house before Christmas decorations, etc.) - Add the ability to have audio with each scene (waterfall in May, rain, wind, etc.) Thanks - love the app! ### 5/5 — What an absolute classic! *2020-12-11, version 1.11* This takes me all the way back to my trusty 486 PC. ### 5/5 — Stunning pixel art worlds, please consider... *2020-09-25* This app is great but you should look into making a widget for it! With iOS 14 allowing you to put widgets on the Home Screen that would be a wonderful addition to add and would probably get more people to download since everyone is currently widget crazy now on iOS. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — not for wallpaper *2025-07-06* so you can’t even put these as wallpapers? i thought that was the point :( (art is beautiful though) ### 1/5 — This Is Not Wallpaper On IOS *2024-06-07, version 2.12.73* This is merely an app you can leave open and on to simulate a live wallpaper. You can not use it to set as your wallpaper. ### 3/5 — Needs the ambient sounds, but I’m a fan. *2019-03-02* I genuinely applaud the effort to bring this project back to life after so many years. This was my go to calendar PIM until it no longer was updated to stay current. However, without the accompanying ambient sounds it’s 3 stars for me. I’ll continue to be a fan and cheer this app on, but please add in the sounds we were all so fond of as well. It’s not the same without them. ### 3/5 — Would be better with sound *2019-02-03, version 1.0* The artwork and animation is obviously amazing, as is the way it links to the real world clock. But they feel a little dead without any sound/ambiance and I was slightly disappointed to find this wasn’t an option ### 4/5 — Very close to being perfect *2024-11-05, version 2.12.73* I’m f these could be IOS wallpapers this would be perfect. I love having this on my desk at work. Very calming. ### 4/5 — Retro Nostalgia *2023-01-13* I used Seize the Day as long as possible back in the day, and like other reviewers, I have looked for it to come back ever since because it is like nothing else. I hope the resolution can continue to be improved with updates as time goes on, and the calendar function can be made an option. Thanks very much to the developers. ### 4/5 — Dropped my rain sounds to sleep to for this! *2022-02-07* The pixel art is absolutely phenomenal, especially with the little events going on throughout the day. I’m writing this just after waking up from the snowfall and ambient sounds playing from the app. This app transitioned from “oh pretty pixel art, too bad it’s not a live wallpaper” to something I regularly open just to stare at to ease my mind while listening to the sounds, and finally to my new sleeping partner. I’m really giving it 4.5 stars but will bump this up to five depending on Pixelfabrik’s upkeep on the the ambient sounds (though I understand that those are not the critical points of the app). If anything, my only slight annoyance is constantly readjusting the time when I swipe up or down (iphone XR user). A “lock time” option would be excellent. All around though, I do not regret spending the money on this lovely app. Thank you for the quality of work you put in so far Pixelfabrik. Never caught that shooting star either lol. ### 4/5 — Beautiful, but missing important feature *2021-08-14* I got this because a friend of mine was using it as a live wallpaper, and for that it's perfect. So I went to follow suit, and found that the IOS version does everything... except let you save the image as a live wallpaper. I'd really appreciate this feature being included. Occasionally I'll use a screenshot but it's not the same and there are millions of other choices for static images, which makes me use this app very infrequently. It would be another matter if I could bring my phone to life with these lovely scenes. I've been waiting for months now but no update yet... Hoping it's in the works. ### 4/5 — Love it! *2020-11-05* I’ve always loved these animations and used to use the site they were on to relax. Glad this easy way to support the creators exists, I just wish there was sound! The old site had sounds of waves and trickling water that made the scenes feel that much more real. ### 4/5 — Fun! But where’s the calendar? *2019-05-11* This app is so charming and relaxing, I’m really glad to see these worlds brought back! I agree with other reviewers that it would be even better with the soundscapes—even if you’re not able to use the originals it would be great to have something similar for ambience. I would also suggest recreating the calendar/planner functions of the original software. When I first saw this I expected it would basically be a port of the original and I was a little disappointed to see it was just the art by itself. Maybe it will be possible in the future? It would be wonderful to have such a beautiful fantasy adventure themed planner again, especially since I was a bit too young to have much to plan when it was first around! In any case, this is a lovely and nostalgic little app and I’m glad it was possible to make it! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — relaxing and inspiring *2026-03-05, version 2.12.73* i bought this app years ago and have never regretted it - I love to delve into these living worlds now and then when I remember they're here. The pixel art is so incredible, and the world-building so beautiful ### 5/5 — Wonderful Reprise of 1993 Seize The Day *2025-10-22* It is really wonderful to be able to see Mark Ferrari’s original changing calendar art again! I am just thrilled with it! I especially like being able to “reverse time” or “speed up time” by swiping the screen. One thing I miss from the original: one could enter a date of the month, and the graphic would jump to that view (hour of day remained the same). The audio addition is also terrific! Thank you! ### 5/5 — Fantastic Nostalgia *2025-08-30* I remember seeing this on Magic The Gathering: Battlemage Mark Ferrari is simply fantastic. ### 5/5 — So pretty *2025-07-20, version 2.12.73* This is freaking awesome! The dynamic pixel art is so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it before. ### 5/5 — Nostalgia *2025-05-28* Wunderschöne Erinnerung an Welten die einen als Kind schon verzaubert haben. Der Charme dieser Pixelgrafiken plus die Ambient Sounds verbunden mit dem Logbook und den kleinen Geschichten sind wirklich hinreißend schön. ### 5/5 — The all-time greatest app for clock-watchers, fascinators, and kinetic art fans, this. *2025-04-30* In the early 1990’s, I got my hands on the original “Seize the Day” calendar program that the description describes. It was amazing. I don’t think I ever made an actual calendar entry, but thoroughly enjoyed watch the scenes change throughout the day. I’d set up my computer with the program running in the back and take breaks watching the sunrises and sunsets change the scene’s palette, the clouds pass, the watchmen carrying their lanterns over the bridges, the desert fireworks, the eerie glows in the ruins and the caves, and the spectral sword above the mountain lake. The scenes themselves evoke such rich stories that have just happened or are just about to, and the art has just enough fantasy elements that the wordlessness lends itself to wonder. The ability to scroll through and fast forward for rewind the scene’s day is a wonderful feature; it can occupy me for longer than I ought to admit. I loved that program and when system softwares made it obsolete, I mourned (just as I did the demise of After Dark and the Far Side screensavers). Such creativity and beauty gone forever, I thought. And then this app came online and I snapped it up (and gifted it to many, many people). It is a fine adaptation; not quite as high in resolution and more narrow in scope, but it uses its platform to the best and I’m sincerely grateful it’s here to enjoy longer. I look forward to any innovation that these fine developers can devise, because I’m here to pay for them. Can’t wait! ### 5/5 — A Cultural Gem, A Portal *2024-11-28* Living Worlds is more than a pixel art showcase. It's a layered composition- it's labor originating decades ago and now thoughtfully brought to life. Mark Ferrari, a brilliant artist/writer, and Ian Gilman, a innovative developer, have transformed the classic pixel art techniques into something fresh and contemporary. I hope young folks stumble across this to experience how thoughtful art and engineering can inspire. ### 5/5 — beautiful *2024-03-09* Gorgeously drawn and animated, and serene. I missed this the first time around, I was too young, but it definitely brings back an era for me. I’m a little sad too that ios doesn’t allow animated wallpapers from non-ios devs, this would be perfect. I don’t know if the developers are still working on anything, but if you are… I would happily pay more for a widget on my homescreen that showed a little window into the scene. Just a thought 💜 ### 5/5 — A wish for a widget *2024-01-04* Absolutely love Ferraris pixel work, its stood the test of time beautifully, and is always so mesmerizing and calming to look at. With the added sounds, it really feels like immersive little worlds! I wish i could make the images with (or without) the clock into widgets for my home screen, so i could always see them even outside the app. Apple watch faces would be soooooo cool too. But im happy to be able to experience them on my phone overall, theyre lovely! ### 5/5 — Masterpiece *2023-10-02, version 2.12.73* This app has given me a surprising amount of entertainment. I wish there were more scenes! Still haven’t seen a shooting star 😛 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*