Ballyland Stay still, Squeaky!

Ballyland: Stay Still, Squeaky! is an interactive audio fairy tale for iOS devices where sound and touch merge into a single playful space. The project is primarily designed for young children, as well as blind and visually impaired users. The app offers a gentle and safe introduction to touchscreen interaction through tactile input and audio feedback rather than visual cues. All information is delivered through built-in narration, so no external TTS services are required for a complete experience.

A Journey with Squeaky

At the heart of the story is Squeaky, a cheerful character setting off on a small adventure. The narrative unfolds as an audio story that you “turn pages” through taps and swipes. Every action is accompanied by a narrator’s voice, sound effects, and music, allowing children to clearly perceive the connection between finger movements on the screen and the progression of the story. The entire experience can be fully understood using hearing alone.

Modes and Learning

Main mode:

A calm, unhurried audio narrative. Children explore the story at their own pace while learning basic gestures such as tapping, dragging, and simple screen interaction. The app does not rush the player or demand precision—its goal is to help children understand how touchscreens respond and to build confidence through exploration.

Bonus game:

A more active interaction mode. Squeaky moves along a path, and the player must guide and hold their finger on the screen, collecting different types of “dirt” in a specific sequence. This mode trains spatial awareness, hand–eye (or rather hand–ear) coordination, and orientation based on acoustic cues.

Educational Value

Ballyland: Stay Still, Squeaky! was created not merely as entertainment, but as a developmental tool. Minimal visuals and bright colors enhance the experience for sighted players, but audio always remains central: high-quality narration, clear sound effects, and musical cues. The app helps develop cause-and-effect understanding, spatial thinking, and confidence in interacting with digital environments without relying on vision.

Accessibility Features

This is a calm, carefully designed experience where accessibility is embedded into the core mechanics. The app fully supports VoiceOver, but the official instructions recommend a specific approach: for the deepest immersion and most natural gameplay, developers suggest temporarily pausing VoiceOver. This allows players to rely on the app’s own audio guidance, which is specifically designed to teach interaction through sound and touch.