Walk Paris with Mo

A virtual walk through Paris for your iPhone. Mo is a small buddy, Paris is one long street, and your steps are the only thing that moves him. Eight places, a postcard at each, gift boxes along the way, and a few friends on the same street.

Walk with Mo is an iPhone game. The city of the month changes on the 1st, so Paris is the first stop, not the only one.

The whole month as one street. Mo starts on the left and walks right.

How the month works

Your steps move Mo. The app reads your steps from Apple Health. Mo's place on the street is your step count for the month. No GPS, no check-ins, nothing to tap to make him walk.
Places open by steps only. There is no calendar and no waiting. Walk a lot and Mo reaches the tower early; walk less and he gets as far as your steps take him. Friends spread out along the same street, which is fine.
Arriving gives a postcard. The postcard is a photo of Mo at the place, in the light of the hour he got there, wearing what he wore. It goes into the album and never changes.
A gift box every 12,000 steps. A plain kraft box on the road holds a piece for Mo to wear: a beret, a scarf, a bag. No duplicates. Rarer pieces come at a steady pace, so a full month of walking fills most of the Paris set.
One quest a day. Sized to your own habits: an evening walk a little longer than usual, a bigger day on a weekend. Done, it gives a chest. Missed, nothing happens.
Friends and a crown. A crew joins by link and walks the same street. Most steps from Monday to Sunday wins the crown, and the winner's buddy wears it for the next week.
Skip a day, and Mo waits. No streaks, no death, no guilt. Steps you walked while the app was closed count when you open it.

The eight places

Paris is drawn as one street, so each place starts where the last one ends: the roofs step down from the Butte to the river, the bridge lands on the island, the quay trees give way to the Louvre's basins, the arcades turn to the brick of the Marais, then a park gate, an avenue of chestnuts, and a lawn that runs into the tower's legs.

Montmartre. Day one starts up on the Butte: a café terrace, a painter at an easel, Sacré-Cœur behind.
Pont Neuf. The oldest bridge in Paris, with its lamps and the willow at the island's tip.
Bouquinistes. The green bookstalls on the quay, Notre-Dame across the water, a pigeon on a parapet.
Louvre. The courtyard and the pyramid, with a mime by the glass.
Le Marais. Brick arcades and railings; Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in the city, opened in 1612.
Luxembourg. The garden, the basin and its green chairs, toy boats on the water.
Champ de Mars. The lawn, the carousel and the tower growing in the background.
Eiffel Tower. Under the legs, with the city opening up behind. The month's last postcard.

The Paris map in Walk with Mo: Montmartre, Pont Neuf and Bouquinistes reached, the Louvre 8,000 steps away, Kate and Sam marked on the route — The Route tab: map and postcards. On the street, each place hides a few small things to find.

The postcards album: Montmartre on Oct 1, Pont Neuf on Oct 5, Bouquinistes on Oct 9, the Louvre next — The Route tab: map and postcards. On the street, each place hides a few small things to find.

Small things on the street

Each place hides two or three small things: a cat on a bookstall, a mime by the pyramid, a poster of the Mona Lisa. Tap one and it flies off the street as a sticker into its card. There are also a few wordless surprises with no reward at all, like a pigeon that flies off after enough taps and a lamp that lights when you touch it.

What it is not

Not a GPS game. You can walk Paris from a treadmill in Ohio. Mo never asks where you are.
Not a streak app. Nothing resets. The only clock is the month.
Not a medal shop. There is no price per city. The game is free to play, and nothing sells steps or box odds.
Not a world map. One city at a time, drawn as one street, so each place gets a real scene rather than a pin.

How long is Paris?

Long enough that a typical walker, around 8,000 steps a day, sees most of it in a month and fills most of the Paris set, and an active one finishes the street with a week or two to spare. Finishing early is fine: boxes, quests and the crown race keep going until the first of the next month. At 8,000 steps a day that is roughly 115 miles in a month, about the length of the Paris street three times over.

Send Mo to Paris

Your steps take Mo around Paris. Free on iPhone.

Questions

Do I have to be in Paris?

No. Mo walks Paris; you walk wherever you are. The app reads your steps from Apple Health and never uses your location.

Does a treadmill count?

Yes, as long as your iPhone is on you or your Apple Watch is on your wrist, so that Apple Health records the steps. A phone left on the treadmill tray counts nothing.

What happens when the month ends?

Paris leaves and a new city starts for everyone on the 1st. The postcards, the pieces Mo collected and his look stay with you.

Is it free?

Free to play. The whole street, the postcards, the gift boxes and the crew race are free. Nothing in the game sells steps.

Is there an Android version?

No. Walk with Mo is an iPhone app.

Virtual walking challenges comparedThe Conqueror, Walk the Distance, World Walking, Fantasy Hike and Mo. Best walking games for iPhoneNine apps that turn steps into a game. iPhone not counting steps?How Apple Health counts and merges steps, and what to check. Walking with friendsSix apps compared on groups, races and solo play.