mozaicflo's Profile
Reviews
May 2, 2022
Educational game, turns to scary/concerning
I like the nature restoration and information seeking part of this game and that the text communication of characters in the game helps support reading skills for young kids. I disliked how independent Alba is in the game without an adult or older kid along side her, and how later in the game she is tasked with problem-solving actions that are the responsibility of older individuals and unsafe for a child (e.g., an objective involves Alba spying on adults/an authority figure), she is treated in quite a harsh way by an adult (e.g., an adult man lights on fire, Alba’s petition with signatures she has collected right in front of her and uses demeaning words and a frustrated facial expression towards her), and the end of the game involves - as another parent mentioned in a review - scary elements that are not indicated on this website, the game advertising, the age rating on the App Store, or anything else in the prior gameplay elements. I had my child stop playing the game after the report came to me regarding the concerning interaction with the adult person in the game. I came to this website to see if I could get any more information, and was surprised to find out another parent had a similar experience with their child, that the game was rated here to have no violent or scary content, and that there was even more even more scary content that my child had not yet encountered. Obviously, the rating of 5 years old here make sense if the game weren’t played all the way through, because that is how the game is promoted. Towards the end of the game, Alba is doing things that are more in line with activities of a teenager and the content involves things that are more common in the narratives for teens, but she’s presented as a young kid on a safe island. The age rating on the App Store of 4 years old, is quite inappropriate. While my seven-year-old daughter was not really scared by the interaction with the adult, it was concerning for her and resulted in a lot of questions and conversation related to the interaction. She has some fears of fire, and as most kids her age, still has to do a lot of information processing when it comes to interpreting the more complex conflicts and emotional dysregulation of adults. It’s disappointing because earlier parts of the game where Alba is exploring an island in a safe community, and exploring, learning about, and restoring wildlife habitat are all things I value and think are unique for a video game.
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