Badland - Frogmind

This review of Badland was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 21 June 2016.

About the app

This section contains details about the app provided by an ACCM Reviewer.

ACCM review

This review of Badland contains the following information:

• The level to which the game was reviewed
• App description
• Reviewers comments
• In App purchasing
• Online information
• Gambling
• Advertising and product placement
• Gender stereotypes and sexual references
• Coarse language
• Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents
• Other

The level to which the game was reviewed

This app was reviewed to level 10.

App description

Badland is a side-scroller adventure game. The objective is to work through levels of the game by tapping and flying a creature through a range of obstacles.  By running into certain items, players can make the game more challenging or easier. The skills required to play the app include reflexes, a solid understanding of physics, as well as motor skills to utilise the central functions.

Reviewers comments

When the app is first opened, the player is asked to sign in via a Google+ account. After this, players are shown an animated image of a beautiful forest scene at sundown. A small round creature falls out of a pipe on one side of the screen – from here, if a player taps on the screen, they cause the small round creature to float up into the air and move forwards to the right-hand side of the screen. Players can tap briefly on the screen to make the creature jump a small height, or can press and hold to make the creature jump a higher distance into the air. If a player repeatedly taps the screen, it is possible to keep the creature floating in the air and prevent it from falling back onto the ground.

Throughout the course of a level, there are multiple obstacles that appear along the way.  Large objects will fall from the sky and attempt to squish/slow-down the creature, and the path narrows in some areas which makes it more challenging to navigate through. As the screen scrolls to the right, players must ensure that their creature is never at the very left-hand edge of the screen where they will disappear – if this happens, it means that they have been unsuccessful and must begin again from the last checkpoint.

There are also glowing orbs which alternatively can make the creature bigger or smaller, if they are passed through. Some of the orbs which make the creature smaller are necessary in order to squeeze through small places, but the orbs that enlarge the creature can make navigating through various areas more difficult or impossible. If a player’s creature is enlarged and thus unable to fit through a certain area within the path, they must backtrack and start again from a previous checkpoint. During the higher levels, players also encounter small orbs that split their creature into two, three or more different miniature creatures – these offer more chances to make it through to the end of the level, as only one of them must reach the final point.

The app contains links to the Facebook and Twitter page for the game. There is also an option to take a photograph of a particular scene within the app, and to then share this with friends via social media or email.

On the main menu screen, the app also contains a ‘Coop’ setting. This enables players to engage in a local multiplayer game with up to four players – each player has creatures of a particular colour, to distinguish between them. They must all tap a different corner of the screen in order to make their creatures fly through the level (e.g. top right-hand corner, top left-hand corner, bottom right-hand corner, and bottom left-hand corner). 

Although there is advertising and in-app purchasing within the game, there does not appear to be any violent or inappropriate material.

In App purchasing

Yes: Within the Settings menu, there is also an option provided to upgrade to Badland Premium – the app suggests that players should ‘Play like it was designed’, as they will be able to gain access to additional features such as unlocking all levels and characters, unlocking the level editor, and removing all ads. The premium version can be purchased for $3.99.

Furthermore, there is an icon on the main menu screen that takes players to the online store of the Badland website. This contains merchandise for individuals (e.g. tshirts for men and women, posters, mobile phone cases, etc. Prices range from 6.90 pounds to 19.90 pounds.

Online information

The app contains links to the Facebook and Twitter page for the game. There is also an option to take a photograph of a particular scene within the app, and to then share this with friends via social media or email. There are additionally ‘Levels of the Week’ that players must unlock, either by purchasing Badland Premium or by watching a video advertisement for another gaming app (e.g. a full-screen video advertisement for the app SimCity Built It).

Gambling

No gambling content was found during this review.

Advertising and product placement

Between levels, there are full-screen video advertisements shown (e.g. for apps such as ‘Vikings: War of Clans’, containing violent content) – these are approximately thirty seconds in length, and must be manually closed. The app also continually advertises the premium version of the app, costing $3.99, with a static image advertisement – players must tap ‘No thanks’ in order to close this ad. There are additionally ‘Levels of the Week’ that players must unlock, either by purchasing Badland Premium or by watching a video advertisement for another gaming app (e.g. a full-screen video advertisement for the app SimCity Built It).

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

N/A.

Coarse language

N/A.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

N/A.

Other

N/A.

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