Hotel Transylvania 2 - Reliance Big Entertainment UK Private Limited

This review of Hotel Transylvania 2 was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 20 June 2016.

About the app

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

ACCM review

This review of Hotel Transylvania 2 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 8.

App description

Hotel Transylvania 2 is a timer-and-quest building app based on the film franchise. The objective is to build various structures to expand upon the hotel and gain experience points and in-game resources. The skills required to play the app mostly include motor skills to utilise the central functions.

Reviewers comments

When the app is first opened, the player is prompted to sign in via a Google+ account. After this, players are presented with a top-down view of a castle and a male character with an arrow above his head. Once players tap this character, they are shown a written conversation between Drac (a vampire) and another character named Johnny, Drac’s ‘new human relations coordinating co-assistant’. Users discover that Drac owns a hotel, which is now open to human inhabitants.  However, the humans have complained that the hotel feels out-dated and ‘medieval’. In the background during the conversation, there are various scary noises also occurring (such as wolves howling). Drac also makes references to creatures such as ‘gremlins and zombies’ during the dialogue. Players are then encouraged to open a Quest list, where they find tasks such as ‘Make Drac let out his pent-up frustration’.  There is information provided on the rewards given if the quest is completed in the form of in-game gold and experience points. When players tap ‘Start’, they are shown how long the quest will take to be completed.  This ranges from several seconds to multiple hours.

After this, Johnny encourages Drac to expand the hotel and begin to build additional structures. There is an in-app store where players can purchase Characters, Buildings and Decorations – these include things such as a ‘Dark Forest Municipal Park’ for 50 coins, ‘Laboratories’ for 100 coins, etc. Some of the things that can be built incorporate scary themes, such as ‘The Graveyard’. After players purchase an item, they must click and drag it onto the location they wish to put it. After this, they can either wait for the building to finish naturally, or can speed-up the process by spending in-game diamonds. Players level-up by completing more and more builds, and improving upon the hotel site.

Diamonds can be earned by completing tasks, or by making in-app purchases within the game for real-life currency. These can be bought in packages of 16 diamonds for $2.83, 80 diamonds for $7.11, 176 diamonds for $14.09, 400 diamonds for $28.50, 1200 diamonds for $71.22, or 3200 diamonds for $142.12. Gold coins can be bought in packages of similar prices, ranging again from $2.83 to $142.59.

The app contains a list of Achievements for players to unlock. The main screen also contains a settings menu, with general app options relating to notifications and music. The app additionally contains an inbox where the game can send players messages regarding in-game rewards they have received. Furthermore, the app has a camera feature where players can take a screenshot of their hotel – they are then able to share this via social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Google+, etc.

Players are also able to connect with friends who also play the game – it is possible to visit the hotels of other individuals, and to invite friends to play via Facebook and other social media.

The aim of the app is to build as many structures as possible, and to level-up within the game by doing so. The timer-and-quest features within the app encourage users to spend real-life currency on in-app purchases, and may not be appropriate for younger users.

In App purchasing

Yes: Diamonds can be earned by completing tasks, or by making in-app purchases within the game for real-life currency. These can be bought in packages of 16 diamonds for $2.83, 80 diamonds for $7.11, 176 diamonds for $14.09, 400 diamonds for $28.50, 1200 diamonds for $71.22, or 3200 diamonds for $142.12. Gold coins can be bought in packages of similar prices, ranging again from $2.83 to $142.59. Gold coins can be used to purchase in-game items to construct, whilst diamonds assist in speeding up construction times.

Online information

When players first open the app, they are asked to sign in via a Google+ account. Furthermore, the app has a camera feature where players can take a screenshot of their hotel.  They are then able to share this via social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Google+, etc.

Players are also able to connect with friends who also play the game – it is possible to visit the hotels of other individuals, and to invite friends to play via Facebook and other social media.

Gambling

No gambling content was found during this review.

Advertising and product placement

N/A.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

N/A.

Coarse language

N/A.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

The ability to share achievements through social media and the use of in game currency to speed up game play may be of concern to parents.

Other

N/A.

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