Juice Cubes - Rovio Stars Ltd

This review of Juice Cubes was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 11 March 2014.

About the app

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

ACCM review

This review of Juice Cubes 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

Levels 1 to 32

App description

In this puzzle-style game the player must connect three or more cubes of the same fruit to achieve the specified goal.

Reviewers comments

In this game, players start with an allocation of lives. The player must connect three or more adjoining cubes of the same fruit – the longer the line, the more points are scored. The connected cubes are then cleared from the puzzle. Longer lines will create fruit “bombs”, which can be used to remove more cubes. The number of moves allowed per game is limited. Some games have a time limit. There are many levels, each level becoming more difficult, with more challenges. Helpful boosters are unlocked at various points of the games – generally these can be bought with gold bars. Gold bars are very hard to earn and can be bought as an in-app purchase. When the player completes the game by clearing the specified number of cubes or reaching a specified number of points, any bonuses are added, their points are totalled and they can move to the next level.

When a player fails to achieve their goal as specified, they can spend gold bars to buy extra moves or more time. Otherwise they lose a life and can try again. When they run out of lives, they can wait a specified time for more lives, use gold bars to get more or ask a friend for more lives via Facebook. If the player has insufficient gold bars, they can purchase more.

When the player reaches level 20, they receive their first award of gold bars – they receive eight. The following level can only be unlocked by asking three friends for help or unlocking it immediately at a cost of eight gold bars.

A possible learning benefit could be that the player must plan the best combinations of moves to connect cubes and achieve the goal within the allowed number of moves.

In App purchasing

Gold bars can be purchased (for US$1.99 to US$99.99).  The iTunes store suggests players who “don’t want to use this feature, please disable in-app purchases”.  Purchasing in Facebook games can be by debit card, credit card and Paypal. There is also the option to charge smaller purchases to a mobile phone account, however the purchase price for the gold bars is higher using this method. The mobile phone purchase transaction screen states “Customers under age 18 must have account holder's permission”. A text message is sent to the mobile number entered to confirm payment.  Parents should be aware that if they enter credit card details, the player can make more than one purchase. On making a credit card purchase, players are advised that “Facebook will save your payment information for future purchases. You can always remove or manage this information in your account settings.”

Online information

Players are prompted to connect to Facebook invite their friends to play. When the player runs the game in Facebook, the app receives the player’s public profile, email address and friend list. The “High Scores” at each level are shown, which display the player’s first name, profile picture and rank against their friends. When players run out of lives, they are given the option of asking friends for more lives via Facebook.

Gambling

No gambling content found in the levels reviewed.

Advertising and product placement

Players may be invited to play other games by the same developer.   

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

N/A.

Coarse language

N/A.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

None found in the levels reviewed.

Other

N/A.

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