Roll The Ball(TM) - Slide Puzzle - BitMango

This review of Roll The Ball(TM) - Slide Puzzle 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 Roll The Ball(TM) - Slide Puzzle 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 15

App description

Roll The Ball is a block-based puzzle game. The objective is to work through levels of increasing difficulty, solving brain-teaser puzzles by moving a range of blocks into the correct location. The skills required to play the app include problem solving, critical thinking and motor skills to utilise the central functions.

Reviewers comments

When the app is first opened, the player is presented with a pop-up advertisement for another gaming app. It is a static full-screen advertisement for the app WordsCrush (no inappropriate content) and must be manually closed. There is also a banner advertisement along the bottom of the app screen, advertising things such as Uber (the taxi service), Grill’d (the fast food restaurant), Panda Pop (a children’s app), etc. Once the full-screen ad is closed, players are shown an in-game screen that offers ‘7 Days Gift’ – they are told to ‘Come every day to get all rewards’, which take the form of in-game ‘hints’ that assist players.

After this screen is closed, users are finally brought to a central home page. This contains a range of options, including: a Play icon, a Settings menu, a Messages inbox, a More Games link (which takes players to the Google Play store of the developer and contains a range of free gaming apps), an icon which takes users to the Store to make in-app purchases, and several play options. These gaming modes include ‘Star Mode’, ‘Classic Mode’, ‘Moving Mode’, ‘Rotation Mode’ and ‘Multiplayer’. Each of the play modes contain different features and are level-locked until various points within the main gaming mode.

If players click on the Play icon, they are presented with a board of 12 squares (with 11 blocks filling these spaces) – many of these squares are wooden filler squares with nothing on them, whilst others show a long pipe running through them. Players are told that they must ‘Make your path’, which is done by clicking on an individual block and dragging it into the location they wish to place it. Once they have completed the pipe’s pattern and a ball is able to pass smoothly from one end of the pipe to the other, the level is completed. Players must do this in as few movements as possible. Hints may be used to assist players in deciding which blocks to move, and where to move those blocks to. As the levels continue, more blocks need to be relocated in order to allow the ball to pass successfully from point A to point B. Each level contains a different assortment of blocks (some of which have straight pieces of pipe, whilst others have curved/edge pieces) – this increases the difficulty of the levels.

Between the levels, advertisements are additionally shown. These are full-screen static ads that must be manually closed and advertise a range of products such as website sales.

Within the game, players are able to make in-app purchases using real-life currency. Players can buy ‘hints’ (which are useful during gameplay) in packages of 3 hints for $0.99, 15 hints for $4.99, 30 hints for $9.99, or 63 hints for $20.99. Players are additionally able to make a purchase of $1.99 to remove the ads from the app.

Within the multiplayer mode, players are presented with three options: ‘Automatch’, ‘Invite’ and ‘Invitations’. The latter two features allow players to receive invitations from other players, and to also search for other users with their username (or to select from an ‘auto pick’ option). During actual multiplayer gameplay, players are given a board puzzle to solve and are able to watch live as their opponent completes their own puzzle. Players receive points if they complete their puzzle first. If a player quits a multiplayer battle, they receive a ‘You Lose’ message pop-up on the screen.

In App purchasing

Yes: Within the game, players are able to make in-app purchases using real-life currency. Players can buy ‘hints’ (which are useful during gameplay in directing players which block to move next) in packages of 3 hints for $0.99, 15 hints for $4.99, 30 hints for $9.99, or 63 hints for $20.99. Players are additionally able to make a purchase of $1.99 to remove the ads from the app.

Online information

Within the multiplayer mode, players are presented with three options: ‘Automatch’, ‘Invite’ and ‘Invitations’. The latter two features allow players to receive invitations from other players and to also search for other users with their username (or to select from an ‘auto pick’ option). During actual multiplayer gameplay, players are given a board puzzle to solve and are able to watch live as their opponent completes their own puzzle. Players receive points if they complete their puzzle first. If a player quits a multiplayer battle, they receive a ‘You Lose’ message pop-up on the screen.

Gambling

No gambling content was found during this review.

Advertising and product placement

When the app is first opened, the player is presented with a pop-up advertisement for another gaming app. It is a static full-screen advertisement for the app WordsCrush (no inappropriate content), and must be manually closed. There is also a banner advertisement along the bottom of the app screen, advertising things such as Uber (the taxi service), Grill’d (the fast food restaurant), Panda Pop (a children’s app), etc.

Between the levels, advertisements are shown. These are full-screen static ads that must be manually closed and advertise a range of products such as website sales.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

N/A.

Coarse language

N/A.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

No game playing behaviour which may be of concern to parents was found during this review.

Other

N/A.

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