Sky Whale - Nickelodeon

This review of Sky Whale was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 26 November 2015.

About the app

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

ACCM review

This review of Sky Whale 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 for approximately 1 hour.

App description

Sky Whale is a side scroller gaming app based on a Nickelodeon TV show called Game Shakers. The objective of the app is to tap the screen to make the Sky Whale character jump for as long a period as possible, in order to collect tokens and purchase boosts. The skills required to use the app are predominantly motor skills and good timing.

Reviewers comments

When the app is opened, players are initially brought to a home page containing a full-screen image of a pink whale covered in small LED lights. There is also a large Play button in the bottom corner, a Settings icon, as well as an icon with an image of a treasure chest on it.

The gameplay involves a side scroller-style view of a sea line setting. Individuals play as Sky Whale, and they must tap the screen to make the whale jump and stay in the air above the ocean. Every time players jump, they utilise one donut – it is possible to run out of donuts. Players tap the screen to repeatedly make Sky Whale jump through the air, and each time the screen is tapped, the whale will jump higher for approximately 2 seconds before falling again. Players must collect donuts along the way in order to progress through the game. They can also bounce off clouds, in order to allow Sky Whale to jump without using a donut. Players can additionally collect green dollar bills along the way, which propel them forward through the sky very quickly.I

If players run out of donuts they no longer have any jump power and Sky Whale falls into the ocean ending the game. The goal of the game is to maximize the distance travelled.  The distance travelled for each attempt is shown at the end of a level when Sky Whale falls into the ocean – this is displayed alongside a player’s ‘best time’.

Players can also obtain new items that assist them in travelling further – these must be purchased with in-game coins and offer boosts of varying degrees. These coins are won with each additional play-through, and more coins are won when players travel greater distances.

Players can also collect particular items along their path, such as a rainbow donut (which allows Sky Whale to travel further), a spinning object (which throws the whale into an area filled with many donuts), etc.

In App purchasing

No

Online information

N/A.

Gambling

No gambling content found during this review.

Advertising and product placement

The app is based upon the Nickelodeon show Game Shakers. Although there were no pop-up advertisements within the gameplay of this review, the app itself functions as an advertisement for the Nickelodeon show. The logo for Game Shakers is shown every time the app is opened.

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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