Our family hit an important milestone last week. My kids finally know how to chew bubble gum without swallowing it, and if you have kids then you know what an achievement that is. Telling a 3-year-old to chew but not swallow is like telling a parakeet to swim a few laps – it just ain’t happenin’.
It’s like Warner Brothers knew that this was going to happen and released Advenchewers, a platformer loaded with features that make it the perfect game for school-aged kiddos. It’s not an educational game but it is a great example of a fun time-buster that is age-appropriate and engaging.
The storyline is that of a robot takeover and the main character needs to save the world before his father has to serve a robot General. There are vignettes at the beginning of game play that help to tell this story and helpful pop-ups teach players about different goals, accomplishments, and bonuses along the way. Six different landscapes offer 48 progressively harder levels, and each level has a set of goals that need to be accomplished before moving on.
Following the basic format of an endless action game, players need to help the main character avoid obstacles by jumping and floating over them using – you guessed it – chewing gum bubbles. It’s an adorable concept, and even the “bad guys” aren’t so bad or scary, even though the app is rated 9+ for mild cartoon violence. Granted, it might not be the right game for the preschool or kindergarten crowds, but the content is pretty benign.
Because my kids are 3 and 5 I decided that they weren’t quite ready to test out this game. I played myself and had a really fun time learning the bubble controls and watching the game unfold. It wasn’t particularly challenging and didn’t require a lot of dexterity, and this helps me to understand the appeal it would have among the grade-schoolers.
Advenchewers cost $0.99 to download and offers in-app purchases, and this is clearly stated before the game starts. It’s easy to avoid extra charges by changing the iPad settings, but I’m still a little hesitant about purchasing paid apps that also have IAPs. Besides that minor issue, the game is great fun and perfect for young players.
Pros:
– Fun and engaging characters, storyline, and graphics
– Age-appropriate content is perfect for school-aged kiddos
– Popular and easy-to-master endless runner/platformer concept
Cons:
– Be on the lookout for in-app purchases to avoid extra charges
Price: $0.99
Age: 9+
