A Slight Chance of Sawblades
Delightfully difficult to win, despite the simple format.
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A Slight Chance of Sawblades
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Slight Chance of Sawblades is an action game for iOS and Android devices. The sawblades in the game technically are weapons: Characters die, and the game ends if players hit one. But no blood is really shown, and the game doesn't explicitly dwell on the fact that the character has died. Succeeding requires some skill, but learning how to play is easy. The tutorial has kids test out the moves they'll make in the game after the controls are introduced. Kids also have to successfully dodge three sawblades before they can start to play. Although written content within the game says it's ad-supported, kids can play for a long time without seeing any. A few items are sold within the app -- kids can pay $1.99, for example, to remove ads. The for-sale items aren't heavily promoted, though -- or even easily located. Kids have to click on an image of a small jar with a coin floating above it on the homepage to view those options.
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What’s It About?
Kids try to maneuver around spinning circular blades in A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SAWBLADES. The game's simple controls involve two arrows and a single button, which you tap once to jump and, when in mid-air, can tap again to jump higher. Kids can either outrun or leap above the sawblades that fall from the sky, which turn green after kids clear them. They get points for ones they avoid in timed rounds, but if a blade touches them, the game ends. Kids can unlock new characters as they play. Some are chosen at random from a carnival-type claw machine.
Is It Any Good?
Don't let the seemingly simple game design fool you -- avoiding the onslaught of incoming blades isn't easy -- but it can be fun to try. Both the graphics and upbeat music in A Slight Chance of Sawblades have a retro '80s game feel. The overall design does somewhat, too, due to its simplicity. Kids can scroll through a short menu to view the leaderboard, settings, or characters they can buy on the main page, or they can choose to play the game. There are only three on-screen controls: arrows you can use to move right or left, and a button that allows you to jump two ways.
The game basics may not be complex, but trying to win definitely can be. Kids can move right or left, using the two on-screen arrows, to avoid sawblades, or jump by hitting the button once or twice. Multiple blades start falling toward you early in games. Given the vertical screen orientation -- which makes the controls a bit difficult to use at times -- kids may find they run out of space to scurry away from them fairly quickly. Mastering the double jump can be key to getting around blades that are spinning and bouncing across the screen. While games end almost immediately when you hit one, kids can choose to quit or play again without having to lose points or otherwise face a penalty. The game doesn't offer many huge rewards -- kids earn points, which they can use to buy new characters to play with -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing. A Slight Chance of Sawblades is challenging enough that trying to successfully finish the game is sufficient incentive to play.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the risks kids encounter in A Slight Chance of Sawblades. What precautions should you take when you're walking somewhere that might be dangerous in real life?
Is it OK to spend more time using a learning-based app -- and how much is too much time to spend on each kind?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: January 27, 2023
- Category: Arcade Games
- Publisher: Chinykian
- Version: 1.10
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 9.0 or later or Android 4.4 and up.
- Last updated: February 6, 2023
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