Mission US: Flight to Freedom

Review

Common Sense Media says

Riveting sim where your choices decide fate of teen slave.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning3
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Mission US: Flight to Freedom is an age-appropriate, but realistic depiction of life for an African American teenage girl living in the pre-Civil War period. Kids will experience what it's like to be ordered around by a master, leave family behind to run for freedom, and have to make difficult decisions. If they make the wrong choices, Lucy can be caught and the game will end. Some kids might find the game experience to be intense because there is emotional trauma throughout the story as families are torn apart, people are treated poorly, and characters are unfairly imprisoned. Also, most decisions have no right or wrong answer, which may be a new experience for kids. They can earn a badge for being rebellious, but they can also earn one for following all of the rules. One badge is earned by saying a prayer in a difficult moment. In many levels it is not possible to earn all badges, as some conflict with others.

  • Positive messages4
    The game presents slavery in a negative light and there are a number of characters who risk their own lives to help Lucy, the 14-year-old main character. On the other hand, kids earn badges for having Lucy disobey her master, destroy his property, and neglect her duties. Some kids may not understand that Lucy's disobedience was a form of protest.
  • Positive role models2
    The game presents both positive and negative role models throughout the story. There are those who help Lucy, and those who try to hurt her. 
  • Ease of play4
    Overall, this game is easy to maneuver and understand. It does have some quirks, however. The game relies mostly on multiple choice decisions, but has some parts that require panning around a scene. It's not always clear what you're supposed to do, but if you look around, you can figure it out. While some game controls are described (i.e., "Click on a person to talk to them"), it may take kids a little while to realize that they should be collecting badges and clicking on highlighted vocabulary words.
  • Violence2
    There is no on-screen violence in this game. However, there is a thread of violence or impending violence throughout. The story begins with Lucy's mother caring for another slave who has been badly whipped. At one point, a man pulls a gun on Lucy and her ally. Kids can earn a badge by having Lucy promise to one day learn how to shoot a gun.
  • Sex1
    There is some very mild flirting.
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What kids can learn

3

Kids can learn about American history, in particular the pre-Civil War era of slavery, and what society was like for an African-American girl in the 1800s. Kids can discover how the choices you make shape your future, and that sometimes there may be a situation with no right answer. They can also see that many issues in history have many points of view. Kids can learn some key vocabulary words and practice their ability to both ask questions and absorb what they're reading. History comes alive as kids role-play an enslaved person trying to find her way to freedom.

Subjects
  • Arts
  • Hobbies
  • Science
  • Social Studies
    cultural understanding, historical figures, history
Skills
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Creativity
  • Self-Direction
  • Tech Skills
  • Thinking & Reasoning
    applying information, asking questions, decision-making
See more details

What's it about?

Mission US: Flight to Freedom follows the journey of 14-year-old Kentucky slave Lucy as she leaves her family behind in a quest for freedom. She begins on the plantation where she has chores such as laundry, feeding the pigs, and collecting eggs from the chickens. When things go wrong on the plantation, she must run away to avoid being beaten or sold to a different plantation. You lead Lucy as she runs, making decisions that control the course of her fate. She befriends abolitionists and joins the cause, putting her own life at risk in the process. And when her friends are in need, she can step up to help out.

Will Lucy ever be really free? Will she see her family again? It's your story, based on the choices you make. As you progress through the story, you'll collect badges along the way that help paint the picture of Lucy's personality. Is she self-reliant? Family-oriented? Rebellious? In the end, it's these badges that allow you to make the final decisions to tell the end of Lucy's story. 

Is it any good?

 

Mission US: Flight to Freedom is a powerful and compelling game that forces you to make difficult decisions, just as in real life. This is a strong title that can make history come alive. You can also play it over again, making difference choices with different results. Although the basic plot stays the same, it's interesting to see what happens when you choose a different path. This is not a frivolous edutainment title. This innovative game is designed to get you thinking and talking about challenging subjects, while learning more about American history. It's a good one to explore and discuss as a family.

Mission US: Flight to Freedom also has a complete set of teacher materials making it useful for school and after school programs as well.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about slavery. What would it be like to have someone own you and make all of your choices? How would you feel?

  • When is it OK to disobey someone? Name some situations where you should stand up for yourself and disobey. When should you listen and follow the rules? How do you know the difference?

  • What do you think life was like on a plantation for the plantation owner's family? For the slaves? Did you learn about history by playing this game?

  • Can you think of a time that you stood up for or helped someone else? Why did you do it? How did it make you feel? Why do you think the abolitionists helped Lucy?

This review was written by Christy Matte

What kids can learn

3

Kids can learn about American history, in particular the pre-Civil War era of slavery, and what society was like for an African-American girl in the 1800s. Kids can discover how the choices you make shape your future, and that sometimes there may be a situation with no right answer. They can also see that many issues in history have many points of view. Kids can learn some key vocabulary words and practice their ability to both ask questions and absorb what they're reading. History comes alive as kids role-play an enslaved person trying to find her way to freedom.

Subjects
  • Arts:
  • Hobbies:
  • Language & Reading: reading comprehension, vocabulary
  • Math:
  • Science:
  • Social Studies: cultural understanding, historical figures, history
Skills
  • Collaboration:
  • Communication:
  • Creativity:
  • Emotional Development: developing resilience, empathy, perspective taking
  • Health & Fitness:
  • Responsibility & Ethics: embracing differences, learning from consequences, making wise decisions
  • Self-Direction:
  • Tech Skills:
  • Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, asking questions, decision-making

What's it about?

Mission US: Flight to Freedom follows the journey of 14-year-old Kentucky slave Lucy as she leaves her family behind in a quest for freedom. She begins on the plantation where she has chores such as laundry, feeding the pigs, and collecting eggs from the chickens. When things go wrong on the plantation, she must run away to avoid being beaten or sold to a different plantation. You lead Lucy as she runs, making decisions that control the course of her fate. She befriends abolitionists and joins the cause, putting her own life at risk in the process. And when her friends are in need, she can step up to help out.

Will Lucy ever be really free? Will she see her family again? It's your story, based on the choices you make. As you progress through the story, you'll collect badges along the way that help paint the picture of Lucy's personality. Is she self-reliant? Family-oriented? Rebellious? In the end, it's these badges that allow you to make the final decisions to tell the end of Lucy's story. 

How kids will learn

Kids make choices for Lucy, an escaped slave. They interact with other characters in the story by asking and answering questions. By keeping a keen eye out for information, whether it's a dropped note or torn papers, players can learn more about this historical time. The actions they choose for Lucy throughout the story come together at the end to determine Lucy's fate, so kids may want to go back and replay the game to see if they can change the outcome. Robust online educator tools can help parents/teachers reinforce learning.

How parents can help

  • Refer to the educator guide available on the website.
  • Ask questions about the story and the decisions your kid makes.
  • Talk about your kid's feelings regarding slavery.
  • Check out books about The Underground Railroad.
This review was written by Christy Matte
Kid, 9 years old
February 8, 2012
AGE
9
 
its so much fun
its so much fun
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Helped me decide (3) | Had useful details (2) | Read my mind (2)
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This review was written by Christy Matte
Topics:brothers and sisters, friendship, great girl role models, history
Platforms:Windows, Mac
Available online?Available online
Genre:Educational
Developer:Thirteen/WNET
Release date:January 24, 2012
Price:Free
This review was written by Christy Matte

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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