Baldi's Education in School 3D
By Christy Matte,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
School-based game is creepy, not educational.
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Baldi's Education in School 3D
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Based on 8 parent reviews
Serious review.
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For 14 and up like High school and up.
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What’s It About?
BALDI'S EDUCATION IN SCHOOL 3D is a horror puzzler set in a 3D school environment. Kids are immediately introduced to the lead character, Baldi, a creepy guy who seems to be either a teacher or a janitor. He tasks them with finding seven notebooks hidden around the school. A set of rules instruct kids to avoid running, to stay out of the faculty lounge, etc. As kids find notebooks, they are asked to answer questions. They start simply, such as "What is 2+1?" but eventually become impossible to solve. Every wrong answer makes Baldi angrier, and when he's angry enough, he chases kids around the school with a ruler. He's also got a cadre of friends who are on the hunt. The goal is to find all of the notebooks and escape unharmed.
Is It Any Good?
While there's most definitely an audience for this game, it's not one whose parents are choosing apps for them. Baldi's Education in School 3D has been listed as an educational title (at the time of this writing, it's in the Games category), and it simply isn't, any more than High School Musical is an educational movie. Genre aside, the biggest issue is that the controls are not user-friendly. Panning requires swiping on the screen, while moving uses an on-screen "joystick." It's easy to activate the wrong one accidentally. Even with the right navigation tool, it's clumsy to get around obstacles. Smaller complaints include poor grammar on signs, and glitches that have you walking through closed doors. The graphics are awful and the pop-up ads are jarring, intrusive, and often adult. Still, there's something so absurd and surprising about Baldi's Education in School 3D that it holds a certain cult appeal. If you happen to be looking for a weird, creepy, horror puzzler, you've found it. If you're looking for math drills or a fun game for young kids, move on.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Parents can talk about this genre of games that rely on jump scares. What's the appeal of a game like Baldi's Education in School? Is it sometimes fun to be scared? What makes this experience scary? Sounds? Images?
How do you like this app in comparison with other apps you could play? As you balance your time on- and offscreen, would this be an app you'd choose to use? Why or why not?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Pricing structure: Free (with $1.99 in-app purchases to remove ads)
- Release date: July 23, 2018
- Category: Puzzle Games
- Topics: Adventures, High School
- Publisher: Ilya Korchagin
- Version: 2.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated: August 10, 2018
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