Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Creepy AR experience intro has legit scares; avoid stumbles.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Night Terrors: The Beginning
What's It About?
NIGHT TERRORS: THE BEGINNING is a psychologically frightening augmented reality experience that uses your device's camera and audio capabilities. It's meant to be used in your own home, in the dark. Once the lights are out, you look around the room, and the camera manipulates the image to give everything a grainy quality. Soon, it inserts quickly flashing lights and freaky images that can include two burning eyes that disappear if you stare too long. Adding to the atmosphere are sound effects that include the sounds of rain, creaking, crackling, and even some low electrical moaning, as well as the sound of someone discussing, well, you'll see.
Is It Any Good?
By creating a tense atmosphere, and then inserting quick flashes of lights and weird imagery, Night Terrors: The Beginning really creates a frightening experience, though it's a fairly short experience for a paid app. It's meant to be an intro (more material is in development), so it's unclear how much the whole experience will cost. Also, the fear is somewhat diluted by the message at the beginning that basically explains what's going to happen and that it's not real, and it asks you to please click "I Agree" so you won't sue if you bump your knee on the coffee table. Parents should note that teens (and adults) could potentially get hurt playing, so talk about how to stay safe while playing; moving slowly and sticking to uncluttered areas without stairs might be best. It's also not something you'll want to do a lot, save for maybe every Halloween, so it's likely a one-shot deal. Still, if you're looking for an interesting and scary experience, and you promise you won't have a heart attack if something goes bump in the night, Night Terrors: The Beginning is a simple but scary experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about staying safe while playing augmented reality games like Night Terrors: The Beginning. Since it's hard to walk around in the dark looking through a device's camera, users need to move slowly and stay aware of their surroundings.
Discuss being scared. What scares you? Does this game scare you? Why, or why not?
Talk about using augmented reality? Do you think this makes the game more effective, since you're walking around your own house?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : November 22, 2016
- Genre : Adventure Games
- Topics : Fantasy
- Version : 1.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 9.2 or later
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate