Pudding Monsters

Common Sense Media says

Clever puzzler falls short in the whimsy department.

Age(i)

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Quality(i)

 

Learning(i)

(i)
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Pudding Monsters gallery

What parents need to know

Ease of play

The game gives very clear direction, and moving (and amassing) the pudding monsters is fairly easy. The difficulty comes in earning stars. 

Violence & scariness
Not applicable
Sexy stuff
Not applicable
Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

Players can unlock all of the game's levels for $4.99, but can easily accumulate enough points to do so on their own. 

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety

Some privacy concerns. Players on iOS devices can opt in to Apple's Game Center to track scores and achievements, and for some games, challenge friends. Players can send and receive friend requests using an email address or Game Center nickname, revealing the first and last name associated with each party's Apple ID and, in the case of email requests, the sender's email address. Players can opt to have a private or public profile, which can include a photo. With a public profile, your real name is visible to all other players, and Game Center will recommend you to other players using your real name. With a private profile, only your friends can see your real name, and Game Center will not recommend you to other players.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Pudding Monsters is a puzzle game from the creators of the popular Cut the Rope franchise. While there's a story about puddings in a fridge massing to save their friends, that's never touched on beyond the opening cinematic. The game is without violence, iffy language, or sexuality -- and the commercial aspects are minimal. Players on iOS devices can share high scores via the Game Center social network, but participation is optional.

What kids can learn

Skills

Thinking & Reasoning

  • solving puzzles
  • strategy
  • thinking critically

Engagement, Approach, Support

Engagement

Pudding Monsters engages kids as they use problem solving to create larger creatures from individual parts while avoiding obstacles.

Learning Approach

While the app wasn't designed to be a physics lesson, the concepts it exposes kids to are relevant in the real word. For example, objects in movement on a plane with no resistance won't stop until they find an obstacle.

Support

The game gives clear direction.

What kids can learn

Skills

Thinking & Reasoning

  • solving puzzles
  • strategy
  • thinking critically

Kids can learn to think ahead and solve puzzles. The app focuses chiefly on problem solving in the early levels -- and never gets too difficult, which gives players an incentive to keep playing. Players will have no trouble creating the monsters. The trick is thinking ahead enough to have them land on star squares. Kids will giggle at the Pudding Monster's garbled speech as they learn the importance of planning. 

This Learning Rating review was written by Chris Morris

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What's it about?

Players must amass their pudding monsters into one giant monster on each level by sliding them across the game board. Different pudding monsters have different skills. Some leave a slime trail that stops others from falling off the screen. Others are asleep and can only be "activated" when another monster runs into them. The trick is less about getting the creatures together and more about doing so in a shape that has them hovering over the level's three stars (since those stars unlock later levels).

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

It's not always fair to judge a game by its siblings, but when the developer is the one behind the phenomenon Cut the Rope, there's no avoiding it. Pudding Monsters is a game that desperately wants to be as endearing and adorable as its predecessor, but it simply tries too hard and suffers because of it. 

The play mechanic isn't a bad one, but it's not as addictive as Om Nom's adventures and actually feels very easy in comparison. It is, however, a great choice for people who like puzzle games, but struggle at them, giving a good confidence boost. It's not bad, by any means, but if you're expecting more of the magic that made Cut the Rope so special, you're unlikely to find it here. 

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about thinking ahead. Encourage kids to play chess or other games where thinking ahead is critical.

  • Encourage kids to build objects of their own design with a LEGO or Erector set, for example.

App details

Devices:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Price:Free-$.99
Release date:December 20, 2012
Category:Puzzle Games
Size:19.90 MB
Publisher:ZeptoLab UK Limited
Version:1.0
Minimum software requirements:iOS 4.3 or later; Android 1.6 and up

This review of Pudding Monsters was written by

Chris Morris

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.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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