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Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object
By Dana Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Movie tie-in has cute storylines and consumerism.
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Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object
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Based on 2 parent reviews
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What’s It About?
First enter your age in ZOOTOPIA CRIME FILES: HIDDEN OBJECT and tap Play. Written instructions and the storyline for your first case appear on the screen. Tap on one of the blue words to investigate a scene filled with objects, and look for the five hidden objects listed on the bottom of the screen. If you get stuck, you can use hints. Earn points by finding the five objects, one of which will be a clue that will be taken to a lab to analyze. A task list will appear, showing what needs to be done to complete the investigation. When there's enough evidence, an "accuse the suspect" message appears. Based on the analysis of the clues, choose one animal from the suspects. When that crime has been solved, you earn a medal and move onto the next case. Cases eventually require a certain number of earned points or an in-app purchase to unlock, and kids can buy boosts with in-game currency or in-app purchases. Note that the purchases do not have a parent gate other than what's selected in your device's settings. Along the way, kids can also watch ads to earn points and in-game cash.
Is It Any Good?
There's a lot of character-driven cuteness to love in this seek-and-find, crime-solving app, but the consumerism clouds the fun. After the first couple of scenes, the objects on Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object become increasingly well hidden, and kids get bonus points for not using hints. As a result, there's an element of perseverance that adds good challenge to this otherwise just-for-fun game. It's important that kids know how to read or have adults read the written text to them, as there are no audio instructions or read-aloud elements. Also, there's a lot of consumerism here, with advertising messages, in-app purchases, and no parent gate on the promo screen for other apps. It's a fun app for fans, but there's too much consumerism.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to recognize the ways Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object is heavy on hidden marketing. Read Common Sense Media's Sneaky Ways Advertisers Market to Kids to find out more.
Set rules around the in-app purchases before downloading, and talk about whether or not kids are allowed to download the other apps advertised in this one.
Talk about why it's good not to use hints too soon on Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object. Besides getting points for finding the objects without hints, it's good to not give up and to keep trying, even as the scenes become more challenging.
Discuss some of the crime-related vocabulary on this app. Especially for younger players, talk about what words such as "evidence" and "accuse" mean in less scary, kid-appropriate ways.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire , Windows app
- Pricing structure: Free (optional in-app purchases from $1.49 to $49.99)
- Release date: August 18, 2016
- Category: Kids' Games
- Topics: Adventures , Wild Animals
- Publisher: Disney
- Version: 1.2.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated: July 11, 2020
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