Pocket Build+
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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Pocket Build+
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pocket Build+ is a downloadable sandbox building simulation exclusively for Apple Arcade. Most of the content in the game, which allows you to build and create cities out of your own imagination, features nothing inappropriate. There is optional fantasy violence, as you can whack blocky humans and goblins (from a first-person view). No blood or gore is shown as a result of this combat.
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What’s It About?
POCKET BUILD+ is very similar to MoonBeam LTD's celebrated 2018 game Pocket Build but removes advertisements and the option to purchase additional content with real currency. At its core, Pocket Build+ is an open-world/sandbox building simulation that lets you create and maintain your own world. Whether it's a farm or a city, a castle or beachside resort, you can lay down walls and roads, bridges and fences, buildings and animals, giants and dragons, and more. You can stack items (for even more customization), press and hold on an item to delete it (or use TNT), spin around the camera (or pinch to zoom in and out), and hop into first-person mode to experience what you've created for a more immersive perspective. All of your actions require resources (finding food, chopping wood, and, with the help of goblins, mining gold). There are several hundred items to use, plus there are special items, and new goodies added each week (such as London-based objects like Big Ben, telephone booths, lampposts, and more). You can start with a blank slate, a tiny bit of land, lots of empty land, or a full town. Or you can visit Featured Worlds and clone those worlds to your account to continue building inside of them. Playable on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, Pocket Build+ looks and plays the same between the various hardware, except for touch not being an option for Apple TV and Mac users. All games are saved in the cloud, so you can start on one device and finish on another.
Is It Any Good?
This is an extraordinary sandbox game that works so well thanks to smooth controls, attractive graphics, and a ton of things to do before you're bored. Want to unleash your giant in Rampage mode for Pocket Build+? Sure. Build an enormous castle to sit atop to view an ocean when the day turns to night? Why not? Build out your farm to produce crops, manage a Wild West town or a snowy village populated by log cabins and pine trees? Of course. Make a factory that produces donuts? Yep. It's all possible. Because it helps players think three-dimensionally with cause-and-effect between resource management and building options ("if this, then that" mechanics), parents and educators should also welcome this game. The joy of Pocket Build+ falls into two key areas. One is the sheer number of options you have in which to play -- rooted in reality or fantasy, clean slate or existing location -- plus the weekly content drops, special items, and the ability to visit and clone other worlds. There's so much content that it's hard to believe this game costs only $5 per month for the Arcade subscription (along with more than 200 others).
It's not just quantity, but quality, too. The other part of Pocket Build+ that makes it a must-play sim is the balance and pacing between resource collecting and building, exploring in first-person versus eagle-eye top-down management (to make sure your people are working), adjusting the size and direction of your items, and more choices you need to make in order to create a one-of-a-kind world. Because of some added complexity, the game may skew a little older than, say, a Minecraft, but this added depth should be appreciated among those who want more out of this simulation. Pocket Build+ is an excellent A-grade game that's perfect for creators looking for a fun and gratifying way to spend some time on your digital devices.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Pocket Build+ affected by the fact that you can attack humans, goblins, and animals with weapons, although nothing bloody or gory is shown? Would the impact be intensified if it was more realistic? Why do you think the developers included this as a feature?
Would there be Pocket Build+ if there wasn't Minecraft? Is it OK to be so heavily influenced by a game that there's an obvious similarity to it? Should MoonBear LTD be knocked for unoriginality?
Are games like this ideal for tweens and tweens to play because they sharpen STEM skills? Should parents and educators encourage gamers to play Pocket Build+?
Game Details
- Platform: Apple Arcade
- Pricing structure: Paid (This is part of the Apple Arcade service ($4.99/month).)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: MoonBear LTD
- Release date: April 8, 2022
- Genre: Simulation
- Topics: Cars and Trucks, Magic and Fantasy, Horses and Farm Animals, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- ESRB rating: NR for No Descriptions
- Last updated: April 19, 2022
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