Zift Advisory
The Dune! app challenges players to navigate a ball through an obstacle course of sand dunes. While Dune is free to download and play, there are advertisements and in-app purchases. This app can be found in both the App Store and the Google Play Store. Rated for players ages four years and older, this app is safe for kids.
What is Dune!?
Dune is a free app that challenges players to navigate a ball through an obstacle course of sand dunes. While Dune is free to download and play, the app serves advertisements and offers in-app purchases. This app can be found in both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Simple to play, Dune is controlled by a series of tap, hold and releases of the screen, which will speed up the ball (to gather momentum up and over dunes), make the ball jump, and bring the ball back down to navigate the sloped sand dunes.
The Dune app is very similar to most runner games, in that it features a scrolling screen and players simply navigate their character, or in this case a ball, without having to use a forward control.
Instructions are simple for Dune and are placed on the screen when new players begin gameplay.
Dune uses a combination of tap and hold moves to control the ball throughout the obstacle course, including: tap and hold to speed the ball forward, release finger from screen to jump in the air, tap and hold to make the ball dive down to pick up velocity and momentum in dune curves, and repeat.
Is Dune! safe for my kids?
Parents should know that the Dune app is a running game, in which players use screen taps and holds to control the movement as the screen progresses forward.
Rated for players ages four years and older, Dune is free to play but ads feature heavily into the game.
The biggest user complaint is the sheer volume of ads within the Dune app, a video ad often 30 seconds in length, plays after each game which is a constant cause of frustration. Players may only last 10 seconds in a level but then have to sit through a 30-second ad before attempting the level again.
The Dune app, however, does offer ad-free play by completing a one-time in-app purchase of $2.99.
While the Dune app can seem a bit repetitive, there are a total of 140 different challenges for players and 9 different skins to make the platform a little more interesting for dedicated players.
The lack of audio may bother some players or be welcomed by others, but it’s important to note that the frequent ad plays do contain sound, so players should be sure to adjust their device’s volume level prior to playing.
The Dune app is safe for kids but is pretty much a time-waster app, so some parents may take issue with the mindless aspect of killing time on a mobile device.
For those parents concerned about heavy ad placement taking children off the Dune app, it may be worthwhile to consider paying the flat $2.99 cost for ad-free play.
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