Down The Hatch

by END Games Entertainment LLC

Product Details

• ASIN: B0089ZEEYG
• Original Release Date: May 26, 2012
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 8, 2012
Rated: All Ages This app may include dynamic content. What's this?

All Ages

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is appropriate for all users and contains no objectionable content or advertisements.




Guidance Suggested

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is appropriate for most users. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, infrequent or mild references to violence, profanity, or crude themes, or other content not suitable for all ages.







Mature

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is only appropriate for mature users. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, explicit references to or images of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, graphic violence, profanity, or crude humor, mild sexual and suggestive themes, nudity within medical, informational, or artistic contexts, simulated gambling, or other content only suitable for mature audiences.







Adult

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is only appropriate for adults. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, explicit references to or images of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, graphic violence, profanity, or crude humor, sexual and suggestive themes, nudity, simulated gambling, or other content only suitable for adult audiences.



This application contains content that is downloading real-time, based on inputs from the user or developer. The maturity rating associated with this application pertains only to the static elements of the application and does not cover any dynamic information (e.g. websites, friend postings, tweets). Dynamic content is defined as any content that may change within the application. Content can include animations, video or audio.
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,072 Paid in Appstore for Android (See Top 100 Paid in Appstore for Android)

Product Features

• Join Stinky as he falls from grace in a sinful shower of decadent desserts.
• Tilt device fun!
• Trophies!

Technical Details

• Size: 21MB
• Version: 1.3
• Developed By: END Games Entertainment LLC
• Application Permissions: (Help me understand what permissions mean)
  • Open network sockets
  • Write to external storage
  • Access the vibration feature
  • Access information about networks
  • PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
• Minimum Operating System: Android 2.0.1
• Approximate Download Time: Less than 3 minutes

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars OK game but becomes repetitive quickly with links to the internet and news links! September 18, 2012

By jjceo HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Stinky, an imp, tips over the refrigerator and dives for the falling goodies falling through the sky. The items are many of his favorite foods such as pies, cakes and his favorite donuts. It sounds easy except for the different flying enemies that dive at you, pop off of the walls, falling stalactites and spewing sewage. Gameplay was simple and smooth and the tilt functionality was done very well on the Kindle Fire.

The game play is good but almost two easy, I got four trophies in the first game. Overall the game is ok but so far very repetitive and you can tire of it quickly. It might be a good game for your children except you have to turn off the WIFI to avoid letting them go to the internet with the links in the game.

What I don't like is that once you get beat you simply have to start all over again at the beginning which is what makes the game even more repetitive and soon boring. I also don't care for the new trend to put a message link in the games so the developer can send you information directly into the game home screen.

The game is a three star rating. It might have been a little higher as I don't see the need for the full internet access, links and news link. There are also multiple fake reviews first thing in the morning and some even rate multiple games from the developer. I would rather see a new game with no reviews than the fake ones which is a turn off for many people....

Permissions:
Storage - Modify/delete internal storage contents
Network communication - full internet access
System tools - prevent Kindle from sleeping
Network communication - view network state
Hardware controls - control vibrator

Game home page:
* Play
* Options - sound, the story, reset it all'
* Help - tilt your device to glide, eat your favorite foods, bonuses and multipliers, avoid your enemies.
* News - news downloads from the developers
* Nom productions - takes you to their web site - no EULA
* Trophies - keeps track of your trophies

The game's size is 356KB in the app memory and 23.941MB in the reserved data memory on a Kindle Fire. Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I'll probably get neg votes but I actually like this game and there seems to be some confusion September 18, 2012

By Sam98

Amazon Verified Purchase

Yes it seems repetitive, and is in a way, but when you get past the first few levels it gets more and more difficult to avoid the obstacles, steadily increasing the challenge.

Your mission is to eat as many donuts, cakes and pies as you can while avoiding the various obstacles coming your way. I don't know how many levels there are but if you look at the achievements there seems to be quite a few. I've only gotten as far as the fourth level so far. You get 10 lives, and lose one each time you are hit. You can gain them back by eating the velentine candy box. Once your lives are used up game is over and you start again, trying to beat your score and get to higher levels. It does keep your score and achievements.

There seems to be some confusion as this is offered by End Games and the fake reviews are also from people giving fake reviews for other End Games apps.
Down The Hatch is actually created by Nom Productions so I don't think they are responsible for the fake reviews. As for IAP I didn't see any. Clicking the news link gives you a message which reads-

"Welcome Amazon Users! Thanks for downloading and playing down the Hatch." There are right and left arrows but they don't do anything.

Clicking the Nom Productions icon takes you to their blog. It looks like they only have two games, this one and Nomsters which I don't think is available yet. They are working on a third. I saw no place to purchase any of these games on the blog, however there is a post saying Down The Hatch was featured on GooglePlay and clicking that takes you to GooglePlay home page, not this game. There is also a link bringing you to the Amazon FAOTD.

I think children and adults can enjoy this game. Although young children probably won't get past the first level.... It's just a shame Nom Productions chose End Games, which is notorious for fake reviews, as their distributor.

It works great on my K Fire. I like it but don't love it. A solid four stars. Read more ›

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Another tilt and fall children's game. I found it repetitive and annoying, but my daughter likes it and that's all that matters September 18, 2012

By Samuel Mitchell TOP 500 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Down The Hatch is yet another tilt game, the object of which is to navigate Stinky the imp down random backgrounds while eating everything in his path and avoiding enemies. There are of course power ups, health restores, and objects in the game to spice it up a bit - something that almost all title games have.

I can't do my standard review on this game because I would put everything in the "bad" category. I found the music and sound absolutely terrible (the constant fart sounds don't help either), but my three year old daughter thought it was "funny" and "fun". It kept her busy while she ate and in the car ride to daycare. That is quite an accomplishment - only done before by Angry Birds and a few other games.

The graphics are nice enough, and so are the animations, but there is no real oomph to the game. Everything is overly cute and even the enemies have oversized eyes. The game caters to a much younger demographic.

I also found the endless falling on each level to be incredibly boring, with very little changes, and too much repetition. Once again my daughter enjoyed it, so my point is moot.

I don't like that this game requires two network permissions in a game the targets children.
"Open network sockets" gives this app free range Internet access, and the aptly named "Access information about networks" allows it to do exactly that.
I am afraid that at any point they will add some more links to the game (there are already two - the "News", and link to the developers web page) that will allow your child to purchase other games from the developer, or worse - IAP.
My daughter's tablet is rooted, and I installed quite a bit of protective software on there. I also password protected her WiFi, but the above is still a concern....

There are also a few (VERY obviously) fake five star reviews on the Amazon page. This kind of practice is despicable.

Scores:
The game: 3/5.
Permissions: 2/5 (Single player games do NOT need network permissions, especially ones that are targeting children).
Combined score: 2.5/5, since Amazon doesn't allow half a star, I will rate a 2/5 (docking a bit because of the fake reviews).

Conclusion:

Down The Hatch is certainly worth the free download as today's FAOTD. As for the .99 asking price? I am not so sure. There are plenty of other games to entertain your kids with, and a lot of those don't have all the nasty network permissions of this one. Read more ›