ALTER EGO

1.67
Slightly Good
Price: Free
Ads: Yes
In App Purchases: Yes

Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 9 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 12 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-0.92

3 votes
Daily Rewards -
3 / 0 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

3 votes
Grinding -
3 / 0 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

3 votes
Advertisements -
3 / 0 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

3 votes
Playing by Appointment -
0 / 3 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

3 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
0 / 3 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

3 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
0 / 3 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

3 votes
Wait To Play -
0 / 3 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 0 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 33 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

5

3 votes
Premium Currency -
0 / 3 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

3 votes
Pay to Win -
0 / 3 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

3 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
0 / 3 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

3 votes
Pay to Skip -
0 / 3 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

3 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 3 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

3 votes
Recurring Fee -
0 / 3 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

3 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
0 / 3 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

3 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 3 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

3 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 3 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

3 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 3 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

3 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
0 / 3 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 0 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 21 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

5

3 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
0 / 3 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

3 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
0 / 3 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

3 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 3 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

3 votes
Reciprocity -
0 / 3 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

3 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 3 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

3 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
0 / 3 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

3 votes
Competition -
0 / 3 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 9 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 12 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-0.92

3 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
3 / 0 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

3 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
3 / 0 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

3 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
3 / 0 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

3 votes
Complete the Collection -
0 / 3 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

3 votes
Illusion of Control -
0 / 3 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

3 votes
Variable Rewards -
0 / 3 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

3 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 3 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

Google Play:  (4.70) with 16,550 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Daily Rewards reported on Oct 30, 2020
Daily "Ego" Rewards
Grinding reported on Oct 30, 2020
Main game loop is just pure grinding
Advertisements reported on Oct 30, 2020
Not strictly mandatory, but there are long video advertisements that you are strongly encouraged to watch
Invested / Endowed Value reported on Oct 30, 2020
Achievements and tasks, very slow progession


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot "Who am I?"

This game is for:
- Those who want to analyze their personality
- Those with an interest in literature, philosophy, or psychology
- Those who are continuously searching for themselves

ALTER EGO Play Guide
- Tap whispers to gather EGO
- Use the EGO you have gathered to progress in the story and take personality tests
- Use what you learn in the game to see yourself in a new light

The ending changes based on the choices you make.
- Multiple endings
- Your interpretation changes the nature of the in-game world
- "This is our story: yours, and mine."

Caramel Column Inc.
http://caracolu.com
https://twitter.com/GamesCaramel
Caramel Column is a video game and board game studio.

Game Design: Maki Ono
Character Design: Kai Ito
Sound: amiko

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
https://linkco.re/Nx4Z2ZY0