The Ssum : Forbidden Lab

-2.04
Bad
Price: Free
Ads: Unknown
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 12 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 2 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-3.98

2 votes
Playing by Appointment -
2 / 0 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

2 votes
Daily Rewards -
2 / 0 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

2 votes
Grinding -
2 / 0 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

2 votes
Advertisements -
2 / 0 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

2 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
2 / 0 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

2 votes
Wait To Play -
2 / 0 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

2 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
0 / 2 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 13 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 9 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-2.08

2 votes
Premium Currency -
2 / 0 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

2 votes
Pay to Skip -
2 / 0 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

2 votes
Recurring Fee -
2 / 0 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

2 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
2 / 0 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

2 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
2 / 0 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

1 votes
1 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
1 / 1 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

1 votes
1 votes
Pay Wall -
1 / 1 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

1 votes
1 votes
Waste Aversion -
1 / 1 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

2 votes
Pay to Win -
0 / 2 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

2 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 2 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

2 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 2 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 3 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 11 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

1.43

2 votes
Reciprocity -
2 / 0 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

1 votes
1 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
1 / 1 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

2 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
0 / 2 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

2 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
0 / 2 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

2 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 2 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

2 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 2 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

2 votes
Competition -
0 / 2 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 7 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 7 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-1.43

2 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
2 / 0 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

2 votes
Complete the Collection -
2 / 0 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

2 votes
Variable Rewards -
2 / 0 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

1 votes
1 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
1 / 1 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

2 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
0 / 2 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

2 votes
Illusion of Control -
0 / 2 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

2 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 2 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (0.00) with 0 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Waste Aversion reported on Jan 17, 2023
You can only keep a certain amount of emotions in your inventory, and you can't collect more of the same emotion until you spend what you have. but you can only visit another planet if you have the incubator going. which you can't do if you can't collect the emotions already done incubating without having to pay for another vial or whatever.
Pay Wall reported on Jan 17, 2023
At one point in the game, the cgs that the characters send don't load any longer unless you pay for the subscription and "upgrade" the antennae. it doesn't keep you from making choices in the game, but it does force you to choose blindly since you can't see the photos anymore.
Gambling / Loot Boxes reported on Aug 23, 2022
Loot boxes of pets
Fear of Missing Out reported on Aug 23, 2022
idk if anyone notices you're gone. but the AI has messages that guilt trip you if you miss a chat.
Anchoring Tricks reported on Aug 23, 2022
Gotta love those + bonus x amount of currency.
Variable Rewards reported on Aug 23, 2022
Energy orbs are randomized. You can not grind for a specific color
Complete the Collection reported on Aug 23, 2022
I assume there's achievements for collecting all stickers or all kinds of gifts or whatnot.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Aug 23, 2022
I got an achievement for playing the game with my phone muted.
Reciprocity reported on Aug 23, 2022
Main gameplay loop includes checking into the forums and talking with other players. You only level up these forums by being interactive and posting.
Playing by Appointment reported on Aug 23, 2022
Chats at scheduled for times of day. Game claims you can adjust the play loop to your schedule. but will make you wait 20 min between texts to finish a scene.


Report a Dark Pattern

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You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase.
◇ Auto-renewable subscriptions
- Aurora Evolution Package: 1 month ($24.99 per month) / 3 month ($19.99 per month)
- Rainbow Evolution Package: 1 month ($19.99 per month)
◇ Your subscription will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
◇ Current subscription may not be canceled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your Apple ID Account Settings after purchase.
◇ Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.
◇ Terms of Use: https://d299xfg2ynrms7.cloudfront.net/eula/TheSsumTermsofService_eng.html
◇ Privacy Policy: http://msg.cheritz.com/privacypolicy/en
◇ standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

◇ The Ssum Official Website : http://ssum.cheritz.com/ko
◇ Customer Service Center : https://helpdesk.rebotspro.com/?n=thessumEN
◇ Twitter : https://twitter.com/Cheritz_DL
◇ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theSsum_official_E/

Contact the developers :
Address - 14 Gyungheegung-gil, Sa-jik dong, Jong-ro gu, Seoul, Korea
Phone number - (+82) 2-332-2524
E-mail - support@cheritz.com