Two Dots

-1.31
Slightly Bad
Price: Free
Ads: Yes
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 69 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 44 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.07

15 votes
2 votes
Daily Rewards -
15 / 2 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

15 votes
2 votes
Wait To Play -
15 / 2 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

13 votes
4 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
13 / 4 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

11 votes
4 votes
Advertisements -
11 / 4 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

6 votes
9 votes
Grinding -
6 / 9 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

5 votes
11 votes
Playing by Appointment -
5 / 11 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

4 votes
12 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
4 / 12 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 82 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 71 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.41

14 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
14 / 0 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

15 votes
Pay to Skip -
15 / 0 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

15 votes
1 votes
Premium Currency -
15 / 1 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

11 votes
4 votes
Pay to Win -
11 / 4 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

10 votes
4 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
10 / 4 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

8 votes
5 votes
Accidental Purchases -
8 / 5 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

5 votes
6 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
5 / 6 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

2 votes
12 votes
Power Creep -
2 / 12 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

2 votes
13 votes
Pay Wall -
2 / 13 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

12 votes
Recurring Fee -
0 / 12 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

14 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 14 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 14 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 91 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

2.9

8 votes
7 votes
Competition -
8 / 7 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

4 votes
11 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
4 / 11 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

1 votes
14 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
1 / 14 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

1 votes
14 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
1 / 14 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

15 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 15 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

15 votes
Reciprocity -
0 / 15 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

15 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 15 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 61 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 44 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.78

14 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
14 / 0 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

14 votes
1 votes
Variable Rewards -
14 / 1 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

11 votes
6 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
11 / 6 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

9 votes
7 votes
Complete the Collection -
9 / 7 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

6 votes
9 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
6 / 9 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

4 votes
10 votes
Illusion of Control -
4 / 10 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

3 votes
11 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
3 / 11 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (4.50) with 185,988 votes.
Google Play:  (4.46) with 680,083 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Competition reported on Dec 29, 2022
There are rankings based on your scores, and unless you play every day you'll never be able to get a good rank (and the rewards that come with it).
Grinding reported on Dec 29, 2022
You often have to replay levels a LOT of times to be able to pass them (unless you pay to get some itmes that can help you).
Wait To Play reported on Dec 29, 2022
You have a 20min timer to regain a life (you have 5 lives max).
Daily Rewards reported on Dec 29, 2022
There is a daily reward to collect and if you miss a day you go back to the beginnning of it (or you can watch an ad to keep your streak).
Wait To Play reported on Nov 14, 2022
20 minute timer for lives to refill.
Playing by Appointment reported on Nov 14, 2022
Rewards are often on timers which cannot be saved or delayed for later use.
Grinding reported on Nov 14, 2022
If you don’t pay for the bonuses you can find yourself replaying the same level for days at a time before you can advance.
Invested / Endowed Value reported on Oct 31, 2022
This game is all about collecting (postcards, levels, avatars, bonuses), and you can't skip levels, so if you lose your version you would lose everything.
Artificial Scarcity reported on Oct 31, 2022
It constantly pushes you to buy limited time "sale" offers
Can't Pause or Save reported on Oct 31, 2022
It almost automatically jumps to the next level and tried to get out, and you can't leave in the middle of playing a level and save your progress. You also can't save or postpone timed rewards.


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot From the makers of Dots <3

Dots, a Highly Addictive Game, Now Has a Successor - The New York Times
"Two Dots, The Sequel To Betaworks Dots, Is A Beautiful Monster" - TechCrunch

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Join two brave dots as they traverse the arctic tundra, navigate fiery jungles, and plunge the ocean depths in the #1 hit game in over 100 countries.

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FREE to play for life
CONNECT one dot to another, sink anchors, make a line, create bombs, fight fire, and much more in this fun free puzzle game
ADVENTURE through 2185 fun and addicting levels
ADORABLE fun, and thoughtful game design in this beautiful game about connecting
ENJOY beautiful minimalistic flat design with relaxing game music and fun sound fx
PLAY at your own pace to figure out the perfect move without having to worry about the old time clock
CHALLENGE your friends to a Two Dots match on Facebook, beat their scores, and earn medals
MAKE a line or a square, not a circle, to connect every dot of a single color

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