Slightly Bad
Temporal Dark Patterns
This game has 9 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 3 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.
2 votes
Playing by Appointment
-
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.
2 / 0 votes
2 votes
2 votes
2 votes
1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Monetary Dark Patterns
This game has 13 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 8 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.
2 votes
Pay to Win
-
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.
2 / 0 votes
2 votes
2 votes
2 votes
Waste Aversion
-
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.
2 / 0 votes
2 votes
Anchoring Tricks
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Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.
2 / 0 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Premium Currency
-
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.
1 / 1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Recurring Fee
-
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.
1 / 1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Accidental Purchases
-
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.
0 / 1 votes
2 votes
2 votes
Social Dark Patterns
This game has 0 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 14 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.
2 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme
-
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds
-
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation
-
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
2 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior
-
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
Fear of Missing Out
-
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
Psychological Dark Patterns
This game has 7 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 7 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.
2 votes
Invested / Endowed Value
-
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.
2 / 0 votes
2 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations
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Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.
2 / 0 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress
-
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.
1 / 1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Complete the Collection
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The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.
1 / 1 votes
1 votes
1 votes
Variable Rewards
-
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.
1 / 1 votes
2 votes
Illusion of Control
-
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.
0 / 2 votes
2 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases
-
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.
0 / 2 votes
App Store Ratings
| iOS: | (4.50) with 1,509,835 votes. |
| Google Play: | (4.36) with 2,423,109 votes. |
Recent Dark Pattern Reviews
Advertisements reported on Jun 3, 2022
When beginning a chapter, you have to sit through 2 different ads - sometimes unskippable ones
Premium Currency reported on Jun 3, 2022
Gems, a premium currency that allows the player to unlock specific choices in stories, can be bought with actual money. The earnings of independent writers depend on the amount of gems spent on their stories.
Artificial Scarcity reported on Jun 3, 2022
Every so often, the player will receive a special pass, which allows them to read unlimited episodes of an official story. This often comes bundled with offers that allow the player to earn additional gems by completing several chapters of said story. Episode Official stories are notorious for forcing the protagonist to be meek, selfish, and badly dressed if the reader doesn't spend gems by locking choices that correspond to assertive, selfless responses and good clothing options.
Wait To Play reported on Jun 3, 2022
Passes are required to read any chapter after the 1st one; if the player doesn't want to buy any after exhausting their free ones, they have to wait 3.5 hours for 4 passes.
Pay to Skip reported on Jun 3, 2022
Passes, which are required to play, can be bought with actual money.
Recurring Fee reported on Jun 3, 2022
Episode VIP is a monthly subscription service that allows the player to receive more passes (or eliminate passes altogether), earn daily gems, and skip ads.
Anchoring Tricks reported on Jun 3, 2022
The more expensive gem choice will often be placed alongside a cheaper one.
Aesthetic Manipulations reported on Jun 3, 2022
Episode Original stories are notorious for having choices where the paid options are positive and the free one is negative - talking back to a bully versus letting her walk all over the protagonist, accepting an expensive gift from a friend versus rejecting it, going on a date with a love interest versus telling them to go home, wearing an expensive gown to a formal event versus going in a bargain bin dress or even a sweatshirt - the list goes on and on...
Report a Dark Pattern
Episode lets you LIVE your stories with love, romance, adventure, and drama. Wouldnt it be amazing if YOU were a character in your favorite story? Episode lets you do just that with over 100,000 gripping stories, where you make choices that matter.With billions of reads, Episode is the worlds largest collection of interactive stories where YOU choose your destiny. Or become a creator and write your own!
How does it work?
Customize your avatar and design your outfit
Develop relationships with your favorite characters - will they be rivals or lovers?
Change fate through your choices
Discover all of the different endings
Immerse yourself in thousands of diverse worlds, the options are endless!
Not only can you read your favorite stories, you can also write your own! Write and publish your very own interactive stories on Episodes platform, amassing millions of reads yourself.
Some of our favorites include:
THE K*SS LIST is here! Kentwood Academy is ripe for taking over. Continue your perfect streak of ruling schools by kissing 10 of Kentwood's HOTTEST singles!
LOVE LIFE is your wild romance in NEW YORK CITY!
Ready to heat up your love life? Flirt, scheme, and party your way to true love in this NYC sizzling romance where YOU call all the shots and make your dreams come true!
THE BABY PROJECT. Your world is turned upside down when youre paired with a mysterious new *HOT* student for Riverside Highs Baby Project. This drama will leave you breathless.
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. Will you and the other liars be able to uncover the mysterious A as she threatens to blackmail you? All is not what it seems in this original twist on the TV series.
POSITIVELY PRINCESS. Remember that time it turned out YOURE SECRETLY A PRINCESS? Well, get ready, gurl: because eligible royals from around the world are lining up to marry you...and have your BABY?!
DEMI LOVATO: PATH TO FAME. When you win a chance to tour with the one and only superstar Demi Lovato, your ability to balance love, friends, and fans is put to the test! Will you make it to the final stage?
PITCH PERFECT IN DEEP TREBLE Youve always dreamed of joining the hottest acapella group in ACA-HISTORY, the Bellas! Now youre at Barden University and its your time to shine. Will you be able to balance auditions and showing off your vocal chops in the riff-off, ALL while being torn between two new love interests?
Other goodies include:
Mean Girls: Senior Year
The Royal Baby
My Brothers Best Friend
Clueless: Schools Out
It Started With a Bra
Falling for the Dolan Twins
PLUSmore new stories EVERY WEEK!
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and all related characters and elements © & Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s18)
TM & ©2018 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
& ©2018 Universal Studios
PLEASE NOTE: Episode lets you purchase items within the game for real money. Please disable in-app purchases on your device if you do not want this feature to be accessible.