Grapple Dog
LQ: 9.0
Recommended Age: 5+
Skills Used: Self-Awareness, Working Memory, Reading
In Duplicator, the player takes control of an alien with the power to make copies of anything, including himself. The layout of each level is relatively simple, as the overall goal of Duplicator is to travel from each level’s entrance to its exit. However, between the start and endpoints of each level lie riddles and traps that must be navigated using the player’s power of duplication. The player will need to make copies of himself and use those duplicates to accomplish tasks such as activating distant levers or traveling over fatal pits. Since no two levels are the same, beating each one will require the use of many different tactics. Therefore, although the child may prefer to continue using the same strategy for each level, it is imperative for him to remain flexible in his decision-making and attempt new approaches. Due to the complicated game mechanics and minimal reading requirements, the game is recommended to players ages 8 and up.
Adapting and adjusting to changing conditions and expectations.
This game is helpful for children who have trouble addressing problems in flexible manners. Because each level requires that players use their powers in different ways, they must learn to look at any given situation from a variety of perspectives. The goal of Duplicator is simply to travel from the entrance of each level to its exit, but the variations in the layout of each level makes the game dynamically challenging. This game will help players learn how to achieve their goals by changing their plans and attempting unconventional methods of problem solving.
Understanding our own actions, thoughts, and feelings.
Many elements of Duplicator, like the abilities of objects within the levels and the proper methods to solve certain puzzles, must be learned through trial and error. Players will need to consider their own thinking process and identify what methods are helpful and what actions are not. For example, most duplicated objects can be destroyed to regain the energy used to create them, but the ability to do so is not made clear until several levels in the game have been completed. In order to realize this early, players need to try new things and be able to realize what approaches are effective, and which are not. There is a "Skip" option in the game that gives players 99% energy at any time, allowing them to freely explore their options, but this automatically sets their score for the level to zero. Since there is little explanation or clear direction in Duplicator, it is mostly up to the player to amend his own understanding of the game and its mechanics in order to gain a better understanding of how objects work in various levels.
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