Mini-Guide: All is Lost

LQ: 8.5

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Brain grade: 8.3
Fun score: 8.7

All Is Lost
Game Type: , ESRB Rating: Everyone Platform/Console: , , LWK Recommended Age: 11+ Thinking Skills Used: , , ,

Android  |  iTunes

All is Lost is an endless running game that takes place in a distant future where humankind lives on space stations and struggles to survive. The job of the player is to save humanity. Each station has a list of characters, and the player takes them one at a time through the space station in an attempt to escape. The controls are easy to pick up, with proper timing of moves being very important to success. The iOS version of the game is free (although you do have the option to pay to remove ads), while the Android version is a paid app. The game has intense graphics and music and the implication of fiery deaths. Despite this, it received an E for Everyone rating by the ESRB. We recommend the game for kids 11+, and advise you to take your child’s maturity level into account when deciding if this app is right for your family.


All is Lost helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Focus

Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.

All is Lost requires a great deal of focus if the player wants to be successful at this game. Each level provides the player with a different mix of obstacles to overcome. They come quickly one after another, and if the player does not sustain their attention on the screen, they will fail to give the correct command in time and the character will die. Ignoring internal distractions and ignoring external distractions are also both important. An extended blink or a glance away from the screen is all the time it takes to fail a level. And unlike other running games, the player only has a certain number of tries to save any one person. If they mess up a level too many times, they won't be able to finish it.

All is LostSelf-Control

Managing our actions, feelings, and behaviors.

All is Lost applies more pressure than a lot of running games: the music is intense, the backdrop includes fires and explosions, and there is a limit to how many times you can attempt a level. All of this makes this game excellent for practicing controlling anger and frustration. If the player doesn't keep their emotions under control, their reaction time will be slower, they will fail levels quicker, and they will lose the humans they are trying to rescue. It also provides an opportunity to think about the future. If the player doesn't pay attention to multiple obstacles (and instead chooses to focus on only the next one in line) they will be more likely to react late, killing the character and reducing the player's chances at success for that level.

Time Management

Being efficient and aware of our use of time and effort.

Each level of All is Lost has an inherent element urgency. The character runs automatically and continuously, and if the player's brain and fingers don't keep up, the character will run right into (or off of) an obstacle. The player must "keep pace" by staying focused and managing how many attempts a specific level takes, because each character has a limited number of attempts at escape from the space station. If the player doesn't keep pace within this limit, they won't rescue the human and may even lose out on materials.

Working Memory

Players of the game have to navigate a terrain where the character does not stop moving. Obstacles in their way become more numerous as the level increases in difficulty. The player must use working memory to determine what moves they will use in real time to keep the character from stumbling or getting trapped in the spaceship.

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