endless runner
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'Jetpack Joyride 2' debuts as an Apple Arcade exclusive
A 'Jetpack Joyride' sequel has arrived, but you'll need Apple Arcade to play it.
'Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City' trailer previews the new urban backdrop
An expanded edition of the endless runner hits Apple Arcade on July 16th.
Candy Crush creators bring Crash Bandicoot to iOS and Android
It's a good year to be a Crash Bandicoot fan. Not only is Toys For Bob working on a direct sequel to the original, PS1-era games for a fall release -- you'll also be able to steer him through an endless runner for iOS and Android before long. Granted, we don't know exactly when Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!
Fly By!: A Choppy Ride
Fly By! is an endless runner where players take the role of a fly. Players navigate a perilous environment of thorns and killer plants while collecting nectar. There are a variety of enemies in Fly By! that players have to be on the look out for, as just one hit from these enemies is certain death. Fly By! is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 6.0 or later. While collecting nectar in Fly By!, players have to be aware of numerous enemies and environmental hazards. The enemies in Fly By! provide some nice variety as players don't know which enemy or collection of enemies will appear. Players could be facing plants that expel a green splat on the screen which temporarily blocks your view, huge biting plants, or even plants on the sides that spit out a green dagger of goop. This causes players to be prepared for anything, especially when the environment is just as deadly as the enemies. The environment is filled with thorns and it is easy to get stuck in the twisting branches. Besides the base bug character, there are others to unlock and play as, some with special bonuses like a percentage to revive. Although, it is rather hard to collect enough nectar to afford unlocking more characters. Players can unlock the Toasty character which is a very happy toast in a red cape, but he has the same qualities as the base character. There are a few problems with Fly By!, a weird seemingly misplaced UI button, ads, and a frame rate problem on certain devices. The biggest problem is that occasionally, when playing on the iPhone 5S, there is a big frame rate drop where the animation stops for a few seconds and then picks up again. On the iPhone 6, this doesn't seem to be a problem though. The second problem is that there is a full screen ad when the game launches, a banner ad at the bottom of the screen that stays there for about five seconds into the game. The third problem is that there is an odd grayish circle in the top left corner of the screen that doesn't seem to do anything in the game. Fly By! is free on the App Store and although the gameplay is fun, the ads and frame rate issue don't help it stand out from the other endless runner games on the market.
Spider-Man: Unlimited is an endless web-swinger
Face front, true believers! Or rather, face your smartphones and tablets, because that's where you'll see your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man sprinting, swinging and wall-crawling in Spider-Man: Unlimited, a new endless runner from Gameloft. The game is more inspired by the Marvel comics than the recently-released movie, and features a cel-shaded art style to compliment the webhead hero. Gameplay is divided into virtual comic book "issues," each centered on a member of the Sinister Six - a supergroup of Spidey villains. So far, players can face down Green Goblin and Vulture, with more issues to be released in the future. Spidey is bringing his trademark style and jokes to iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices, meaning he'll swing (just about) wherever a spider can. [Image: Gameloft]
Marcus Level is an endless runner with character
Marcus Level is a playful endless runner with platformer elements. There are 20 levels spanning four worlds in Marcus Level and players must complete certain tasks to earn badges to unlock the boss and bonus levels in each world. Players progress through the levels by jumping on or attacking enemies and jumping over obstacles. The in game currency called ChocoBongos can be used to purchase powerups, upgrades, and to unlock some levels. Marcus Level require iOS 4.3 or later and is compatible with iPhone 4 and up, iPad 2 and up, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPod touch 4th generation and up. Players can earn up to five badges in each level (one for completing the level, one for getting all of the ChocoBongos, one for getting all of the secrets, one for beating a time trial, and one for completing the level without using a checkpoint). Badges can be obtained by completing the level while meeting certain conditions like a time trial where you try to beat a time set by a character named Ephi or getting all of the ChocoBongos in that level. These challenges seem fairly easy but the difficulty level varies dramatically from level to level depending on which badge you are trying to get. Sometimes, getting the badge for beating the time trial is really easy because the quickest path to take is obvious and other times the path is much harder to realize. A lot of the time getting all of the badges requires replaying the level over again as taking the quickest path usually means you won't be able to get all the secrets in the level at the same time because they are on a different path. Having to replay a level lets players explore different paths and this is rewarding for the player because they might be able to complete a badge requirement on their own without having to use a powerup. Powerups can be purchased with ChocoBongos at the start of a level and these help players find secrets, get a head start on Ephi's time, have more life points or collect the ChocoBongos easier. Players can use the secrets power up to direct them towards the hidden secrets. The time power up is helpful for beating Ephi's time in a couple of levels in particular where it is harder to quickly navigate the level. The life power up gives players an extra chance to get through a level if they are having trouble with enemies or obstacles without having to restart from the beginning. Finally, the magnet power up is used for drawing the ChocoBongos closer to you. The magnet was not as effective as similar power ups in other games as the range for the magnet is not very large. A lot the time, players collect nearly the same amount without the power up as they do with it. One solution for this problem is that you can upgrade the power ups so they are more effective. However, it is weird that players would have to choose between using their ChocoBongos for upgrades or having the power up for that level. It would be nice if the magnet power up was a little bit better to make choosing the magnet power up a better choice from the start. One other problem in Marcus Level was that the area you are suppose to touch are a little too small especially for the jump and action button. This leads to players pressing thinking they have pressed the button to perform the action and expecting the character to react but he doesn't. Sometimes this is frustrating to deal with and takes a little away from the enjoyably fun nature of Marcus Level. Marcus Level features a cartoony art style meant to represent a video game world. The main character in the game, Marcus, fits in well with the rest of the art style and plays up the fun nature of the game. Each world features differently themed enemies which keeps Marcus level feeling fresh and the character design with the enemies encourages players to keep going to see what the next world's enemies will look like. Marcus Level is US$1.29 on the App Store and recommended as a great endless runner that incorporates platformer elements in a challenging yet fun cartoon environment.
It is time to bug the aliens in Bugs vs. Aliens
Bugs vs. Aliens is a quirky endless runner where you play as a leader bug tasked with saving other bugs and attacking aliens while avoiding perilous traps. You can also pick up coins to buy boosters that help you get further in the level faster or upgrade the leader bug's skill, which will improve your score if used correctly. Bugs vs. Aliens is compatible with iPhone 4 and up, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 6.0 or later. There are five leaders for players to choose from. You start off with Steve, a very basic character with minimal skills but a boost for coins. After you collect a certain number of crystals, you can unlock other leaders that they can be added to your team. You can start a level with your whole team, which lets you attack aliens on the ground quicker. If you manage to keep the other character with you until something happens to your leader character, they will becomes the new leader, allowing players to keep progressing. This is very useful in some circumstances, as players don't have to start all over again immediately. Players control their character by tilting the device and then swiping down to fly under bridges or electric lines. Then players swipe up to put the character back into the air and reduce damage taken by the aliens on the ground. The tilt controls feel very responsive but if you are used to other controls you can change to use tap or slide. The quirky art style emphasizes the silly nature of Bugs vs. Aliens. Even the music sounds cartoonish which creates a cohesive gaming experience. Bright shiny colors and great attention to detail captures the attention of the player and makes playing irresistible. A few of problems I found in the game were that there were numerous ads, a bug involving some ads and in app purchases being too easy to click on without understanding what they are for. The appearance of ads in Bugs vs. Aliens was a little obsessive, but the entertaining nature of game made it easier to forgive this. However, there was a really annoying bug that would happen when you click to watch a video advertisement to keep playing a level for free; the ad would freeze when it finished playing and you would have to exit out of the app to get it to go away which means you have to start all over again. A word of caution about the in app purchases, in some menus like the select character one, there is a button labeled "buy" that doesn't explain how much the purchase will be and can be confused with other buttons where you can exchange coins for items. It is very easy to accidentally buy something because there are no indicators that this will be a real purchase. As Bugs vs. Aliens appeals to children, I would recommend parents turn off in app purchases before letting their child play this game. Bugs vs. Aliens is an entertaining and quirky take on the endless runner genre. There are a lot of possibilities for replaying, as the gameplay offers an appropriate amount of challenge for players to keep coming back. Bugs vs. Aliens is free on the App Store and recommended for players who like endless runners with a wacky nature to them. If children will be playing the game, it is recommended that you turn off in app purchases.
Astra: no one can hear you refuel in space
Astra is an endless runner in space that uses just two buttons. The art style is reminiscent of Galaga and similar retro arcade games. Your mission is to fly the Astra spaceship as far as you can into deep space while picking up fuel points and avoiding fuel voids. An interesting mechanic in Astra is that the more you move your ship left and right, the faster you deplete your fuel. When you have no more fuel left, the game is over. Astra is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 7.1 or later and costs US$0.99. Controlling your spaceship is very easy and feels appropriately responsive. Players tap the right side of the screen to use the ship's right jets and propel themselves to the left. Likewise, they tap the left side of the screen to activate the left jets and push the ship to the right. You have a limited fuel supply and you are tasked with trying to get as far as you can before running out. It is also possible to run out of fuel on one side's jets before the other, which will send your ship hurtling in one direction. This also makes it harder for you to get the fuel points that help you continue on your journey. When out of control, it is easier to for you to run into fuel voids that drain your fuel. This increases the difficulty of Astra in an interesting way. Still, you can regain full control of your ship if you manage to hit enough fuel points, though this can be difficult to pull off. Astra also increases in speed as you venture further into space. This made it more challenging and felt like the player was naturally progressing in the game. Astra does not feature any music of its own in the game nor any sound effects. This means that you can play your own music, which accents the gameplay and the arcade look. The lack of sound also meant that when played without adding your own music, controlling the ship feels more relaxing. It was really nice to see two different ways of playing the same game just by turning on and off your own sound. The neon light color pallet is exciting and looks really great against the dark space background. The colors pop out and it adds a touch of fun to the simple mechanics. Astra is also integrated with Game Center, which is a great feature for friendly competitions for the highest score. With a really nice art style and an intriguing use of no sound, Astra is a beautiful game that offers players a way to relax while retaining some excitement. Astra is available on the App Store for US$0.99 and definitely worth trying out.
Final Fantasy 7 mini-game riding to iOS, Android
It's been a long time coming, but Square Enix finally unveiled a renewed version of Final Fantasy 7 ... 's motorcycle mini-game from the RPG's Gold Saucer levels. Final Fantasy 7 G-Bike is a free, mobile "action chaser" inspired by the chase scene from the 1997 PSOne game, in which the hero Cloud Strife slashes at enemies with his enormous sword while ripping down a highway on his motorcycle. The obstacle-avoiding, sort-of-endless-runner will include undisclosed in-app purchases, though it does feature classic monsters, familiar techniques from Cloud's arsenal, boss battles and a weapon customization system. Those hoping for a full mobile version of the cherished RPG, outside of its availability as a PSOne Classic on Vita, may recall producer Takashi Tokita's assertion in October that the game is years away. Final Fantasy 7 was re-released for PC in August 2012, followed by Steam in July 2013. Final Fantasy 7 G-Bike is in development for iOS and Android. [Image: Square Enix]
Harmonix announces 'rhythm-runner' Record Run for mobile
Harmonix announced the development of a new free-to-play game at PAX East in Boston today called Record Run. Described by the developer as a "rhythm-runner," the game is "coming soon" to as-yet-undetermined mobile platforms. Record Run features gameplay that compares to Gaijin Games' Bit.Trip series, according to Harmonix head Alex Rigopulos. The game uses songs from players' mobile devices as the backdrop for its levels, which features a character running down a sidewalk, avoiding obstacles and collecting music records, all seen during Rigopulous' presentation. He noted that Harmonix has "lots of other irons in the fire on mobile" aside from Record Run. [Image: Harmonix]
PSA: Marvel Run Jump Smash endless runner out now
HULK LIKE ENDLESS RUNNER GAMES. HULK STAR IN NEW ENDLESS RUNNER GAME. IT CALLED MARVEL RUN JUMP SMASH, THOUGH GAME NAME IS NOT IN ALL CAPITALS. THAT JUST HOW HULK TALK TYPE. GAME IS AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES AND GOOGLE PLAY FOR $0.99, AND ON WINDOWS MARKETPLACE FOR $1.49. HUMANS CAN ALSO PLAY AS (PUNY) THOR, (PUNY) IRON MAN, (PUNY) HAWKEYE, (PUNY) SPIDER-MAN, (PUNY) CAPTAIN AMERICA, (PUNY) CAPTAIN MARVEL AND (PUNY) BLACK WIDOW. NONE RUN AS GOOD AS HULK! HULK SMASH ANYONE WHO SAY OTHERWISE!
Alien-jamming basketball game NBA Rush downloaded one million times
Nearly one week after its launch on iOS, NBA Rush has been downloaded over one million times. This is according to a tweet from Other Ocean developer Frank Cifaldi. While the game's developer is listed as Renren Games on iTunes, Other Ocean handled its creation. NBA Rush is an endless runner game with action similar Temple Run (but with basketballs). Players control one of 90 real-life NBA players, each armed with individual abilities and power-ups, guiding them through obstacles and slam-dunking over aliens. The wacky, licensed arcade-style game is free to play.
Aliens are no match for Lebron and Kobe in iOS endless runner NBA Rush
Renren Games launched a quirky, licensed free-to-play basketball game on iOS this week called NBA Rush. The game is an endless runner in the same vein as Temple Run in which players dodge obstacles with one of 90 real-life NBA players like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin, jamming their way through pesky aliens. The brightly-colored game includes a number of power-ups like "space jump," and each athlete has a special ability that can be "tagged in" while one dribbles endlessly, dunking all over the UFO-riding creatures from other planets. If there's anything Space Jam has taught us, it's that aliens and basketball don't mix.
Flyro is an addictive and fresh endless runner game for iOS
In Flyro for iOS (US$0.99) you're a nimble bird with a special power; you transform into a destructive flame when flying. Your home town, appropriately named Birdtown, has been frozen by an evil mouse, Moustermind. Your mission is to overcome all the obstacles the Moustermind sets before you so you can save Birdtown. Flyro is based on the classic arcade-style, endless runner game. You fly around and through objects and obstacles to score points, complete objectives and ultimately unfreeze Birdtown. It's really simple to get started, the controls are excellent for touch devices like iPhone and iPad. With your thumb, slide or tap left and right to move Flyro (I assume that's what the little bird is called) around the screen, so he doesn't crash into things and die. When flying in a straight line, Flyro transforms into a flame that can burst through wooden bridges and barrels. This earns you points, golden coins and fireball tokens. Collect enough tokens, and a massive fireball erupts to help fend off enemies. Unfortunately, when Flyro moves around to avoid objects, his flame power disengages and he's susceptible to crashing into wooden objects and dies. One great thing about Flyro is that the game-play is never quite the same. Using Moustermind Tech, Flyro automatically adjusts game-play difficulty based on how well you play the game. With a soundtrack from composer Mike Morasky (Portal 2, Left 4 Dead), beautiful graphics, and addictive game play, Brute Farce's Flyro takes a new spin to the endless runner game and comes out with a real winner. Do check out Flyro.
Daily iPhone App: Dead Ahead races through a stylish zombieland
Dead Ahead is a game released by Chillingo a few weeks ago, and it's been huge in the App Store charts lately. It's an endless running game where you're actually on a moped (or, later, a motorcycle), racing through a zombie-ridden apocalypse. The game's controls are excellently simple (you move your finger up and down the screen to steer, and then there are two buttons to race forward or shoot backwards), but the biggest draw here is the game's aesthetic, which uses a very stylistic look to add a little bit of whimsy to a pretty spooky zombie setting. The game is relatively gory, as the zombies are you can either be crashed into cars (or shot apart) in very bloody ways. But for all of the gore, the zombies are also cool, and the various types you'll encounter (including big, hulking zombie bosses) mix up the gameplay quite a bit. As you drive along, you'll pick up coins and earn points, which then let you upgrade your bike, your gun, or unlock various powerups and other fun tweaks. Dead Ahead is a great title -- it's an endless runner and doesn't really break open the conventions of the genre, but it does perform its few features very well. You can download the game right now for free, and (not surprisingly) there are plenty of in-app purchases to make if you so choose.
Zynga releases Running With Friends, developed with Eat Sleep Play
Zynga has released a new game in the 'With Friends' series (which started back when the company acquired Words with Friends, a very popular Scrabble-like iOS game). Running With Friends is, as you can see above, not a fitness app, though that does sound fun. Instead, it's an endless running game, based on the Running of the Bulls, where you compete with friends to earn points and distance. The game has you running, jumping and dodging obstacles, all while trying to earn as many points as possible. As you might expect, the title is freemium, so it's free to download, and there are in-app purchases available if you'd like extra currency. Most of the games in the "With Friends" series have been super casual so far (mostly word games and simple social titles), so it's interesting to see that Zynga is upping the ante on the gameplay just a bit. Plus, this title is developed by was developed in collaboration with (see update) Eat Sleep Play, a company founded by David Jaffe that previously worked on the Twisted Metal games. "With Friends" hasn't seen a lot of action lately (though it's still a fairly big brand for Zynga), so this may be an attempt to revitalize the offerings. Update: Zynga got in touch to point out that the game wasn't developed by Eat Sleep Play directly, but that company did collaborate on some of the gameplay elements. So there's that.
Everplay Interactive plans a solid lineup this year
Developer Kris Jones started out his iOS game design career at a company called Thunder Game Works, which made a popular early App Store game called Trenches before the company connected up with EA as a publisher. These days, Jones runs his own studio of twelve people called Everplay Interactive, and they've created some really great games for iOS, including Spell Sword (one of my favorites), Free 2 Die, and the simple but devious 1001 Attempts. Jones met up with me at GDC last week to chat about what he's working on now, and he and Everplay have a full plate of different titles incoming. Ace of Blades is probably the highest profile release he's working on: It's a Spell Sword followup that turns the original arena-based survival game into a full action adventure title. Ace of Blades has you exploring a 2D platforming world, fighting new enemies and facing down puzzles, as you collect a number (probably four, says Jones, but that may change) of blades with different magical abilities. Ace of Blades looks very impressive -- Jones admits that he and his team did "bite off a lot," as obviously a full action platformer game takes much more content than Spell Sword's more focused arena levels. But the title does look excellent, and it should answer a lot of the requests fans have sent Everplay about being able to explore the world that Spell Sword hinted at. Ace of Blades is due out sometime later this year, probably around May or June, according to Jones. Before that, Everplay has another game called Lumber Jacked, arriving later on this week. Lumber Jacked is a more hardcore speedrun platformer, similar to (though even a little tougher than) the excellent games Mikey Shorts or League of Evil. You play a lumberjack (obviously) who can punch and jump his way through a series of levels, aiming for the fastest time possible. We'll have a closer look at Lumber Jacked when it arrives this week. And finally, Jones showed me one more game Everplay is working on, called (at least tentatively) Bill Killem. The name is obviously a joke on Duke Nukem, and the game is somewhat similar to Duke's early 2D adventures, with one major difference: It's endless. With the world ending in the background Canabalt-style, Bill Killem runs along a 2D foreground, jumping gaps and shooting enemies as quickly as he can. There's an explosion chasing Bill the whole time, but grabbing collectible items in the environment will keep that explosion back and allow you to keep playing (similar to crossing through checkpoints in older racing games). This title is relatively early in development, still -- we'll probably see it out sometime after Ace of Blades, says Jones. It seems like fun, and Jones says it might be free-to-play as well. Most of Everplay's titles are releasing at a premium price of 99 cents, so Bill Killem (if that's what it's called) might be an interesting experiment. All three of these games look like solid titles. We'll look forward to seeing all of these games and anything else Everplay is putting together for the rest of 2013.
Daily iPhone App: Danger Boat is an endless runner on the waves
Most of the iOS buzz around this time last week was from the great Ridiculous Fishing, but there was another new release last week that I really liked and it's Pixelocity's Danger Boat. Vlambeer's big hit deserved all the attention it got, but Danger Boat was overlooked, I think -- it's a really well-made app as well that's simple but offers a lot of fun. "Boatpack Joyride" is probably how I'd best describe this one. It's a endless runner where you guide a boat along a watery course, trying to dodge obstacles, collect coins and use powerups while staying alive for as long as possible. Just like Halfbrick's famous endless runner, this one is well-polished and controls very well (you tilt back and forth to slide your boat around, and while I usually don't like tilt controls, this is done about as well as it can be done), and there are plenty of extras and powerups to spend with all of the coins you pick up. You can upgrade your powerups, you can buy booster items to give you extra benefits or you can buy new boats or places to race out of. There are a lot of fun details in this one, too, from the waves that kick you around to the various environments you race in while playing. Danger Boat is completely free and supported by in-app purchases, so there's no reason not to try this one. If you missed it during that Ridiculous Fishing rush, make sure you give it a good look now.
Sega announces Sonic Dash, an endless runner starring the blue hedgehog
Having tried some traditional Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay with Sonic Episode 4 (which didn't seem to do that well for them), Sega has now moved to the strategy of using Sonic in much simpler, arcade-style iOS games. Sonic Jump came out a little while ago, featuring an endless jumping/Doodle Jump-esque premise, and now Sega has announced Sonic Dash, an endless running game featuring all of the series' mainstays. It's a 3D game, however, so it'll likely have a lot of similarities to Temple Run, which is certainly a franchise that a lot of game developers have been emulating lately. Sonic Dash is due out "soon" on the App Store, which probably means later on this week. We'll keep an eye out for it then.
Punch Quest coming next week from Rocketcat and Madgarden
Rocketcat Games is the great company behind terrific iPhone games like Mage Gauntlet and the very popular Hook Worlds. Its latest title is called Punch Quest, built in conjunction with developer Madgarden. Punch Quest won't be released until October 25th, but Rocketcat kindly sent TUAW an early copy. You'll find a quick video preview of what the finished title looks like down below. Punch Quest will be available for iOS next Thursday, for the low, low price of completely free. Look for a full review here on TUAW when the game arrives later on next week!
