Run Roo Run is the second title from the team at 5th Cell, the makers of the hit iOS games Scribblenauts and Drawn to Life. Developed for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad the game costs .99c for iPhone and iTouch and 1.99 for iPad.
Run Roo Run follows mother kangaroo Roo on her quest from Perth to Sydney Australia in search of her captured son, Joey.
Run Roo Run starts you off with what seems to be the tutorial, the game teaches you how to jump, jump, and jump; the basis of what you’ll be doing in this whole game. It’s a simple one-touch game where your only goal is to jump and not hit the obstacles that are a Kangaroo’s Kryptonite.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Run Roo Run (RNR from here-on.) is incredibly fun. At your first tap of a level, a timer begins, if you fail the level, it puts you back at the beginning and the timer continues until you finish it, rating you on your completion time by bronze, silver, or gold. Each chapter you encounter a new set of items such as trampolines, barrels, cannons, hooks, and other wacky items, which carry over to the next chapter. While some levels are incredibly easy, others are so near impossible to the extent of taking me over 60 seconds to finish it – with the average level taking five to ten seconds. While the gameplay is fun for the most part, occasionally the levels grow to such an extreme challenge out of no where only to drop back down to insanely easy after I nearly smash my device in anger. Consistency is truly 5th Cells biggest problem.
(Re)playability
Both the playtime and replay ability are flawed in RNR, which is to be expected. In a manor similar to Angry Birds, once one beats the level, all there is to do it to improve your time and score – something which is very boring to say the least. Although, after finishing the chapter it does unlock 6 ‘extreme’ levels which definitely live up to the name. They’re the most challenging in the game, and they must be beat to “save” Joey, according to the end game screen. Normally, with replay ability being limited as it is, I’d shy away from recommending this game, but 5th Cell has come to the rescue, offering 6 free levels every week. It’s not the best solution, but at least you’ll always have fresh content lying around.
Presentation & Graphics
Run Roo Run is beautifully presented, with a cute, artsy, drawn to life design that feels a bit childish, but not to the point to where I felt like a four-year-old while I played it. The comics that show the story are amazingly presented and everything looks smooth and crisp with the games retina display graphics. The soundtrack is simple, yet fun and enjoyable and rarely, if ever, got on my nerves.
One of the biggest problems I’ve found with Run Roo Run was the game was incredibly short. I managed to finish the game within a day of getting it, maybe two hours into it at the most. While it’s not a terrible amount of time for a 99-cent game, many others pack much more enjoyment in them. The game is great, but could surely be better. I definitely recommend Run Roo Run, and I’d even venture to say it’s one of my top iPhone games to date.
Recommended.
Run Roo Run was played on the iPhone 4S. All basic levels were completed as well as most of the extreme levels and the week 1 set.
