Okay so there is no actual running involved, although there are plenty of games designed to help you with your running, they aren’t what we’re talking about! Side scrolling, fast, obstacle dodging and time chasing games! We take a look at three games available on the Google Play and Apple Stores and pit them against each other to find out who comes out on top… we’ll save those witty race based puns for the reviews!
Vampire Rush – Candy Mobile
Developed by Candy Mobile, Vampire Rush puts you in control of a vampire hero dashing through treacherous terrain loaded with werewolfs, spike traps, crucifix throwing priests and zombies and that pretty much sums up the plot! The controls are simple and responsive, you must time your dodges correctly, despite being a powerful vampire you still need to avoid being hit as all attacks are one-shot kills. Your jumps will not only only avoid attacks flipping you onto the ceiling, timing these manoeuvres correctly will not only avoid your enemies but help you collect red orbs which accumulate and will allow you to purchase starting power ups.
Speaking of power ups there has to be some perks to being a vampire other than hopping up and down from the roof and this runner is able to change his form by collecting special power-ups during his rush: Cerberus will transform you into Hell’s canine guardian and allow you to take an extra hit before being transformed, the Bat which grants you flight and a projectile attack and the invulnerable Death Knight.
There is nothing complex about Vampire Rush and while it’s certainly a different take on the genre, it falls into the pitfall of being more than a little repetitive! That said, it’s a fun and simple title and it’s free to download! So if you’re into vampires and are looking for a game to pass the time then there is no harm in giving this a try!
[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”6″]
Gamers are no strangers to the world of free running after the success that was Mirror’s Edge! Vector takes it’s inspiration from ‘parkour’ and runs with it, combining a simple but effective story with some sharp graphics. You are the runner and after a rather impressive opening scene, the chase is on, you’ve fled ‘Big Brother’ and now they’ll stop at nothing to bring you back into the fold. You will jump, roll and slide your way over rooftops and obstacles to stay one step ahead of their agents, going too slow or missing a jump will need to being captured or worse a long fall to the ground below.
Vector immediately sets itself apart from others in the genre, it’s story works and while it never gets any more detailed or descriptive, it’s nice to know why we’re running! What Vector does better than others though is it’s graphics, the black foreground and racing characters are contrasted against bright backdrops, executing real parkour moves, it all looks so well as you race across the screen. While the controls are simple, sliding up makes you jump and down makes you slide, executing those special moves is a little frustrating and at times feels a like the game is being unresponsive (and it’s not because of my massive man hands!). The other downside to Vector is the currency system, you’ll have to replay levels more than a few times to earn the cash to buy more moves from the store, unless you want to trade some real cash for their virtual stuff. Free games have to make their money somewhere I suppose!
[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”7.5″]
Into the Dead – PikPok Games
Plane Crash [x] Zombie Apocalypse [x] Running for your life [x]
Into the Dead is the last game on the list and for good reason! It’s the best! Combining the strengths of both Vector and Vampire Rush, you’re left playing a game that both looks stunning and handles like a dream or nightmare as the case maybe when racing through hordes of the living dead! With a pretty straightforward story, your plane crashed and you don’t want to be eaten, you are running from your life while avoiding the grabby hands of some very hungry Zombies. Thankfully you will be able to arm yourself with various weapons from dropped crates dotted about the landscape but you’ll have to take risks and do your best to dodge. Into the Dead offers a choice of play styles too, you can drag the direction you want to move in or you can tilt your phone/tablet away from the touchy hordes.
The further you travel and the more zombies you take down will earn you coins which can be spent on start-up bonuses for the next round, these include a headstart, starting with a weapon, increased crate drops and even a canine friend who’ll maul corpses in your way and unlike Vector, the currency system works a lot better. The game also employs the use of challenges, completing these is not only a worthy feat it helps unlock more difficult ones as well as access to better and more powerful weapons. It’s not just about running as far as you can either as Into the Dead offers additional modes including a kill mode where your objective is to drop as many Zombies as you can!
In terms of visuals, gameplay and of course replay value, Into the Dead wins this race by miles!
[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”9″]
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
