Even if you're a fan of endless-runners featuring characters from other media, the past week or so has probably been too much even for you. Temple Run Oz, Mini Ninjas, and Sonic Dash have all asked you to go for a jog with familiar characters.
And now Outland Games is doing the same with characters from multiplayer online battler Monday Night Combat. The outcome is a game that's likely to be overshadowed by its more illustriously licensed counterparts, but that's more worthy of your attention than any of them.
Let the games begin
That's not to say that Outland Games does anything remarkable or refreshing, but it's a solid endless-runner with some neat gimmicks that's going to keep you playing longer than any of the other examples of the genre we've seen recently.
IAPs explained
This being an endless runner, it's all about collecting coins. If that sounds too arduous, you can buy them in bundles instead.
The cheapest is 69p and gives you 5000, while the most expensive costs £13.99 and will fill your coffers to the tune of 400,00.
You can also buy a coin doubler boost for £1.49, or a magnet that drags in far off coins for the same price.
The game plays great without spending anything, but if you're desperate to unlock all the silly outfits, buying a few coins will get it done quicker.
The game uses the now customary two-button control scheme. Tapping on the bottom-left of the screen makes you jump and tapping on the bottom-right makes you perform a swirling melted attack.
Each sprint you'll be leaping over pits, smashing violent robots, dodging mines, and collecting the ubiquitous gold coins that hang around every corner. The further you get, and the more assailants you turn into nuts and bolts, the more points you get when you die.
Coins can be spent on a variety of upgrades and score multipliers, but the game cleverly splits its leaderboards in two. One shows off your score, which you can manipulate with boosts, and the other shows your longest run, which you can't.
Fast paced violence
The game is certainly a looker, with impressive animations and a cartoon style that brings to mind Saturday mornings in the late '80s. It's fun, too, and builds its challenge well. Each level is randomly generated, but the combos of obstacles you face deeper into a run can be fiendish.
There's nothing about Outland Games that you've not seen before, but it presents everything well enough, and adds a few interesting twists to genre staples, that you're not going to mind.
This is a fun, fast, entertaining, and challenging game that deserves to find an audience. It's just a shame it's come out in the week everyone got sick of endless-runners.
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