Line Runner

Summary

Jump&Run games are all the rage, and the game Line Runner has been a smash hit in the Apple Store. It's now available for Android, so of course we had to check it out.

What do we make of Line Runner? Find out in today's review.

Test device: LG Optimus Black
Android version: 2.3.4
Root: No
Modifications: None

Liner Runner is a simple but super fun game. The goal is to navigate a nimble stick man through a number of obstacles and to prevent him from colliding with anything. The stick man can jump and roll, and he can perform small jumps as well as bigger ones. That's it! No damselle in distress, no pots of gold, just a fast paced, good old fashioned jump 'n' run gameplay.

The app is 4,7 MB and supports App2SD.

There are three game modes:

• Tracks: there are 10 tracks in total; tracks are preset and the obstacles generally tend to be in the same places
• Random: unlike the tracks, random paths are not preset so that you have no way of knowing what's coming your way
• Training: the route remains the same but the level of difficulty increases steadily

There's something to be said about every mode; tracks are fun because you can really perfect a run, but if you play often enough you will come to know a route of by heart. Random on the other hand is full of surprises.

Share your high scores with other via Open Feint.

Bottom line:

If you love jump & run as a means to space out or kill time, Line Runner is a great option for you. The different modes make this simple game varied enough to keep you hooked.

Line Runner's controls are relatively straight forward: the stick man will roll when you tap on the left side of the screen and jump when you tap on the right. The longer you press down the higher he will jump. It takes some getting used to but once you've developed a feel for it you will be able to estimate precisely how long you need to press down in order to make him jump a certain ways.

The graphics, I find, are great. The design is minimal and in-keeping with the general feel, plus there are a few settings options should you wish to make certain changes. For instance, the skyline can be set to "race along" with you or a gravestone can be set to appear at spots where you failed.

My main criticism would be that the display shifts around when the message bar comes in from above. The display will usually revert to its rightful position, but sometimes it stays stuck which makes for a rather annoying gaming experience with the lower half of the display missing.

Line Runner is very smooth and very stabile. It hasn't crashed on me once and I've been playing - ahem - testing it for a good two weeks.

Line Runner is available for free from the Android Market. A plus versions that's free of ads is equally available. Ad banners won't be displayed in the free version when the internet connection is severed.