In the world of infinite runners, there's a lot of competition, but
sometimes making a great running game doesn't have to mean being very
different from your fellows. Tomb Runner is a classic showcasing of
solid running mechanics that keep you riding by the seat of your pants
as you rack up points through a never-ending marathon through an
ostensible 'tomb.'
The theme is perhaps Tomb Runner's weakest element. Your adventuring
hero looks less like a tomb-raiding explorer and more like a Wild West
cowboy, and the floating platforms and outdoors-oriented background are
as far away from claustrophobic dungeon-crawling as you can get.
Although colorful and crisp, the graphics don't do a lot for the game
other than their bare minimum job.
But where the art design stumbles, the game mechanics rush to fill in
the gape. In a game about running, responsiveness and fluidity are the
most important parts of the gameplay, and Tomb Runner's controls are as
rock-solid as the ominous stonework beneath your hero's feet. Jumping
and sliding aren't binary affairs, but can be coupled with shifts in
direction to the right or left to help correct initial miscalculations
or dodge particularly complicated obstacles with ease. The diverse array
of pits and traps your hero will face on his quest for point-scoring
treasure is intimidating, but your ability to duck and weave through it
all is clearly up to the task. Tomb Runner is a joy to play, if not
necessarily to look at.
Considering how bright and in your face the rest of the game is, Tomb
Runner's minimal audio soundtrack does the game a disservice. This is a
game that would benefit from a roaring, bombastic score. Instead, the
most influence sound will have on your playing experience is the mild
annoyance of hearing the slightly too long and intricate pickup loot
noise overlapping itself repeatedly. You could almost get a better
experience by turning the sound off entirely and just focusing on what
to see and dodge. Doing so will definitely help you grab those
fast-scrolling power ups, which is where the central challenge in
overcoming the game's level design lies.
Although it's uninspired at the design document stage, in
implementation, endless runner is one of the more enjoyable infinite
runners you'll have the pleasure of playing for free. If you're looking
for a quick, rewarding snack-sized bite of gaming, you could do a lot
worse.