iPad App BreakDown: Tune Runner HD
Tune Runner HD ($3.99) by Appy Entertainment, Inc. is a music game like no other you’ve played before where you get to play with any song in your iPod library. Rather than tapping on notes as they cross a certain line you draw shapes that appear. In the game there is a character known as Grov-EE who walks in a 2D side scroller, and you need to draw the shape for it to dance through it. If you don’t draw the shape correctly Gove-EE takes damage, and if it’s health runs out it’s game over.
The game itself: The game is like no other music based game in the App Store, and it does a great job in executing the unique concept. It’s so much better to play with any song you have on your iPod rather than just some songs a company choose. The shapes and movements of Grov-EE don’t go to the tune, but the pace does. It’s mainly about playing the game with your music playing.
There are songs made specifically for Tune Runner including the full Love album from Angels & Airwaves. Every song has a high score list so if you play Fireflies by Owl City your score is compared to everyone who played the same song as the shape generation is the same per song.
The game is fast paced fun that is enjoyable every time you play no matter which song you play with. It’s so much fun as you have to draw shapes including circle, 7, Z, and arrow point upwards. The game has an extra risky option to increase your score where you draw a shape more than once before Grov-EE reaches it for a bonus.
The iPad version is completely redesigned, and it looks great. The backgrounds have deluxe animations, and then there are all the dance moves of Grov-EE as he passes through a shape. There is so much finer detail compared to the iPhone version; it’s like night and day.
The iPad version also presents a bigger canvas to draw the shapes so it’s much easier to draw them accurately, and in quick unison. The iPhone version feels cramped, and even playing the iPhone version at 2x on the iPad makes menu banners too big.
Tune Runner HD is a must buy for $3.99, and is the best music based game in the App Store. You will have tons of fun drawing shapes to the sounds of your own music.
If you own the iPhone version: If you already own the iPhone version you probably know how fun this game is. This is a game that is worth upgrading to the iPad version. The visuals are a huge difference, and the screen real estate of the iPad provides a whole new playing experience. There’s so much more room to draw the shapes to make it much more fun as you get combos, and can draw properly.
If you only own an iPad: If you only own an iPad, and you like music, especially the music on your iPod, then Tune Runner is a great purchase. You get to play with each and every one of your songs in your iPod library rather than the limits you see in Tap Tap Revenge, Rock Band, etc. It’s such an enjoyable experience drawing different shapes that come at you at various speeds.
Tune Runner HD is the best music based game you can get on the iPad.
If you never bought the iPhone version: If you never bought the iPhone version, you’re in luck. There’s a free version which limits you to ten plays per day. If you want to take the limit off, then you can buy the full version for $1.99.
It’s a great way to try it out to see if you like the game, and you can enjoy the game completely without ever paying a cent if you can deal with a daily limit.
