Preview: Gravity Runner, Fast-Paced Running Right-Side Up And Upside Down
by Joe White
July 24, 2010
If you're a fan of simple-yet-brilliant iPhone games like Canabalt and Doodle Jump, then you're going to go bonkers for the upcoming release of Gravity Runner: a game that allows players to manipulate gravity as they guide a continuously-running player through a linear landscape.
For the past few hours I've been playing through a pre-release build of Gravity Runner, and I'm impressed. The idea behind the game is pretty simple: a figure appears on the screen, and runs automatically. By tapping the screen, you're able to get him to jump over a series of obstacles (blocks, spike-pits, ravines), and guide him through the level.
However, there are times when a simple jump just won't do it; the ravine is too wide, or the blocks are too high. Trying to perform a generic jump simply results in your character dying, which is obviously not good. This is where the twist comes in.
By tapping the screen while in mid-air, you can bring about a switch in gravity - meaning your character flips and soars towards the top of the screen, where he continues running upside down (providing there's something to run on). You can then continue to jump over objects while running upside down, choosing to double-tap and switch gravity back whenever necessary.
As you'd expect, the landscape you encounter in Gravity Runner forces the player to switch gravity several times throughout a level - indeed, this is necessary to please the timer which ticks away in the top-right corner of the screen. In addition to this, players are also confronted with "speed up" zones, and springs upon with your character may bounce upon. Coins also appear throughout the game, and utilizing the control of gravity often helps in reaching these out-of-place pieces of gold.
Gravity Runner's retro graphics combined with the smooth gameplay, and the gravity-switching novelty, makes it extremely entertaining to play. The app's developer (We Are Colin) has done a great job. The game is due for release in August, and it'll be priced at $0.99. We'll be posting when it's eventually released, so keep your eyes peeled. And in the meantime, why not take a look at Gravity Runner's site - and tell us your impressions of the game in the comments box at the very bottom of this article.
