Spirit Runner Review – Keep running, and never look back
App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Pixel Palm Studios
Version #: 2.1
Date Released: 20140328
Developer: Pixel Palm Studios
Price: Free
User Rating:
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Spirit Runner touts itself as the “first true survial runner”. As a result, I had high hopes and expectations when I first launched the app, hoping to be greeted by what would potentially be the new addiction of my life.
And yet how wrong I was.
I just can’t seem to see what is so unique about Spirit Runner.
Spirit Runner is your stereotypical endless running classic. Users take control of an islander, running across the sea on sand patches in the hopes of reaching an island located right across his land. Of course, he never gets there.
Controls take the form of swipes across the screen. Swiping up allowed for the tiki man to jump, down had him slide whereas left and right swipes corresponded to their respective directional movements. It sound simple, since the same set of controls are present in pretty much every endless running game, but yet somehow they felt clumsy and cluttered to navigate through and was definitely not the best of experiences I’ve had or could have had.
Along the way he collects powerups, in the form of spirits that charge up an energy bar that grants invincibility to the player for a short period of time. Also, these spirts can be used as virtual currency in an attempt to inject some depth into the game through unlockable upgrades.
The visuals are a plain letdown. Crudely drawn and animated, they pale in comparison to those of rivals such as Temple Run. I caught myself cringing as I watched the game pan out and unfold before my eyes. Cue cheesy attempts at tiki music and you have what is honestly a ridiculous set up. It fails to compare with rival titles of the same genre, seeing how it is neither visually appealing nor is it user friendly.
It’s sad to say that I closed the app within 20 seconds of actual gameplay, only forcing myself to re-launch it because I needed to gain a better understanding of how the game worked in order to write this review.
Unfortunately, Spirit Runner just does not appeal to me much. There are plenty of better running games out there that provide for much better entertainment. To each his own, this just isn’t my cup of tea.
Quick Take
Value:Low
Would I Buy Again:No
Learning Curve:Moderate. Just time your swipes well.
Who Is It For:Casual gamers
What I Like:It's easy to play
What I Don't Like:Nothing makes it stand out, and there are more flaws than things to love
Final Statement:Not for me
game -Collect power-ups to help you along your way.
-Completely fill your spirit gauge to become invincible!
-Trade the spirits you've collected along the way to buy power-ups to help you in your next play session!
*recommended for iPhone 4s and newer devices*
Screenshots
Article By Eng Wei Jie
A water polo player from Singapore, Wei Jie devotes most of his time to training. However, when he's not occupied by water training or pushing himself in the gym, expect to see him squinting at his iPhone testing out new apps.
eng-wei-jie has written 308 awesome app reviews.
