Is it me or does it seem like this world we live in today lacks new ideas, no scratch that, good ideas? Yes, many casual games are notorious for being the same old puzzle game rip-off, but thankfully there a few special games like “Canabalt” that choose to stand out from the crowd. It does not take place in a diner and it does not involve a cute little penguin golfing with Santa Claus, but I’m sure every one of every age will enjoy this game as you try to escape a city under attack by an unknown force.
We start the game playing as a pixelated business man running down the hallway of an office jumping over boxes and chairs and then suddenly, *crash* you go flying out the window and land on the rooftop of another building! And the excitement doesn’t stop there. As you continue your building hopping, you discover giant robots destroying your city, futuristic airships speeding through the skies, falling missiles, crumbling buildings, and much, much more!
The controls are simple though as our little business man does all the running, dodging, and landing by himself. All you have to do is help him jump by pressing a key or, if you’re on the iPhone, tapping the screen. If you think that’s easy… guess again. In order to make it from building to building, you must time your jumps carefully and try not to hit any obstacles or you will fall to your death.
The graphics are minimalistic but, at the same time, beautifully detailed. The game has two soundtracks and both help create a suspenseful, adrenaline-pumping, and exciting atmosphere!
But even after all that, I think my favorite part of the game is the level design. There is only one level, but no matter how many times you play Canabalt, it will never be the same. This keeps the game fresh and exciting but prevents strategy planning of any kind.
Oh, and for you Twitter-crazed people out there, this game has a feature were you can tweet your scores to all of your followers!
The only two things I found wrong with it are:
1.) There is no way to view the global leader board in-game (but you can view it at the game developer’s website).
2.) There are really no achievements except for showing off your score on Twitter or on the leader board. But then again, having a simple score system helps keep the game well, simple.
This is a very creative, exciting, and addicting game. I strongly recommend this game for everyone and suggest you try playing it ASAP! You can find the game on the iTunes AppStore for about 3 bucks, various other sites for computer versions, or on the official game site as a flash game for free.
Many thanks to you, Semi Secret Software, for saving the world of casual gaming!
Screenshots posted with permission from Semi Secret Software.
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