app review: Canabalt for iPhone

Canabalt is a game that will conjure up memories of watching Jason Bourne running on rooftops, smashing through windows and narrowly making enormous leaps. Thankfully, there is no real danger to be faced, but its rapid pace and bite size game play will have you wondering if your last attempt was truly your best. Its 8-bit like, grey and black colored visuals are deceptive, as it engages you backed by a soundtrack, reminiscent of a Ratatat song, you cannot get out of your head.

Canabalt is simple on paper: you run from left to right nonstop, leap from rooftop to rooftop (a few crumbling under your feet), with speed being your friend and foe. Trouble is also found in the form of boxes in your path that attempt to slow you down; their malevolent purpose being to make your leaps for safety that much more challenging. As you reach Sonic the Hedgehog like speeds, you realize that you may overshoot your landings or crash into the side of buildings.

The game’s charm comes from not only its visual simplicity or its soundtrack but in the way you actually play it. As your in-game avatar runs faster and faster you realize that all it takes to play is one finger, and that is a great achievement. There is no need for annoying, and clunky onscreen joysticks to distract from the game. Your one finger tapping on the screen controls your character’s jump as he builds speed.

In future updates or iterations of Canabalt it would be great to have more varied courses instead of the just one. Also, besides a scoreboard there are no other options to challenge your friends, which is disappointing (I dream for multiplayer challenges someday). Overall, this is another solid iPhone game that will have you coming back, especially with your trusty headphones.

rating: four stars out of five • App Store link

review by Bagner Estrada