Created by Distinctive Developments (the same team that created Hockey Nations), Dead Runner is a creepy, running game for the iPhone / iPod Touch platforms. Obviously influenced by movies like the Blair Witch Project, Dead Runner puts the player into the first person view of someone trying to escape a forest; endlessly running to find the exit. The presentation is low key, but effective. While there’s no story to speak of, the game works without knowing why the nameless person is racing though the gloomy, dense woodlands.



There are two game modes to play, a distance mode for running the farthest and a point mode. Distance mode gradually increases in difficulty and speed. As the player progresses, more trees start popping up in your way and fewer bushes are on the path to help slow the running speed. The point of view is altered by tilting the Apple device to the left or to the right, thus moving the perspective. The accelerometer does an excellent job of tracking movement and adjusting the position accordingly.

Points mode throws glowing orbs into the level while points steadily increase while running. Yellow orbs are simply an extra 1000 points while green and purple orbs act as 2x / 3x multipliers. The green and purple orbs also increase the running speed by 2x or 3x, thus making it more difficult to stray away from incoming trees.



The game comes with OpenFeint packed into the gameplay, hence there are plenty of achievements to earn as well as leaderboards to compete on. The achievement set isn’t overly difficult, but there are a couple tough ones in there; going 5000m or going 2000m without slowing down. I’d imagine that the developer will update the game to use the OS 4.1 GameCenter API as soon as possible. OpenFeint, while useful for the past year, can’t compete with a first party gaming platform that mimics everything that they do.

Graphics

• The game looks good on the iPhone 4 Retina display, but it’s not particularly amazing in motion due to a lack of variation in the environment. Trees and bushes are detailed, but it gets pretty boring the longer that you are running through the forest. That being said, there’s no framerate or animation issues to worry about. The visual engine also works very well with iPhone 4 gyro / accelerometer.

Audio

• The soundtrack included with the game is a mix of ambient, Halloween-like sound effects that are designed to creep you out. It doesn’t match the speed of the runner though and creates no sense of urgency. The light sound effects, like when hitting a tree or picking up a orb, are fairly forgettable as well.

Conclusion

In the end, there’s not much replay value to Dead Runner. It’s interesting for a few runthoughs, but the OpenFient achievement set isn’t going to keep you coming back for more. It’s the type of 99 cent game that quickly gets old and makes you wonder why it’s getting rave reviews. There are plenty of 99 cent games on the App Store that give you much more replay value for your expense, Doodle Jump for instance.

Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum