Endless Runner Video Games
An Endless Runner
An Endless Running game is linear in design without an end, pauses or breaks. It has no stages or changing levels. With only one continuous level, it’s difficulty starts slow and easy. The game venues include paths, streets, bridges and railway tracks. Game controls consist of swipe left/right, swipe up to jump and swipe down to slide under obstacles. Some incorporate “tilt-control” to swing the game character from left to right. As the game speeds up, the player’s character appears to run faster and faster. Obstacles approach faster, requiring faster reactions. The game eventually becomes so fast that even cat-like reflexes and laser-like focus isn’t enough. The player succumbs to the intensity and it’s game over. They are called “endless”, but ironically the end comes far too soon.
Popularity
Endless Runners are easily accessible for the majority of players. They’re easy to learn, but hard to master. These games on average last less than three to five minutes. Fans of the genre are faithful to the game play and will at least give new runner games a try.
Pioneers of the Genre
Often credit for the genre is given to side-scrolling games like Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick Studios or vertical-scrollers like Doodle Jump by Lima Sky. But Imangi Studios paved the way for the current wave of runners, developing Temple Run, Temple Run Brave, Temple Run 2 and Temple Run Oz. Imangi teamed with Disney for both Brave and Oz film properties. Each game features the four-way swipe controls and tilt-control, with Brave adding a “shoot” function.
Other famous Endless Runners
Subway Surfers by Kiloo is probably the best runner to emerge from the genre because it took the best from Temple Run and innovated the “lanes” feature. It excels in tight, precise game play, pleasing graphics and colors that pop and engaging background music. The player swipes left and right along three distinct rail tracks, plus jumps and falls along three heights of elevation. This allows more variety and depth of game play. Players can clearly identify how to measure and avoid obstacles. Overall, the game difficulty is more player-friendly for casual players. The game stays fresh with frequent updates of new playable characters, locations and seasonal holidays.
Running with Friends by Zynga is very similar to Subway Surfers in game play. It features gorgeous graphics and audio, tight game play and great variety. Also, with an Internet connection the game helps players find Facebook friends to compete with or finds a random “Smart Match.”
Despicable Me/Minion Rush by GameLoft is another cute endless running game hoping to capitalize on the Universal film, “Despicable Me 2.” In an effort to innovate, they added a camera pan to create anywhere from a side-scrolling game, to a behind third-person perspective on-the-fly. This game doesn’t require a constant Internet connection.
Opportunities for the Genre
Runner games tend to have low retention because early engagement and short play times are met quickly with ramping difficulty and barriers to progress. Few things are more demotivating than that. Level progression is linear and repetitive with little variety along the way. This was frequently used in early coin-operated arcade games where storage limitations forced games to be short in length. Runners typically have high engagement because any success by the player requires sharp focus to the action on hand. They attract players of all levels, but few players have the skill to excel. Due to the shorter play or session times, developers lean towards monetizing through full-screen ads. These often have the effect of interrupting the engagement bond of the players with the game.
One idea to improve the genre would be to increase retention. Using the concept of seemingly repetitive one-minute challenges to hour-long sessions as players work to move from level-to-level, stage-to-stage like the candy-crush saga, while keeping an eye on the progress of their Facebook friends who also play, is a great idea! Each stage has a different goal, requiring players to wrap their mind around a unique challenge in order to succeed. Each level win is an achievement that can’t be underestimated. It’s an intoxicating reward for the players. Developing an Endless Runner with these concepts is one path for improved retention and monetization.
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