5 things that give a running game its speed

Running games have been done to death, but as with all things in life, there are bad running games, average running games, good running games, and amazing running games. While it’s hard to believe the simple endless runner can be labelled as “amazing” or even “life-changing”, you have to admit: some runners do perform very well.

Here are some things that we think all great running games have, based on Asian running games we’ve come across.

1. Smooth controls

There is no great running game out there that has poor controls. Whether you’re running, ducking, or jumping, movement in a running game has got to be smoother than soft serve ice cream, or there wouldn’t be any joy in it. Tiantian Kupao has got this down pat: whatever movement you perform in the game, you perform it with seamless ease.

This is important because running games rely a lot on your reaction. If the game itself doesn’t cooperate with you, you’re not going to want to play it for long. Better programming leads to fewer chances of the user uninstalling the clunky app in frustration.

(See: Tiantian Kupao review: China’s most popular free iOS game isn’t free after all)

2. Character upgrades

An endless runner never ends. But what, then, gives the player his or her motivation? Besting their farthest distance is one motivator; the other, more easily attained one, is upgrading a character so it can more easily go further. A running game like Line’s Run Run Hero adds another dimension to the endless runner by giving you a hero that can be upgraded. Furnish him with the right stats, skills, and weapons, and he will go far.

(See: Line’s Run Run Hero review: why being linear isn’t all that bad)

This is important because upgrades can come much more frequently than a personal best, and in an age where attention spans are short and barely existent, it’s important to keep a user connected and grounded to your game.

3. Brainlessness