Top 5 Endless Runner Games for Android that aren’t Temple Run

Being in a world where everything is fast-paced; from fast-food to flash-fiction to flash-games (pun severely intended). In fact so fast is the world now that people don’t hold the door open for each other or help up our fallen comrades. I guess we had it coming that games reflecting these ugly truths would come out sooner or later. And come out they already have. These said games are aptly called “runner games.” It should be made clear this early in the article that this is not the Runner Games Company (company that develops games for Android and iOS) that I am talking about. I am talking about “runner games” in the most basic definition of those words combined: runner, which involves running; and, game, which is, well, a video game.

If you haven’t been playing video games for a while, think of it this way, “runner games” are games like Famicom’s Thunderbolt 2, minus the guns, making your only means of survival being your evasive skills.Also, game developers got lazy and forgot to program the forward and backward motion, which means you get dragged by the screen as it moves along  Oh, and I forgot to mention, you also have to add tons of caffeine to the mix. So, yeah, that would be the fast-paced part of the game.

Now, who the hell would want to play games that brutally reflect our current situations as human beings in this god-forsaken world? Apparently, a lot of us do,including me. Being the sado-masochist that I am, I compiled the best “runner games” that I’ve played in Android for you to try and enjoy (or loathe) yourselves.

So, without further ado, here are my Top 5 Endless Runner Games for Android (that you can get for free!)

5. NinJump by Backflip Studios

Let’s begin with Backflip Studio’s NinJump. Now, a lot of you may wonder “If it’s a runner game, why isn’t the game called NinRun?” Well, aside from that title sounding like a complete ass, the gameplay is actually very “runner-like” in itself. Think of it this way, ninjas “run” on walls. That’s just how offensively cool they are. Being a “runner game” the main task is for you to evade birds, and ninja stars, and other ninjas, and foxes, and, wait, what? Foxes? Seriously? Running on clotheslines? Well, that would be the least of the things that would disturb you in a game where the buildings you’re running on are endless.

4. Line Runner by Djinnworks e.U.

Well, this game made a lot of commotion in the iPhone community. Must be the sheer difficulty of the damn game. Honestly, my best score is just 147. But, that’s not stopping me from playing the game over and over again. It must be the beautiful simplicity of the game, it being a simulacrum of the stick-figure fantasies we had during Algebra classes complete with the red ink for blood stains. And, trust me, this game has a lot of those red ink blots. A lot. I love this game.

3. Run Like Hell! YETI EDITION by Mass Creation

Now, if you want a “runner” that’s gentle on the brutal and difficulty scale and hyped to hell on the thrill scale, this game’s for you. Run Like Hell! YETI EDITION follows the same game-play of the first Run Like Hell, only this time instead of a tribe of spear throwing maniacs hungry for your flesh, you have THE Abominable Snowman at your heels. It gets really REALLY exciting once the Yeti’s head comes peeping out from the left side of the screen. Of all the games on this list, this has the highest thrill factor. Definitely not for those suffering heart problems.

2. Nosferatu – Twilight by Playphone

Now, this game is cute. Seriously, it is. The animation is literally eye-candy. Not as difficult as the previous games, but it’s appeal comes from the colors and the daily tasks that you have to do just for the Vampire’s kicks. No, seriously, you play a vampire running for his life as the sun slowly creeps out of the horizon. Weird enough, “Twilight” means dying light. But, anyway, we’re not here to criticize game titles. But, seriously, why would there be coins and people at night on top of rooftops? Well, we are in a society of game fanatics who don’t question where their RPG characters store all their loot or where the hell the arrows come from, so I guess we should move on to…

1. Gravity Guy by Miniclip.com

The only “runner” on the list that follows a story line. Also, this has the best in-game music and graphics of them all. It also has a multi-player option if you want to be a competitive ass and all that jazz. Well, the thing with me is that the more I like a game, the more I bitch about the things they should change. So, I’m going to start with the fact that they have to really change the game-play and let the players change the gravity while on air. Yeah, it already seems a hell lot like Jetpack Joyride but hey, can’t really deny the fact that that was one cool game, eh?

So, there you have it, my list of the best free runner games for Android. Just a recap, we started with a ninja scaling infinite towers, then a beautifully brutal stick-figure runner, then a runner getting chased by a snow monster, then a vampire that runs on rooftops populated by people and coins at the break of dawn, and, finally, a disquietingly disturbing runner that gives you the possibility of falling towards the sky forever. And, yeah, all games sound like nightmares turned digital. Then again, the reality of life — never stopping and break-neck fast — is more unsettling. But, hey, these are the games that would really burn your time with fun.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply