The Rail Runner

Endless runners are pretty new on the market, but they have managed to carve a niche of their own. In essence, it’s quite simple to come up with an idea for a runner, but it’s a lot harder to make it enjoyable and challenging at the same time. Hence, it takes a bit of effort to create something that looks very straightforward at first glance.

The Rail Runner is a fast-paced runner/platformer in which you have to avoid obstacles and deal with enemies at the same time, all while changing between different gameplay modes. It sounds pretty engaging, but there are a few problems that prevent you from having too much fun. On the other hand, it all depends on your ability get used to repetitive gameplay.

To begin with, there are two game modes to choose from, depending on your preferences. In essence, the story mode provides you with missions and a couple of separate levels you have to overcome, while the endless mode is about as straightforward as the name implies. Unfortunately, the environment doesn’t change too often, so the differences are minimal.

You can also switch from jetpack to platformer mode, depending on how you are most comfortable when it comes to avoiding obstacles. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but certain sections require you to be in the correct mode in order to overcome the physical barriers. On top of that, there are enemies that shoot at you as well, which is yet another annoyance.

As for the controls, they can be a bit sticky and rigid on the keyboard, which is annoying when the levels move too quickly. The graphics are colorful, on the other hand, and they can actually create a nice atmosphere if you enjoy sci-fi landscapes. Granted, it gets repetitive in a rush to see the same backgrounds most of the time, especially if you die a lot and have to reset.

In the end, The Rail Runner is clearly a bit too rough to be enjoyable for more than a few minutes, not to mention the fact that it’s way too repetitive. However, there’s certainly potential here, and it would be nice to see whether the developers can unlock it in the future.