Parkour GO

Running around dangerous places is somehow considered a fun activity, and many people have taken up free running, or parkour as it is known. Naturally, many inflict nasty injuries upon themselves in the process, since falling is always a danger. On the other hand, it’s always a rush to achieve great feats and nice acrobatics, depending on how big of a thrillseeker you happen to be.

Parkour GO is a first-person free-running game that borrows most of its mechanics and visual elements from the famous Mirror’s Edge. The goal is to clear levels by making it to the checkpoint, but in order to reach it you have to overcome a variety of obstacles. Not only that, but tough stunts are sometimes necessary to perform some of the most difficult jumps in the game.

In short, there is no actual story to worry about, unlike in the game it emulates. This can also transform into boredom, on the other hand, because the parkour bit might lose its appeal after a while. There are no new mechanics to keep you engaged, because jumping and running on walls are the only things that help you move around the map.

There are also a few bugs and glitches you have to live with, such as the fact that the collision detection system is way off in some cases. It’s also difficult to perform certain stunts because of the slow mechanics, but then again the levels are not very tough to begin with. It would be nice to have some kind of timer or a threat that hurried you along, or at least an optional one.

Lastly, the level design is actually quite decent, although it is obviously inspired and almost copied from Mirror’s Edge most of the time. It’s a much less refined design, on the other hand, so don’t expect great quality either. Even so, the levels are miles ahead of most indie productions, although it must be stated again that they are obviously inspired or copied from Mirror’s Edge.

All things considered, Parkour GO is nothing more than an uglier version of Mirror’s Edge that can be played for free, and it’s good enough to be worth a bit of effort. However, the game loses it’s appeal in a rush, so don’t expect to be playing for more than a few minutes at a time.