''Run Roo Run'' is a

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed and published by

5th Cell 5th Cell is an independently owned video game developer founded in 2003 as 5th Cell Media, LLC. led by Jeremiah Slaczka and Marius Falhbusch. The company is most well known for creating the '' Drawn to Life'' and ''Scribblenauts'' series. Overvie ...

for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

. It was released worldwide on January 12, 2012. The game was announced two days prior to its release, and is the second release from 5th Cell for the iOS platform. The game's plot revolves around a mother kangaroo in search of her captured

joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

. The game takes place in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where Roo travels from

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. ''Run Roo Run'' is unique in its gameplay for modern platform games in that it is not a

side-scrolling video game '' A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...

. Each level is a single screen that introduces a new element of complexity. For this reason, 5th Cell refers to the game's genre as "micro-platformer". It features

Game Center Game Center is a service by Apple that allows users to play and challenge friends when playing online multiplayer social gaming network games. Games can now share multiplayer functionality between the Mac and iOS versions of the app. Game C ...

integration, but is a

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

title.

Gameplay

Gameplay in ''Run Roo Run'' is simplistic in control. Since the game employs auto-run, the player controls Roo only in the character's jumping movements. While a platform game, ''Run Roo Run'' is unique in that it is not a

. Each level is a single screen that introduces new elements of complexity. Each chapter of the game consists of several levels, in which different grades can be achieved depending on the time a player takes to complete each level. A completed chapter represents a move East on the map, and an "Extreme" set of levels are unlocked for each chapter.

Development

After playing the game

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

''Space is Key'' by independent developer Chris Jeff, director

Jeremiah Slaczka Jeremiah Slaczka, also known by his nickname Miah, is a video game designer/creative director and co-founder of 5TH Cell, a video game developer in Bellevue, Washington. He is best known for being the concept creator and Director of ''Scribblenaut ...

gained inspiration for creating a new video game. Slaczka conceived of the game's basic concept several months prior to game development. Development for ''Run Roo Run'' began in September 2011. It was originally meant to be a much smaller project for 5th Cell, with only six weeks of projected development time. However, an additional three months was necessary to complete the game as it became larger-scale. The game was released worldwide on January 12, 2012 for

. The game marks 5th Cell's first new game series since ''

Scribblenauts ''Scribblenauts'' is a series of action puzzle video games primarily developed by 5th Cell. The series is owned and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The first game in the series was titled '' Scribblenauts'' and was first rel ...

'' was released, and is 5th Cell's first self-published title.

Reception

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's Justin Davis praised ''Run Roo Run''s gameplay, noting that "the bite-sized nature of each stage is genius." When discussing the overall game, he stated that "''Run Roo Run'' looks, sounds and plays great." However, video game magazine ''

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

'' gave the game a mixed review; "It's becoming a 5th Cell tradition: strong ideas compromised by erratic level design and structural weaknesses. One day, the developer will find the right balance to support its undeniable creativity, but sadly, it hasn't found it here."

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...

's Chris Pereira stated "the music does become grating as you play (if you play for long enough in one sitting), and the standard levels can be too easy and ask too little of you at times. But the game is made so well for the platform -- you can pick it up, play a level, and go back to what you were doing 30 seconds later, or sit there for an hour -- that it's not difficult to look past those issues."

References

External links

''Run Roo Run'' official website
{{5TH Cell 2012 video games Single-player video games IOS games Platformers IOS-only games 5th Cell games GameClub games Video games featuring female protagonists Video games about kangaroos and wallabies Video games about children Video games about families Video games set in Australia Perth, Western Australia in fiction Australian outback Video games set in Sydney Video games set in 2012 Video games developed in the United States