Rail Rush Review
PROS
- Surprisingly addictive after the first few attempts.
- Those with gold fever will be placated by all the nuggets grabbed.
CONS
- The shop's prices seem a little high.
- Those with slow reflexes will just be frustrated.
VERDICT
It's Temple Run on rails. Ride your mine cart, dodging obstacles while leaning out to collect that precious gold that's hanging in mid-air.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
There's something inherently enjoyable about mine cart rides in videogames. From Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to Donkey Kong Country, they remain a memorable part of those titles. Wait, did I say enjoyable? I must have meant hair-tearingly frustrating. Well luckily Rail Rush isn't that psychotic. I mean it eventually becomes that way the longer you play for, but being in the same vain as Temple Run, this sort of exponential difficulty is expected.
The formula here is pretty stock standard. Survive in the mines as long as you can, collect as much gold as possible, use that gold in the store once you die, and then play again to see if you can get a little further. There are six decisions you can make when you come to each obstacle, and of course only one of them is the correct one. Swiping up will make the mine cart jump, swiping down will make your player duck. Swiping left and right will jump the cart to a different track in that direction, and leaning left and right will not only avoid wooden signs that only cover half the track, but this is how you collect all the nuggets, gems, and eggs that are floating around in this mine. The further you go, the less time you have to make these decisions and the more the game mixes them up so you'll be track hopping, leaning back and forth collecting as much gold as possible, before forgetting that you have to duck, and then that being the end of you.
The items in the store are your standard fare. Usable items that allow you to plow through one obstacles or magnets to collect gold, new characters, mine cart upgrades, nothing should come as a surprise. The prices of these items seem rather steep and suggest that the developers want you to spend money through in-app purchases to deck out your ride. Some of these items can be collected by breaking open the eggs you find in your travels, and there are plenty of missions and achievements to complete as well.
Starting off, Rail Rush seemed like a game we've played a hundred times before, but after the initial few failures, its addictive quality started to shine through. You really don't need any of the items in the shop to enjoy this title, and its reflex oriented gameplay is reminiscent of a more contextual version of Simon. If you're sick to death of Temple Run clones, there's probably nothing for you here, but for those who aren't, this is a solid entry into the genre.
Screenshots
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