Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run Review
PROS
- One touch gameplay with situational controls.
- An interesting blend of mechanics.
CONS
- Locks you to your first turtle choice.
- Store prices are quite high, especially for a premium game.
- The voices get quite annoying quickly.
VERDICT
A very solid endless runner that blends jumping and attacking with only a single tap. Locking the additional characters after making your initial choice may be a deal breaker for some.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Like many children of the eighties, I have a certain favourable nostalgic lens when it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As an iPhone games reviewer, I have a certain malaise when it comes to the endless runner genre. Last month's review of Snoopy Coaster showed that an average game can be excused if one enjoys the license, but only slightly. TMNT: Rooftop Run poses the same question, but at least a sigh of relief can be breathed as this is an endless runner that is at least actually trying.
The intro of the game has the turtles playing videogames, when April busts in to inform them that the Krang army is invading the city. From here you get to choose your turtle, and choose carefully. Once you pick, the other turtles are locked behind a paywall of in-game currency. Luckily my choice wasn't hard at all, but not being able to switch when desired is a bit of a kick in the teeth, especially since this is a premium game, and the rate of coin collection is slow if you're being generous describing it.
The game itself is an endless runner with situational mechanics that all are carried out with a single tap. Want to jump and double jump? Tap. Want to execute a wall run off that billboard? Tap. Want to attack the foot clan? Tap. The actual attacking through is kind of triggered the way the homing dash works in 3D Sonic games. A targeting reticle will appear over the enemy, and a tap will home in on them, as your turtle dives towards them, executing a move. Throughout the game you are being chased by a Krang drone, and need to collect these green energy orbs to stay ahead of its paralysing beam that will signal a game over (as will a drop down from the rooftops). If you manage to fill that beam however, you get treated to a minigame of sorts that has you tapping on screen to execute a series of flashy attacks on incoming enemies. Completing this will give you a cash bonus (as attacking enemies is the only way to get cash), so it is in your interest to fill the bar as often as possible.
Along with the turtle unlocks, the store has game helping boost items as well as weapon and gear upgrades, all at a hefty price. When it comes to the presentation itself, the animations and overall look are top notch (as long as this latest incarnation of the character designs don't annoy you), and the sound is decent if for the caveat that the turtles only have a couple sound clips, and you will hear them over and over and over again, often in a single run.
So as endless runners go, TMNT: Rooftop Run gets a pass. Its balance of orbs verse attacking keeps the game interesting, and the game looks and plays well. Its paywall shenanigans are a problem however (and funnily enough, the game starts off with a warning that the real money options can be turned off in your settings), so really unless you're a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or a hardcore endless runner player, this could easily be overlooked.
Screenshots
$3.99
