Game Reviews

Monsters, Inc. Run

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iOS
| Monsters, Inc. Run
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Monsters, Inc. Run
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iOS
| Monsters, Inc. Run

One of the routes to success in mobile game development these days appears to be the big-name licence rehash. We've had Temple Run: Brave, Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots, and now Monsters, Inc. Run.

Each title takes a pre-existing iOS classic and dresses it up in a tenuous movie licence, no doubt in the hope that the pre-built fanbase will lap up the reconstituted edition.

Monsters, Inc. Run is based on the foundations laid down by Get Set Games's Mega Run, a title from earlier this year which managed to gain a large following thanks to its lush 2D visuals, instantly gratifying gameplay, and near-endless drip-feed of unlockable extras.

Everything that made Mega Run so compelling has made the transition to this updated edition, but for once the Disney licence enriches rather than cripples the experience.

You take control of scare team Mike and Sulley (other duos are unlocked as you progress). Your main character is Mike, who is the weaker of the two and can be knocked down to lower levels by enemies. Thankfully, he's able to dish out some punishment of his own by leaping onto the heads of evil foes, Super Mario-style.

Scare tactics

By collecting special monster tokens you can call Sulley into play, who is able to use his impressive size to bash down barriers and swat away hostiles. However, Sulley's participation is time-limited, and after a few seconds control reverts back to Mike.

Your ultimate objective is to get to the end of the level unscathed. Along the way you'll find a dazzling array of items to collect, including coins (which can be used to unlock special items), boost tokens (which bestow special powers on Mike), and three items belonging to Boo, the small girl who will be familiar to fans of the hit movie.

Monsters, Inc. Run features three worlds, each composed of 48 stages, with additional worlds to be added at a later date. There's also an Endless mode to take part in, but without the tight focus of reaching the end of a level it feels a bit flabby and tacked-on.

Although Monsters, Inc. Run features in-app purchases to unlock new worlds and items, all you're really doing is getting your hands on them early. Perseverance will bag you all of the game's content eventually, so unless you're so impatient you don't want to actually enjoy what the game has to offer, you'll do well to ignore them.

Terrifying tales

Monsters, Inc. Run may not be devastatingly original - especially when you consider that it's essentially Mega Run in new clothing - but it is most definitely a quality product.

From the attractive visuals to the compelling and addictive action, it's a game that will quite happily swallow up hours of your time. The later levels become very challenging, too - something which extends the game's already impressive longevity.

Monsters, Inc. Run's only real fault is one that affects most games of this type: despite the change of scenery as you move from world to world, the core gameplay never really alters. The first few levels essentially show you all the game has to offer, and as a result later stages can become a little repetitive and samey.

Even so, the enjoyment level rarely dips, and there's enough to see and do here that repetition doesn't become quite the problem it might have been. Monsters, Inc. Run is entertaining, visually alluring, and comes packed with content. In other words, it's easy to recommend.

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Monsters, Inc. Run

A quality upgrade of Mega Run, Monsters, Inc. Run boasts gorgeous visuals and engaging gameplay, and is only slightly dulled by repetition on later stages
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.