Sumiken review - A decent slashing auto-runner

Sumiken is a game about slicing people into little chunks. Although it's nowhere near as graphic as I just made it sound, so sorry about that.

You're a samurai who's sprinting along the screen, armed with just a trusty sword. With a few swipes you need to dispatch anyone who gets in your way.

It's smart, it's fast, and while it isn't the most polished game on the App Store, at least it tries to do something a little different with its aesthetic.

Your running is controlled automatically, which leaves you to concentrate on the violence. Swipe horizontally on the screen and you'll lash out with your blade.

Swipe up and you'll perform a leaping slash. Swipe down while you're in the air and you'll dive down with blade extended. And that's about it.

You've also got a special move. This unlocks when you've cut down enough bamboo. Once the meter is full you can tap a button and become invulnerable for a little while.

The skill in the game comes from the various enemies you're facing. Some will leap in the air, and if you run underneath them they'll kill you. Others have long pikes, and getting one of those in the gut means game over.

There are challenges you need to complete as well. Once you've done three you move up a level. Higher levels unlock different swordsmen for you to use in your battles.

The challenges give you a reason to push on. You can upgrade your fighter as well, using the coins that you get for slaughter.

You earn more coins for better-timed swipes, and getting your timing perfect is the key to getting the very best scores.

There's nothing super new here, but everything is put together reasonably well. There are rough edges, but they're not in the gameplay, which will keep you playing for a decent while.

You'll have fun with Sumiken, but eventually you'll run out of things to see, and once that happens there's not much reason to go back.