Gun Run

Gun Run – You shouldn’t run with scissors... but guns are OK, apparently?!

It’s quirky, it’s fun and certainly going to keep you playing for quite a while, and it goes by the name of Gun Run.

I’m trying to think of a game which this particular title emulates but in truth, it doesn’t really follow the pattern of any of the previous ones I’ve played in all my years. This game has you controlling a stickman who’s clearly had a bad day at the office and on his way home is keen to express himself using his endless supply of bullets whilst taking pot-shots at bizarre crocodile headed land and air creatures.

To speed up you press forward and to slow down, press back. Firing is automatic and pressing up and down directs the angle of fire. Jumping is achieved by pressing and repeatedly tapping the OK/5 button. It’s easy to get carried away whilst having so much fun with your gun but thankfully to reset the gun angle is as simple as you pressing the * button.

As you run up and down the angular hills blasting along the way, you have the various power-ups to boost your score and chances of survival.  Hearts restore health, and if you collect three whilst at full health, you’ll gain an extra life. The gun power-up increases your weapons firing rate should you collect three of them. Likewise with gathering the shield boost you’ll get invulnerability for a short period of time. Alternatively the bomb icon clears the screen of all enemies. Best of all though, is the scull power-up which, if collected, engages ‘rage mode’ where you get invulnerability and increased fire-power for a brief time.

The game progresses up levels as you clear the way from all the monsters in your path. However, unlike many other games out there, rather than finishing one level and starting with full health and purchasing power-ups before embarking on the next stage, you progress seamlessly from one stage to the next. This means it becomes a balance of picking up the power-ups to suit and making sure you don’t miss any if at all possible. One false move could mean you end up losing health or the game entirely.

Overall this game is a superb little gem which is well worth downloading and playing to your hearts’ content. Although the levels and the game doesn’t really evolve much, the fun and originality really do speak for themselves and you’ll probably find yourself unable to put the phone down once you’ve loaded it up.

Rating 86%

Positives

Simple controls which are quick to get used to

Challenging yet very simplistic

Unlike many other games on the market

Very addictive

Negatives

The game doesn’t really evolve much

The graphics are simple but it could be a little smoother around the edges