Featured App: Temple Run 2 for Android

Temple Run 2 Home ScreenOkay, so classic may be an overstatement considering the original Temple Run was only released in August of 2011 on iOS, but it’s been such a mainstay on so many devices that classic feels like the right word. It looks like Temple Run 2 has a lot to live up to, seeing as the first one soared to 1 million downloads after just 3 days of being released for Android. So does Temple Run 2 have all the tools to match, and perhaps, surpass its predecessor?

A Few New Wrinkles to a Tried and Tested Formula

If you think that it’s just more of the same from the original Temple Run, well, you’d be right, but that’s not such a bad thing. Why mess with a tried and tested formula, right? Anyway, it’s already proven to be a hit with iOS users, racking up 20 million downloads after just a week on the App Store. The mechanics of the game haven’t changed much and the objective is still to survive this endless game as long as possible by avoiding obstacles and collecting coins for upgrades and power ups that you can use in following games. Just as in the original, you only have to swipe across the screen or tilt the phone to control the character. This results in some very simple gameplay, yet it is still just as addictive as ever.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper sequel if there weren’t some improvements. The environments of Temple Run 2 have undergone a major overhaul and are much more dynamic. You’re no longer running across a flat plane; you’re running across hills, jumping over rivers, and avoiding entirely new obstacles such as a spiked grinder thingy I’ve never seen before. Also, you’re no longer being chased after by a pack of ordinary-sized demon monkeys in Temple Run 2; it’s one big ass demon monkey now.

Giant Demon Monkey in Temple Run 2  Rope Swinging Section  New Mine Section in Temple Run 2

Temple Run 2 also mixes it up by mixing in a new section every now and then, much like Temple Run: Brave did with its arrow target shooting section. Temple Run 2 has a mine section where, rather than running, you’re riding a mine cart, tilting it to go left or right and run on a single rail if need be. It’s an interesting wrinkle and one that I had a hard time getting used to.There’s also some short rope swing sections, which help transition you from one environment to another.

Is It a Hit?

Temple Run 2 might be a rehash of the same gameplay, but the environments and graphics certainly aren’t. In fact, compared to the flat environment of the original Temple Run, Temple Run 2 looks much more like a living, breathing world that translates much better to screens in excess of 4 inches. There are also enough tweaks to the gameplay to keep it feeling new without messing too much with the tried and tested formula. Need proof? 20 million iPhone and iPad users can’t be wrong.

Got Eaten by Demon Monkeys

Download Temple Run 2 from Google Play here.

*Tested on my Cherry Mobile Blaze

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