Chillingo's auto-side running platformer, Totem Runner, has been out on iOS for almost a year now but has only recently landed on the Google Play Store. If you've seen pictures or gameplay videos of it, you will immediately notice its unique and beautifully painted visuals that really sets it apart from other side-scrolling games in the market. In Totem Runner, you play as sort of a shaman out to repopulate the now-monstrous world with mother nature. Every step you take leaves behind a wake of grass and luscious plants that are a treat to behold. As you face obstacles in front of you, you are able to transform into a few different types of animals to overcome each hurdle in true shaman style.  Tapping and holding onto the icon on the bottom right will turn you into a crow which allows you the gift of flight. When you are in crow form, up and down directional buttons will appear on the bottom left of the screen to allow you to control the height at which you wish to fly. If you come across an obstacle or enemy on land, the player then has to click on the bottom left to transform into a bull and stampede its way through. It may seem like an easy mode would be to keep switching between the bird and the bull, but the developers clearly want you to keep returning to your natural human form every now and again, because when you have been in animal form for too long, a big evil monster will appear on the right of the screen and gobble you up as you get close. Game Over. That does add a layer of depth to the game though, as it seeks to test your reflexes and finger agility. When running, flying and charging in the game, you collect pink round blobs that add to your score and, more importantly, a circular bar at the top left of your screen. When that meter is charged full, clicking on it will unleash the dragon form, which is basically Godmode for a certain distance. Needless to say, these 3 animal forms with a decent variety of obstacles, enemies and backgrounds make the game a frantic and a very colorful experience. The difficulty does ramp up considerably after the first chapter, so expect to be a little frustrated as some levels require at least a few trial and error runs in between checkpoints. Every time you die and restart from the checkpoint, you lose points which counts towards the ever popular three-star system. So obtaining all three stars demands near perfection throughout the entire level. In my time playing the game, I have only managed to obtain 3 stars on 2 levels.  Maybe it has become too common these days, but when a game does not include any sort of upgrade system or character customization or special powerups to unlock, I feel like it is incomplete. Thus Totem Runner falls into this category. It is fun to play at first, but what incentive do I have to replay the levels or collect these stars? That wouldn't be so bad if the story is at least engaging, but Totem Runner's story is hardly highlighted in the game. So after completing a few levels, I would switch to a game like Nun Attack: Run & Gun (same genre) because I am so close to unlocking an uber weapon for my robe wearing gun-wielding women. Don't get me wrong, Totem Runner is beautiful (powered by the Unity engine) and challenging to play, I just don't see much point in playing it after the gimmick of switching between animal forms wears thin. Also, only the tutorial and first chapter (which consists of 4 levels) are free to play. The other 4 chapters require you to purchase the full version, which costs $1.07. Just as well. If you are looking for a new pretty looking casual game to fill the void in the subway, feel free to try the first chapter out. It's not great, but it's not bad as well.  | |||
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