As much as I dislike shopping in general, I harbor an even deeper aversion to impulse buys. Which is why I was so surprised by my uncharacteristic behavior a couple weeks ago. Not only did I willingly enter a shop in order to browse for accessories (accessories?!), I also allowed myself to be distracted by a shiny display. Then I bought something frivolous, and left the store with nothing I was looking for.
Two weeks on, however, and still no buyer's remorse. That's in part because the app I impulse-bought only cost a dollar, and in part because it's a game that I enjoy as much as my child does.
Run Roo Run meets my family's standards for games worthy of our screen time. Not only are its levels delightful to replay, the story's casual reliance on a couple of tropes was only onerous enough to give me pause. The playable character is a badass mother kangaroo on a perilous journey to rescue her joey from human kidnappers. Sure, Run Roo Run's Australia is depicted with about as much depth and accuracy as you'd expect in a two-dimensional, one-touch sidescroller. And yes, in order to give us a strong female character to play, the designers resorted to putting her child in danger. But those are my only complaints about the game.
There are 420 levels, not counting the weekly bonus levels. Our favorite levels are those which mess about with gravity. Tire swing levels are pretty great, too. Completist gamers beware: The 'extreme' levels live up to their moniker. In two weeks, we haven't beaten half of them. But no matter. It's hard to be too frustrated when we're having this much fun.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jsD5NEx_aE[/youtube]
