Jungle Raider Review

Heroes who run through temples are nothing new on the App Store, but Jungle Raider offers something slightly different from the usual Temple Run format. It'd be all the better if it could go a couple of steps further in terms of innovation, but that's not to say that Jungle Raider isn't quite fun.

Players control an adventurer as he runs through jungles and caverns, attempting to collect up jewels and treasures along the way. An auto-runner, controls are a matter of tapping on the left-hand side of the screen in order to duck and roll, and the right-hand side to jump or double-jump over obstacles. It's simply done but effectively executed.

Obstacles are a varied bunch. There are spikes to leap over, swarms of bees to duck under, and various pits to avoid. Along the way are a plethora of different colored gems, each adding to the points total at the end of the player's session. At regular junctures, players leave the jungle to enter a cavern that contains a valuable gem. This gem basically just means more points but its removal also adds some peril with the cavern turning much nastier until one escapes it.

Jungle Raider also offers a selection of tasks to complete, such as reaching a certain high score or attaining a cavern-based gem. These challenges change frequently as one works their way through them, but unfortunately they're not really tied to anything more than satisfaction. That's the key issue with Jungle Raider: there's no upgrade system or sense of real progression, with satisfaction the main source of reasoning behind carrying on.

It's not so much that Jungle Raider isn't fun, it's just that there's that sense it could do more. In its current guise it's briefly fun, but avid Endless Runner fans will know the importance of feeling like one's going somewhere. Jungle Raider lacks that appeal, meaning it falls somewhat short of its true potential.