Tap Rocket Review

Tap Rocket is a jetpack-themed endless runner developed by Eye Interactive. Although the App Store seems to be overflowing with titles that play very much like Tap Rocket, the game adds enough twists to the runner genre that it holds its own as a unique experience.

Playing Tap Rocket is simple: Players take control of an astronaut who is running automatically across the screen. The goal of the game is to get as far as possible by tapping to jump over obstacles or tapping and holding to activate a jetpack to avoid obstacles. To complicate things a bit, the game makes the use of the jetpack limited via a fuel gauge at the bottom of the screen. This added mechanic forces players to think twice before using their jetpack, making the game about finding a balance between jumping and jetpacking.

To make the game interesting, Tap Rocket also laces the game environment with coins, powerups, and jetpack fuel. Coins can be used to purchase upgrades, powerups can send players rocketing upward without using fuel, and fuel allows players to continue using their jetpack. In addition to collectables, Tap Rocket also throws obstacles--like UFOs, falling asteroids, and shaky platforms--at players to add challenge to the game.

Perhaps the most unique part about Tap Rocket, however, is its de-emphasis on being a punitive game. Although there are obstacles, they only become tricky well into a play session. Also, every time a player falls into a ravine or otherwise fouls up their run, they are given a second chance. These features make each run in Tap Rocket a longer experience, asking players to maintain focus over time more so than other runners.

Beyond all of this, there is not much else to say about Tap Rocket besides the fact that it has a slick-looking black and white aesthetic. If you like runners, Tap Rocket definitely brings some new things to the table, so it's worth checking out.