Cartoon Survivor Review

Developer: Spunge Games
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

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Overall Rating:

An auto-runner about a dodo bird getting tossed into a reality TV show where it has to run a gauntlet of cavemen, dinosaurs, angry Mayans, lava, and more - all with a stick of dynamite strapped to its back? Sure, Cartoon Survivor, I’ll bite.

Aside from being the kind of reality show that nobody would willingly sign up for, Cartoon Survivor is a pretty solid auto-runner. Tilting the device will move the dodo back-and-forth along the “road,” while tapping the screen jumps and tapping and holding will glide. You can also tap the Boost icon for a temporary speed increase but let’s not get too carried away.

Despite the colorful and actually rather pretty visuals, this is not an easy game. There are often branching paths to consider with no real time to consider them, and at times you’ll have to rely on trial-and-error to find your way through a few levels (stupid rocks popping up out of the ground…). Some clever concessions have been made, such as being able to choose the length of the dynamite’s wick and thus give yourself more or less time to complete a level at the cost of your end-run star rating, but be prepared to fail quite a bit. Of course, failure is to be expected when you’re a dodo with explosives strapped to its back.

The only real problem I have with Cartoon Survivor is that it’s a bit grind-heavy. You can use the coins you pick up in a level to unlock new Dodo designs, along with special helmets that can bestow special abilities such as breaking through weakened walls to access new areas or give you an extra boost at the start. But what you’ll really want to save those coins for is unlocking new “seasons” - you start with Jurassic and can move on to Cretaceous, Stone Age, and Mayan - or you can just buy them outright with real money if you don’t feel like being patient.

So long as you don’t mind replaying levels several times over, which is kind of the point of these games anyway, you’re bound to have some fun with Cartoon Survivor. At least for a little while.