HELMUT Review

Run Run Run Run Duck Run Run Run Duck Duck SMASH SMASH Run Run Run Duck Run SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH Duck Duck SMASH Run Run SMASH Duck Run Du – Aw man, not even close to my high score!

Ok, just one more game and I’ll do something productive.

HELMUT is a very simple game – it combines the aimless ‘just one more game’ appeal of an endless runner with the ever-increasingly difficult nature of a one-touch reflex game. The game begins as HELMUT, a googly-eyed elephantoid-thing, begins running at top speed; it is up to the player to either make said creature tiny to fit under barriers, or large to smash through piles of doughnuts (at least they look like doughnuts to me).

The be-tophatted, tri-legged HELMUT exists in a binary state, with a single touch switching between the two forms. Players accrue one point for each obstacle they bypass, and if they are the wrong size when they get to an obstacle the game is over instantaneously - aside from a momentary look at Helmut’s screaming face. Players are then dumped back at the title screen to prod the creature into another run. Yes, it is odd. It can also be distractingly fun.

Infinite runner games are only ever as enjoyable as players have patience for them. While this is sort of a truism for every form of entertainment, it is somewhat more poignant for a game that has a single input and no real variance in its gameplay. The animations are smooth, though I personally found the color palette unappealing. There is a distinct ramping-up in difficulty, and around 50 obstacles you will find your twitch-reflexes being put to the test quite effectively.

There isn’t much to HELMUT, but that’s ok. It’s a distraction of a game, with the size-changing gimmick adding a bit of difficulty. Ultimately it is a time-waster; a serviceable choice when one has a moment or two to kill between tasks, but offering nothing more than that. Personally I'm more of a Robot Unicorn Attack kind of guy, but HELMUT will do in a pinch.