Review: Infinity Runner

Title: Infinity Runner
Platform: PS4 and Xbox One (reviewed)
Developer: Wales Interactive
Publisher: Wales Interactive
Release date:Â Out Now
Family Focus: Click here for more information.

Infinity Runner tells the story of a prisoner desperately trying to escape a decaying ship, called Infinity. Infinity is the largest spaceship ever built by mankind; thrown into the void to find a new home for humans. Unfortunately, instead of discovering paradise, the inhabitants of Infinity unlocked a door to a long forgotten nightmare. Deep inside this leviathan something terrible hunts, out of myth and legend the last werewolf stalks the ship.

So what’s the best way to describe Infinity Runner? Imagine Mirror’s Edge on rails. Your character runs non-stop and you don’t have full and direct control over the protagonist. As you run through rooms, hallways or larger rooms, you’ll have to dodge obstacles either by jumping, sliding or moving left or right. Miss your timing and hit the wall, or any obstacles deemed dangerous for that matter, will result in instant death. You’ll be respawned at the closest checkpoint- which luckily there are plentiful- so dying won’t be that much of a pain as you’ll respawn closely.

There are Â also a few combat sequences. Sort of. When entering a room inhabited by enemies, there will be an on-screen prompt where you’ll have to press the button on the screen (once or more) in order to take down your assailant. So yes, combat is entirely based on Quick Time Events (QTEs). But in order to time things accordingly, there’s a small timer around the button; giving you an idea as to how much time you have to press.

In most games thatÂ feature QTEs, you simply have to press it as fast as you can. This can lead to mistakes when too much in a hurry or “stressed” out. This little timer is seen as a blessing for gamers who might be confused by button placement. One thing is for sure, Infinity Runner will test your gaming reflexes. However,Â not everything is perfect. It does have a few frustrating sequences such as certain areas where it’s pretty unclear as to how you’re supposed to dodge the obstacle. It requires also a lot of memorization, sort of a throwback to older games like Contra and Mega Man where you had to learn enemy pattern to survive. In this case the player, through repetitive deaths, need to make a mental memory of every wall and obstacle in order to make it through the next level.

As you run for your life through the sectors, you’ll pick up blue data sheets which basically serves as your HP allowing you to absorb some damage if you either run through lasers or into some green goo. You’ll sometimes pick up Power-Ups which allow the player to morph into a wolf. While in that state, you can run faster and be more agile. Additionally, you don’t have to do anything when encountering enemies as you’ll automatically smash enemies standing in your way.

Along with the game’s main story mode, which is spread across 14 fast paced levels, there’s also an Arcade Mode which lets you replay each chapters with different rules such as no encounters. Purists can also tackle some additional challenges in Challenge mode to keep things interesting. As with any PS4 or Xbox Game, you get a handful of Trophies/Achievements and Infinity Runner‘s are pretty easy and straightforward to nab.

Presentation wise, the game does look pretty good. It features improved stylized visuals from the PC version and runs at 1080p/60fps on consoles. The level design is well thought out yet pretty simple. However, some levels will have a bit of a bland design with darker areas which can confuse players and cause them to hit the proverbial wall because either they chose the wrong direction or they couldn’t turn fast enough seeing as they couldn’t figure on time which direction to go. The game features an electronic soundtrack, filled with upbeat tempo which suits the game perfectly. I could see myself listen to that soundtrack on a daily basis.

Despite its simplistic running mechanic, Infinity Runner is a fun and addictive game where your reflexes will be put to the test. Although the game has a few hiccups such as some bland/dark level design and a few frustrating sequences, players will keep coming back for more. Along with its additional gameplay modes, Infinity Runner will provide hours of (albeit sometimes frustrating) fun, and achievement hunters will find this little gem an easy one to complete.