Adventure Time is one of Cartoon Network’s most popular animated programs (is it even still on?), and out of all the cartoon licensed games out there, I think I’ve reviewed more Adventure Time ones than any other in the 20 plus years I’ve been doing this!  Many of these titles imitate other genres of games, like point and click adventures, card games, 2-D platformers, top-down Zelda-like quests, and more!  And some, especially on tablets, are just spinoffs of existing games, like Adventure Time Ski Safari.  And now the show is getting the Temple Run treatment.  Adventure Time Run is available to download free-to-play on iOS and Android devices (reviewed on iPad here).

Just like in Temple Run, you’ll zip forward in 3-D space.  Swipe left and right on the screen to move in those directions, and swipe up or down to jump over or roll under obstacles.  Collect coins and other goodies to unlock new characters and upgrades.  Sometimes a portal will appear and the gameplay will change for a bit.  You might have to fight enemies in a shooter-like game or run towards the screen while avoiding the Ice King’s frozen projectiles.  You have an energy meter that goes down gradually as you run, but will deplete faster if you hit an obstacle.  When it’s all gone, you end the run.  At first you’ll only be able to play as Finn, but later on you can buy other characters like Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Jake, and more.  You can also upgrade each character so they can run longer.

I had two main problems with the game.  One, it seemed like progression was incredibly slow.  It would take forever to unlock new characters and areas.  But I guess that’s the nature of free-to-play games.  The other problem I had was it was a bit buggy.  I don’t know if it was because I was playing on an older iPad, but the game kept crashing on me every time I finished a run.  Strangely enough, though, when I turned the game back on, it would give me my total score from the last run, so I didn’t lose any progress.  It was just annoying.  Hopefully that’ll get fixed in an update or something.  I’m sure die-hard Adventure Time and Temple Run fans will enjoy it at least.

Kid Factor:

All of the violence is just silly cartoony stuff, and if you’re OK with your kids watching the TV show, they’ll be OK with the game, too.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and parental supervision is recommended for the in-game purchases and ads.

Tags: Game Reviews, Television