Temple Run (series)
Temple Run is a video game franchise of 3D endless running video game developed and published by Imangi Studios. The player controls being chased from an enemy. The primary theme of series is an explorer chased from evil demon monkeys, however, the characters and theme vary between spin-off. The game was initially released for iOS devices on August 4, 2011, and later ported to Android systems and Windows Phone 8. The series consists of five titles and one planned. The series has received commercial success with multiple entries surpassing 1 million downloads.
Temple Run | |
---|---|
Genre(s) | Endless runner |
Developer(s) | Imangi Studios |
Publisher(s) | Imangi Studios |
Platform(s) | iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Tizen, PC, Arcade, Samsung Gear VR |
First release | Temple Run August 4, 2011 |
Latest release | Temple Run VR December 23, 2014 |
Gameplay
In the Temple Run series, the player controls a player character with the perspective behind the player character's back. While the character is running, the player can swipe left or right to move the character to either side of the screen to collect coins and/or avoid obstacles. The player can also swipe down to slide down towards the ground or swipe up to jump. If the path leads to a turn, the player must swipe toward the direction of the turn to successfully stay on the path. Intersections on the path allow the player to choose different paths. If the player does not avoid obstacles or doesn't turn to stay on the path, the player will fall off the path or die and lose. Throughout the path, there are coins to collect. There are three types of coins to be found while the character is running: gold, red, and blue. A gold coin will only add one coin to the player's total number of coins. Red coins are worth two coins, while blue coins are worth three. The coins can be used to buy and then upgrade power-ups and/or other characters. Coins can also be bought by the player through in-app purchases with payments of actual money. When the player needs to turn left or right, the touchscreen can be swiped in the corresponding direction. If the player wishes to jump over an object, the screen can be swiped upwards; if the player wishes to slide under an object, the screen can be swiped downwards.
Games
2011 | Temple Run |
---|---|
2012 | Temple Run: Brave |
2013 | Temple Run 2 |
Temple Run: Oz | |
2014 | Temple Run VR |
Released
The first entry in the Temple Run series.
- Temple Run: Brave
In June 2012, it was announced that Imangi had teamed with Disney to promote the film Brave via a Temple Run-style game titled Temple Run: Brave. The game was released on June 14 for iOS and Android.[1][2] As with Temple Run when it was initially released, Temple Run: Brave cost 99 cents to purchase.[3] Temple Run: Brave is set in the highlands of Scotland. The default character is Merida, and as in the original game, the objective is to keep running, avoiding the dangers along the way in an effort to achieve the longest time possible, while being chased by the demon bear, Mor'du.[4]
The new feature for Temple Run: Brave is archery. During the run, archery symbols appear with some dots above them, acting as a signal that there will be bullseyes at which to shoot. The dots are the number of targets in the area. On the left and right sides, the player will then find archery targets, and by touching the screen, an arrow is shot accurately at the upcoming target. When the player finishes hitting all targets in the area, they get a coin bonus, and must then wait for another area with archery targets.[5]
In an update, Temple Run: Brave received a new power-up, the "Will-o'-the-Wisps", which appear in the game random times during gameplay. When the player obtains it, they are transported to a "dark" version of the game world, where glowing wisps appear in the player's path. The player has to grab as many as they can, while still navigating the turns and jumps.[6]
In 2013, Temple Run: Brave was ported to Windows Phone 8, and both Windows 8 and Windows RT (via Windows Store).[7][8] In 2014, it was ported to BlackBerry 10.[9]
Direct sequel to the first Temple Run game.
- Temple Run: Oz
A second spinoff game, called Temple Run: Oz, based on the Disney film Oz the Great and Powerful, was released on February 27, 2013, for iOS, to coincide with the release of the film.[10] On August 28, 2013, Temple Run: Oz was released for Windows Phone 8.[11]
- Temple Run VR
Temple Run VR was announced in September 2014 for the Samsung Gear VR headset and released on December 23, 2014.[12][13] This version the player is being chased by an arctic demon monkey in first person perspective. Players must avoid snow and jump over cliffs in order to survive.[14] The game was ported to the Oculus Rift on May 1, 2015.[15]
Temple Run: Treasure Hunters
In late 2016, Scopely soft-launched a match-3 spin-off of Temple Run, titled Temple Run: Treasure Hunters, in select countries.[16] Treasure Hunters was planned to be released sometime in 2017[17] on iOS and Android, with the Google Play Store accepting pre-registrations for the Android version.[18]
Reception
Game | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Temple Run | 83.5% | 80/100[19] |
Temple Run: Brave | 75.0% | 72/100[20] |
Temple Run 2 | 79.9% | 79/100[21] |
Temple Run: Oz | 67.5% | 71/100[22] |
Temple Run VR | n/a | n/a |
Since the initial release of Temple Run on the App Store, the popularity of the game has soared,[23] to the point that Imangi Studios became more popular than Zynga.[24] In the iTunes Store, the game was included in the top 50 most-downloaded apps in December 2011,[25] and eventually became the number one free iOS app in the Store. It also reached the position of the top grossing iOS app.[26] The Android version was downloaded one million times in under three days of its released.[27] After Temple Run: Brave's release on the App Store, the game topped the charts as the most-downloaded paid game.[28]
Within four days of Temple Run 2's iOS release, the game had reached twenty million downloads, six million of which were within the first twenty-four hours.[29] As of June 2014, Temple Run and its sequel have been downloaded over 1 billion times.[30]
References
- "Temple Run Brave (iOS)". Slide to Play. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- KS Sandhya Iyer (June 8, 2012). "Temple Run: Brave coming to iOS, Android on June 14". NDTV Gadgets. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- Alex Rubens (June 25, 2012). "Temple Run: Brave Review". MacLife. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Sean Capdeville. "Review - Temple Run: Brave". Screwattack. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Jim Squires (June 14, 2012). "Temple Run: Brave Review". Gamezebo. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Chris Reed (June 14, 2012). "Temple Run: Brave Review". Slidetoplay. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Paul Acevedo (May 10, 2013). "Temple Run: Brave for Windows Phone 8 now available". Windows Phone Central. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- Daniel Rubino (June 8, 2013). "Temple Run: Brave arrives on Windows 8 and RT after a seemingly endless run". Windows Phone Central. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Bla1ze (April 3, 2014). "Temple Run: Brave lands on BlackBerry World for BlackBerry 10". CrackBerry. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- Nelson, Randy (February 4, 2013). "Temple Run: Oz the Great and Powerful (apparently) landing this month on iOS". TÚAW. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- Stroh, Michael (August 28, 2013). "Now in the Store: Temple Run Oz for Windows Phone 8". Windows Phone Blog. Microsoft. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- Jordan, Jon; Editor, Contributing. "Temple Run goes first person as it supports Samsung Gear VR". pocketgamer.biz.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- Priestman, Chris. "Temple Run VR sprints into virtual reality on the Samsung Gear VR today". Pocketgamer.com.
- Spencer, Spanner. "Imangi Studios on remaking Temple Run for Gear VR". pocketgamer.biz.
- "Temple Run VR on Gear VR". Oculus.
- Cowley, Ric (March 20, 2017). "Scopely snags Temple Run license for soft-launched match-3 title Treasure Hunters". PocketGamer. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- "Temple Run: Treasure Hunters Official Website". Temple Run: Treasure Hunters. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- "Google Play Store listing for Temple Run: Treasure Hunters". Google Play Store. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- "Temple Run for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- "Temple Run: Brave for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- "Temple Run 2 for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- "Temple Run: Oz for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- Peter Chubb (February 21, 2012). "Temple Run To Smash Records". InEntertainment. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- Brian X. Chen (March 1, 2012). "How Temple Run Became More Popular Than Zynga Games". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Nicole Loiseau (December 3, 2011). "Temple Run becomes popular throughout the app world". MSD Eagle's Landing. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Josh Constine (January 15, 2012). "Mobile Game Design: How Evil Monkeys Chased Temple Run To App Store #1". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
- Michael Crider (March 30, 2012). "Temple Run for Android Gets A Whopping 1 Million Downloads In Three Days". Android Community. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- "Temple Run: Brave – Follow Merida's Adventure through the Highlands of Scotland". The Bestsellers Reviews. May 26, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Graziano, Dan (January 21, 2013). "Temple Run 2 surpasses 20 million downloads on iOS in four days". Yahoo! News. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- Joshua Topolsky (June 4, 2014). "'Temple Run' has been downloaded over 1 billion times, and most players are women". The Verge. Retrieved June 4, 2014.