Rayman Jungle Run Review

Rayman Jungle Run's enjoyment factor depends on your personal gaming aesthetic. Are you a quick gratification addict who wants an easy endless runner to digest, or do you prefer a real challenge? Although it starts off in simple fashion, Rayman Jungle Run's difficulty level dramatically increases as you progress, and unless you have a perfect balance of timing and coordination, expect your Rayman to bite the dust time and time again.

Each chapter of the game gives you a specific skill set for survival, and for the first nine rounds our white gloved hero jumps from hill to hill, covering differing terrain with relative ease. Each jumping round is easy to complete, and since you can’t die in the first chapter, completing this section should be a lightning quick experience.

Once Rayman gets the ability to fly the game's mortality kicks in and easy street is a memory. Although Rayman's hipster coif turns him into an even cooler propeller head, he doesn't exactly float like a butterfly. While you were able to jump sans consequence during the opener, flying and jumping at the right time is absolutely mandatory, especially when thorn riddled limbs are ready to cut Rayman in half. While the Rayman Jungle Run music evokes a cutesy island paradise, listening to the same music after each death is absolutely annoying. It's imperative you get a hang of the controls and how to effectively move Rayman within each environment, or suffer heaps of frustration. Picking up random red hearts along the way will give you extra health, and if you pass up on these critters, expect a very short life.

Amidst all the bellyaching over getting blown away to oblivion by a yellow bird, mistiming a jump, or flying into a deadly group of thorns, there is some deep satisfaction when you do reach the finish line. Breathing that sigh of relief was completely worth it. Every moment is important in Rayman Jungle Run, you are quickly moving forward to a new challenge or getting killed within seconds. Don't expect to relax and enjoy all the lush scenery that's provided in Rayman's universe; if you want a peaceful, easy feeling, just replay level one over and over again and leave the flying, climbing, vine swinging, and punching sections to the more patient and discerning gamer.

Patience is rewarded in Rayman Jungle Run with a plethora of beautiful wallpapers that you can save onto your home screen, and having Rayman stalwarts Betilla and Globox downloaded onto your iPad is a definite plus. Rayman Jungle Run will obviously appeal to devoted fans of the Ubisoft stape, especially gamers who have grown up playing within the Rayman universe. There are many joys, even with a $2.99 price tag, to cherish with Rayman Jungle Run. With experience you will master all of Rayman's moves and finally get the chance to immerse yourself in this game's colorful world. All you need is a little run in the jungle. And a lot of patience.

App Store Link: Enchant U for iPhone & iPad | By Ubisoft | Price: $2.99 | Version: 1.0.2 | 49.3 MB | Rating 4+