Slap and Run Review - An addictive game that offers loads of fun
2021-12-26
The year 2021 has been a good one for the mobile platform. We’ve seen the release of impressive titles as well as those that flopped. But ultimately, it seems the year will end favorably for mobile users with the release of Slap and Run, an addictive arcade runner that tasks you with slapping pedestrians and making a run for it.
The game is funny and addictive at the same time. You’ll find yourself tapping on the screen to commence playing lots of times. Voodoo developers are no newcomers to the mobile platform as they’ve developed dozens of similar arcade titles in the past.
Slap and Run is their newest release, and in this article, we’ll be reviewing the game and giving you its pros and cons, which mostly involve pros. So without wasting any more of your time, let’s dive into the review.
The Good
Addictive and Unique Gameplay
The title pretty much gives away the game’s unique concept of running and slapping pedestrians over and over. But the interesting part about this is how the developers made the visuals look very inclining. So much that if this game were paid, you’d get your money’s worth.
Apart from running and slapping pedestrians, there are combos and boosters that you can activate. This is because when you’ve slapped a couple of pedestrians, they’ll start to chase you afterward, and these traps and boosters can be used to evade them and complete a level.
So overall, Slap and Run offer very addictive gameplay that sort of lets the game catch and traps you in a web of repetitiveness for hours on end. You’re not unlocking new characters or runners, you’re not unlocking new abilities or equipment, you’re not meeting new characters, but the game is fun enough to keep you glued to it.
Easy controls all the way
Like most arcade runners, the controls don’t get to be anything more than swiping left or right, and that’s exactly what VOODOO did with this game. They made the controls easy enough that even a child could play and have fun.
Controlling your runner doesn’t become all that challenging at first, but it gets tougher when you stumble on the traps and are chased by angry pedestrians. Using the booster gives you a massive increase in speed, but it also means you’ll run faster than usual, which will make it a bit harder for you to control the runner.
The developers did a good job with the game’s controls, and even if all you have to do is swipe left and right, you’ll experience jump up, stylishly evading traps, and hiding inside boxes in bonus levels of the game.
Graphics and Soundtrack
The game’s graphics are impressive, and the slaps look realistic in a 2D-ish way. The runner’s movement looks very realistic, considering the size of the game. Despite all the characters being the same, there are outlying factors in the game that makes it more interesting such as the kick to the last pedestrian in a level or the cops.
And you’ll even get to a level where the cops will pull out their guns and aim at you from afar once they see that they can’t catch up to you. You’ll need to try and evade their bullets as well to survive.
The game’s soundtrack was very enticing and perfectly fit the game’s concept. You can listen and enjoy the sound of the slaps, making you feel like getting as many as you can. And the final kick you land to the helpless pedestrian in the final moments before completing a level is worth hearing as well.
Shop and Features
While the game doesn’t have a shop you can visit to buy items or upgrade your skills, it does have a Skin section where you can get your runner’s skin and Unlock new skins. This isn’t all that special or add anything new to the gameplay but if you’re tired of seeing your runner as blue, and you got coins to spare, then definitely check out the other skins.
Other items you can upgrade are the kick, where you hit a pedestrian before completing a stage. Acceleration gives you a boost in the running and helps you stay ahead of cops and pedestrians chasing you. And lastly, there are the earnings, which is for doubling up the coins you’ve earned in the game.
Fun Bonus levels
Another interesting aspect of this game is the bonus levels. We didn’t get to play them from level 1-20 but played a couple from level 23 and above. The bonus levels are where you get to play and have fun with the game. You can slap dozens of pedestrians and collect tons of items, and there are no traps to kill you either.
In the bonus level, it’s just you and the pedestrians. Also, in the bonus level, you’ll come across jumps and other interesting ways of enjoying the game that you don’t normally get at a regular level. But most importantly, the bonus level is to give you a little bit of fun and prepare you for what’s to come in the next stage.
The Bad
It is an online game
So far in this review, we’ve only mentioned the pros of this game, and to round up our review, we’ll be talking about the only cons that we have about the game. The fact that it’s an online game doesn’t exactly take away anything from the game, but it can be a bit disheartening when you’ve fallen in love with the game and want to play in a place where there is no service but can’t.
Perhaps there should’ve been an online and offline mode where players who want to play for fun can enjoy the game while those who wish to compete with others for a spot on the leaderboard can play online. But in this case, the game is straight-up online with ads popping all over the screen.
Conclusion
Slap and Run is a game that deserves your time if you want something addictive that doesn’t eat up all the space on your device. But the fact that it’s an online game might just push away a couple of interested players.
