Every now and then, a Windows Phone game catches our eye while searching the Store and such is the case with The Bulb Runner. The game is an endless runner styled adventure where you have to race a light bulb across a series of platforms.
The challenge of the game comes into play not only with the dangers you have to avoid but also that the gaming screen is only lit by the light your bulb generates. The Bulb Runner will test your concentration and reactions as dangers suddenly appear from the shadows.
Available for low-memory devices, The Bulb Runner may not hold up for marathon gaming sessions but shouldn't be a bad option for shorter gaming periods. The Bulb Runner isn't an overly complicated Windows Phone game but the graphics help the gaming title stand out just a little.
The Bulb Runner's main menu is minimal with options to mute the music and jump into game play. Game mechanics are equally as minimal in that you tap the screen to have the bulb jump.
The mood of the game is a little on the dark side not only with the shadows that surround the bulb but also with the industrial styled environment the bulb runs through. You have the customary holes to jump over along with spiked traps, moving platforms, scaffolding to jump around and spinning wheels to contend with.
While the dangers your light bulb has to contend with seem routine, your reaction time is cut short due to the limited lighting the game offers. Again, the mood of the game is dark and the only illumination available is what your bulb can generate. Dangers appear quickly from the shadows, giving you much less time to react than other endless runner games.
Your score is based on how far you can run before the light bulb meets its fate. There are small glowing orbs scattered about the playing field that you can collect, but they will not affect your score. One might think these orbs would cause the bulb to glow brighter but as best as I could tell, the bulb never dimmed or became brighter when the orbs were collected. It may just be a gaming feature in place for future use.
Overall Impression
The Bulb Runner isn't a Windows Phone game you will invest a lot of time with but that doesn't mean it is a bad title to have in your gaming library. The graphics are drawn up rather nicely, but game play is a little on the vanilla side. The Bulb Runner is a fun game to play here and there but needs a little more chutzpah to draw you in.
One easy feature to add is to give the light bulb the ability to double jump when you double tap the screen. Single jumps will test your skills at timing, but a double jump might help the game be a little more forgiving when your timing is slightly off. I'm also not a fan of the ad banner that sits at the top of the gaming screen. There is just too much contrast between the color ad banner and the dark game screen.
Overall, I liked The Bulb Runner. It's an entertaining Windows Phone game to pick up from time to time when you are in the mood for something different. The developer has the graphics down pat but just needs to find a little something, something to make game play addictive.
At last check, The Bulb Runner is pulling down a 3 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store and we would bump it up about half a star. If you give The Bulb Runner a try, let us know what you think of the game in the comments below.
Download The Bulb Runner for Windows Phone (Free)
