Ridiculous Marathon is a recent release in the Windows Phone Store from the incredibly-talented development group Game Troopers. The endless runner game may be the oddest game they have released where you guide a half-alien, half-gorilla pet through the Amazon forest.
There are plenty of power-ups, customizations and Xbox achievements to unlock throughout Ridiculous Marathon. The game's graphics are bright and colorful and gameplay is challenging. It's an interesting game, to say the least, and in playing the game over the past several days, it comes across as a fun game to pass the time.
Ridiculous Marathon is a free app available in the Windows Phone Store and does support low-memory Windows Phones.
The backstory has an odd-looking pet celebrating a birthday, as alien/gorilla hybrid monsters are apt to do. During the party, the pet swings to bust open a piñata filled with candy and ends up hitting its owners. To avoid punishment, the pet begins his endless run through the Amazon forest.
When you first launch Ridiculous Marathon, the first run will be tutorial in nature that covers your gaming mechanics. Once you finish the tutorial, the game will launch to the main menu that offers options to jump into gameplay and access to:
- Daily and Weekly Challenges
- Gaming Missions
- Settings (sound, music, language options)
- The Game Shop (for power-ups)
- The Game Leaderboard
- The Cosmetic Store (for character customizations)
Gameplay is not unlike other endless runner games. You swipe at the screen to move your pet left or right, to make it jump and to make it roll under obstacles. You have gold tokens to collect and green gems to collect that can be used to purchase power-ups or customizations. You will also have power-ups and mission items scattered about the endless course that can be collected. You even have a rocket-powered surfboard that will let you fly above the dangers.
Power-ups include items such as magnets to collect more tokens, jetpacks and double jumps. As this is an endless runner, there are plenty of obstacles to avoid, including include barricades, jungle vines and logging trucks. In addition to the power-ups that can be purchased or collected, there are piñatas that can be earned and used to make your pet invincible.
Gaming missions and challenges are set up with specific performance goals such as scoring, distance, or the collection of tokens or special items that are scattered around the course. Completing these missions and challenges will earn you tokens.
Fun game but not enough separation
Overall, I enjoyed playing Ridiculous Marathon. The game has the basics of the endless runner genre nailed down rather nicely. Gameplay is challenging with graphics/animations nicely drawn-up. The customizations are nice (I really liked the tree costume) but are a bit on the pricey side. Even the selection of power-ups is nicely crafted and the Xbox integration will appeal to many.
The biggest challenge Ridiculous Marathon may have is standing out in a crowded field of endless runner games. The game is strongly similar to Subway Surfers and if you are burned out on endless runner games, I don't know that Ridiculous Marathon has that one feature to make the game strong enough to rekindle that interest.
Don't get me wrong. Ridiculous Marathon is a fun game to have tucked away in your Windows Phone gaming library and a nice addition to Game Trooper's portfolio. It is definitely worth trying and those who are new to Windows Phone will find it to be an entertaining game. However, the more seasoned gamers may see it as just another endless runner game, and they wouldn't be wrong.
If you have given Ridiculous Marathon a try, let us know what you think of things. Ridiculous Marathon is a free, ad-support Windows Phone game with support for low-memory phones. There are several in-app purchase options, including a $2.99 purchase to remove the ads.
Download Ridiculous Marathon for Windows Phone
