Review: Temple Run: Brave
Score:
82%
Right then, Temple Run Brave. The easiest way to review this would be quite cynical - just cut and paste the original review of Temple Run (which you can read here) and add in a paragraph about the new 'archery' section you can romp through. Then I would need to talk about why there's an archery section, why there's a different character, and we're back at a full review. So let's just go with that.
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0.0
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Let's be clear, Temple Run Brave is very close to Temple Run, and it's not a huge surprise that the second version of Imangi's infinite 3D runner on Windows Phone is the 'side-quel' title to the first game, rather than Temple Run 2 (which I still hope is on the way).
Tied in with last year's Pixar animated release 'Brave', Temple Run Brave sees you take on the lead role of Merida. If you remember the first run through the Scottish countryside in the film, Temple Run Brave feels very much like that opening scene. The difference of course is that you have the bear that is Mor'du chasing you down if you make any mistakes in your run.
It is a bit of a squeeze to get the movie elements into place, but it doesn't feel wrong. The story behind Temple Run Brave actually fits better with the game mechanic than the original title.
Controls are the same. Swiping the screen to the left and right sets you up to turn a corner, while jumping over obstacles and sliding through tight gaps are swipes up and down. The fine control to let you swing from side to side across a path to collect coins from the ground, and dodge smaller obstacles... or balance on top a very narrow cliff.
In addition to this is the new 'archery' part of the run. As you sprint through a straight valley, the archery symbol appears at the bottom of the screen. Keep your eyes peeled for archery targets to appear on either side of the valley, and when you see them, tap the screen on that side to fire an arrow. Merida is an excellent shot, so just tapping on the left or right will be enough to fire a successful shot and claim the bonus.
Strictly speaking, this addition, and the graphics, are the only changes to the Temple Run format. I do think that Imangi have tweaked the gameplay settings very slightly to make the first few minutes of each game that little bit easier. Given the presumed target market (kids who've seen Brave), that's a smart call. They always feel like they have played a good bit of the game.
On the flip side, once you get past two archery sections or so, the difficulty level ramps up quite considerably, first matching the previous Windows Phone version, and then exceeding it. Which I'm quite pleased about as a gamer who prefers a dash more difficulty with my games.
I'm not sure there's a reason to buy both Temple Run and Temple Run Brave (although with the summer coming up, if you've got a few Merida fans in the car with you then the branding might be reason enough). If it was a straight fight between the two versions, I think I'd recommend Temple Run Brave over Temple Run, but it's not quite a straight fight. The original Temple Run on Windows Phone has one small advantage that might be key. It has Xbox Live achievements.
It's not just about how far you can run, it's about completing the side missions and challenges as well. Xbox Live gamers know all about these, with the gamer points on offer for in-game goals. Temple Run has both Xbox Live challenges, and its own challenges to achieve.
Temple Run Brave is not an Xbox Live title, so while there are in-game challenges to meet (such as running 1000 metres without picking up any coins), the lack of achievements for gamer points halves the challenge available. For some players, that's enough to diminish the game just enough to swing back to the original. It's a very subtle thing, but you should think about how you play a game before deciding which one is for you.
Personally, I'm going with Temple Run Brave. I'm not a big collector of Xbox gamer points, and I much prefer the perceived change in the difficulty level on offer here (even if the developers try to tell me it's exactly the same).
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at