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Temple Run

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Temple Run
App logo
Developer(s)Imangi Studios[3]
Publisher(s)Imangi Studios[3]
Producer(s)Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova[3]
Designer(s)Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova[3]
Programmer(s)Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova[3]
Artist(s)Kiril Tchangov [3]
Composer(s)None
EngineTemple Run engine (iOS) Unity (Android)[4]
Platform(s)iOS, Android
ReleaseAugust 4, 2011 (iOS)[1]
March 27, 2012 (Android)[2]
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Temple Run is an endless action video game developed by the Raleigh-based Imangi Studios.[6][7] The game revolves around several curious explorers attempting to steal an idol from a temple and being chased by "demonic monkeys". The player controls the explorers with a few simple touchscreen gestures and device tilting and aims to run as far as possible without being "eaten", therefore the namesake of the game, "Temple Run." It is currently available for iOS systems, and the Android platform.[8] Originally the game was only released for iOS, but in March 2012 an Android version was released after a month of delayed release.

In the iTunes Store, it was included in the top 50 most-downloaded apps in December 2011,[9] and eventually became the number one free iOS app. It has also reached the position of the top grossing iOS app.[10] When Temple Run was released to Android, it was downloaded more than 1 million times in under 3 days.[11] The game itself was formerly 99 cents, but Imangi Studios switched the game to a freemium application sometime before December 2011, and instead relies on players purchasing in-game coins with legal tender. For the Android version, it was always freemium, because before it was released the game was already freemium.

Gameplay

Temple Run centers around a group of wandering explorers, where one of the characters, whom the player controls, steals an idol from an ancient temple. The players control the characters moments after they have stolen the idol. Immediately upon acquiring the idol, the player is pursued by a group of malignant demonic monkeys who chase the player out of the temple, thus initiating a "temple run." The characters controllable by the player are

  • Guy Dangerous, "just your average explorer" (default explorer)
  • Scarlett Fox, a "cunning" escape artist
  • Barry Bones, a city cop "with an attitude"
  • Karma Lee, a Far East explorer
  • Montana Smith, the "second greatest" explorer ever
  • Francisco Montoya, a conquistador
  • Zack Wonder, a football star

The different characters have no differences in their "abilities" except of their cosmetic appearance. However, Montoya, the women, and the rest of the men have different grunts and sounds. Montoya's grunts are slightly higher-pitched than the other men.

There is no finish line nor are there any levels; the object of the game is to run as far as possible by avoiding obstacles that require the player to either jump (slide finger forward), duck (slide finger backwards), or turn (slide finger to the right or left) in a precise manner. The game is measured in meters, starting from the temple. While all of this is happening, the player will continue to be pursued by the monkeys. While playing, the player can tilt their device either to the left or the right to collect coins. These coins are primarily in the shape of yellow diamonds, but according to their point value, they can also be red or blue (a 2-point coin and a 3-point coin, respectively). As well as the coins, players also encounter sporadic bonus items during their run.

When gaining coins, there is a bar and a "mural" to complete. Each time the player obtains 100 coins, a section of the mural is completed and the bar resets. When the player trips, the mural and bar resets. It takes 500 coins to complete the mural.

Powerups

The coins the player collects in the game can be spent in the game's "store." At the store, the player is able to purchase upgrades to the various bonuses found throughout the run, as well as perks, unlockable characters, and wallpapers. The bonuses, when fully upgraded, are

  • Mega Coin (worth 150 coins)
  • Coin Magnet (multiplies coin value by 3)
  • Invisibility (lasts 30 seconds)
  • Boost (for 750 meters)
  • Some 2-point coins begin at 1000 meters
  • Some 3-point coins begin at 2000 meters

Objectives

The object is to survive, while also getting the most points and coins possible. The longer a player survives, the more points they acquire. A player's score can only be used to unlock objectives. Their score is determined by their distance, plus five times the number of coins collected, plus 600 times the ordinal number of the total number of coins divisible by 100. These three values are then added and multiplied. The value of the multiplier is 10 more than the number of objectives unlocked. The formula is ; "s" being number of points; "m" number of objectives unlocked + 10; "d" being distance; "c" being number of coins; "t" being the coin multiplier of 600 times the whole number remaining of c/100.

Development

Husband-and-wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova, along with artist Kiril Tchangov, created Temple Run. Originally, the game cost 99 cents, but was soon released as a freemium app, which quintupled revenue with in game coin purchasing.[12][13] Both Shepherd and Luckyanova developed the gameplay, while Tchangov created the graphics.

Originally, the game was only available for the App Store, but it was later released on Google Play, the successor to Android Market. On January 12, 2012, Imangi Studios announced on the Temple Run Facebook page that the game would be released to the Android platform in February 2012, saying "We're so excited to announce this and appreciate all of our fans' support across both platforms!".[14] The game was released for the Android platform on March 27, 2012, a month later than expected.[15]

Spinoffs

Temple Run: Brave
File:Temple Run Brave logo.png
App logo
Developer(s)Imangi Studios [3]
Publisher(s)Imangi Studios [3]
Artist(s)Kiril Tchangov [3]
Platform(s)iOS, Android
ReleaseJune 14, 2012 (iOS)[1]
June 25, 2012 (Android)[16]
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

In June 2012, it was announced that Imangi Studios had tied up with Disney to promote the movie Brave with a game titled Temple Run: Brave that released on June 14th.[17][18] Unlike the original game, it costs 99 cents to purchase.

Temple Run: Brave is set in the forests and wild of Scotland, with the default and only character, Merida. Like the original Temple Run game, Temple Run: Brave has its own store, but different. In the Store one can buy the same boosts in the original Temple Run, and the player can upgrade them afterward, like Invisibility, Mega Coins, Coin Magnet, Double Value, and other utilities. The player can also buy gowns, dresses and armor for Merida to wear during the run, or some new wallpapers. As the original game, Temple Run: Brave's objective is to keep on running and avoiding the dangers along the way for the longest time, while being chased by a wild animal.

The all new feature for Temple Run: Brave is archery. Along the way on one's run, an archery symbol will appear and some dots above it, acting as a signal that there will be bullseyes to shoot at. The dots are the number of targets in this area. On the left and right hand sides, the player will then find archery targets; by just touching the screen, an arrow will be shot accurately on the upcoming target. When the player finishes hitting all targets in the area, they will take a coin bonus, and will have to wait for another area with archery targets.

After Temple Run: Brave's release on the App Store, the game topped the charts as the most-downloaded paid game.

Reception

Temple Run has generally been well praised. Gamezebo gave it a 5-star, and Art Green calls it "an instant iPhone classic."[19] PC Magazine says the first Android version was "crisp" clean and had "snappy" navigation.[20] PC Magazine also included it in its "Mobile Apps to keep Kids Happy" list.[21]

However, Common Sense Media has criticized Temple Run of its "consumerism", because the player could purchase in-game coins for an item in the Temple Run Store.[22]

Since Temple Run was originally released on a custom, flexible engine on the iOS platform, it had difficulties with launching the Android version of Temple Run, especially because it used the Unity game engine. Critics were criticizing the frequent crashes of Temple Run on Android and initially gave the game unfavorable performance ratings; the performance was not quite the same as the iOS version, and today it still has issues because of using Unity.

Imangi Studios has advertised Temple Run as "by the makers of award-winning Harbor Master".

Popularity

The game has been available on the App Store from August 2011 on, and since then, its popularity has soared.[23] Many imitators have made fake games such as "Temple Guns" and "Temple Jump". [23] to the point that it has made Imangi Studios more popular than Zynga Games.[24] The popularity of Temple Run prompted Imangi Studios to create an initially unplanned Android version. After Temple Run was released on Android, it was downloaded 1 million times in under 3 days.[11]

Due to the popularity of the game, Disney has asked Imangi Studios to make Temple Run: Brave as a promotion for their 2012 CGI-animated film Brave.

References

  1. ^ a b "Temple Run Release Date". GameSpot. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  2. ^ http://www.facebook.com/TempleRun/posts/328440260537593
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Imangi Studios - About". Imangi Studios. Retrieved February 03, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ "Temple Run for Android SHIPS!". Unity Community. Retrieved June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Temple Run - Android Apps on Google Play". Google Inc. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  6. ^ "They're Apps to Make Money". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ "Imangi Studios". Imangi Studios. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "Temple Run Android app release, cheats and fans". phones review. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  9. ^ "Temple Run becomes popular throughout the app world". MSD Eagle's Landing. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  10. ^ "Temple Run". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Temple Run for Android Gets A Whopping 1 Million Downloads In Three Days". Android Community.
  12. ^ "Secrets to the Success of Temple Run on the iPhone". Red Rome. Retrieved February 04, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ "Going free quintupled Temple Run's revenue". macgasm. Retrieved February 04, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "Facebook". Imangi Studios, Facebook.
  15. ^ "Temple Run for Android to be released on March 27". Android Central. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  16. ^ http://www.facebook.com/TempleRun/posts/328440260537593
  17. ^ Sandhya, Iyer (2012-06-08). "Temple Run: Brave coming to iOS, Android on June 14". NDTV. Retrieved 08 June 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ Tong, Sophia (2012-06-04). Games Radar title=Temple Run: Brave announced, coming to iOS and Android devices http://www.gamesradar.com/temple-run-brave-announced-coming-ios-and-android-devices/ title=Temple Run: Brave announced, coming to iOS and Android devices. Retrieved 08 June 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing pipe in: |url= (help)
  19. ^ Green, Art (January 11, 2012). "Temple Run is an instant iPhone classic". Gamezebo. p. 1. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  20. ^ "Temple Run (for Android) review". PC Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  21. ^ "Mobile Apps to keep Kids Occupied and Happy". PC Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  22. ^ "Temple Run". Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  23. ^ a b Chubb, Peter (February 21, 2012). "Temple Run To Smash Records". InEntertainment. p. 1. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  24. ^ "How Temple Run Became More Popular Than Zynga Games". The New York Times.
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