14 DAY TRIAL // 
The recent surge of mobile gaming translated into many games trying to break barriers and transition into uncharted waters, and such is the case of Infinity Runner, an indie endless running title that tries to settle the problem of whether those games have any business living it up on the PC.
While in the case of board game adaptations or puzzle games you could make a case for PC support being a worthwhile endeavor, especially when you factored in multiplayer, there is a distinct dislike for the kind of featureless and shallow engagement that mobile games offer when it comes to PC users, mainly because of the overall quality of PC releases and the fact that we want games to get better, not worse.
So let's see whether Wales Interactive's Infinity Runner is merely a misplaced Temple Run clone or its existence on PC is justified.
You are captive aboard a massive ship, waking up from cryostasis and running around the ship trying to make sense of what's going on. Unfortunately, the lady guiding you along your path is very annoying, with teenage inflexions that make her sound like a co-star on Jimmy Fallon's ew!, and I got the distinct feeling that the game won't allow me to murder her, should we meet.
The gameplay requires pretty much no active participation from you, as it is basically a series of quick time events that require minimum input on your part and offer you no freedom. You could say that the game is mostly focused around the mechanics of an old-time arcade on-rails shooter, only with no shooting.
The core concept is very easy to grasp, as you automatically run down a corridor, dodging obstacles and making turns by hitting the right buttons at the right time. The control scheme is pretty simple but it's still a bit confusing, since first-person games usually use Space for jumping, Shift for running, and Ctrl for crouching (which, in this case, translates into sliding), instead of the mouse buttons.
Thankfully, the keys can be remapped to whatever you like, accommodating entrenched habits such as basic character movement control, which still feels a bit disconcerting due to the fact that you have to use your mouse in order to make right or left turns, and the cursor doesn't snap back to the center of the screen, like it should, since the mouse doesn't just control your head.
The obstacles you come across are not overly varied, mostly being copy-pasted on top of the same sections of corridor you see over and over again. In some areas, due to the chaotic nature of the game and the unclear representation of what is going on and what you are allowed to do, you won't be able to discern what's happening until it's too late.
But that first death marks the learning of a new adversary in your quest to run free, and subsequent times you run into that particular obstacle you'll be able to clear it in no time.
Unfortunately, what exactly you're supposed to do in order to get past some of the elements thrown in your path is not that easy to figure out, and considering your character is dumb enough to run into a wall unless you specifically instruct him to make a turn, you're bound to run into some frustrating moments.
Those frustrating moments become more irritating than they should due to the game's very repetitive nature and due to the fact that most obstacles mean instant death, although there is a certain degree of freedom and creativity not found in Temple Run. You still have to collect coins/rings though, personified in this instance by floating electronic dossiers.
The worst part about playing Infinity Runner is the fact that you have a limited number of lives to finish a certain segment, and when you run into new obstacles that you can't figure out from the second try you waste some of them and have to start all over.
There are checkpoints, but they're of no use when you die over and over in the same spot, especially considering that the solutions are oftentimes acquired lessons rather than split-second reactions to what's going on around you.
And then you turn into a werewolf. If there's something good about the game, it's the fact that its creators at least tried to offer it a story, to get you somewhat invested beyond the "don't die, get lewt" level of Temple Run.
To their credit, at the end of each level, you get a cutscene that expands the story, and you also get bits of telepathic communication from your guide while running through the ship. Unfortunately, it's not enough to save the lacking freerunning mechanics.
It's hard to compare a small indie game to Mirror's Edge, but it's also hard not to, considering it comes up looking more like a port of a bad mobile game than a proper PC release. The visuals look dated, everything is very repetitive and eventually becomes monotonous, and the music, although very fitting, starts sounding a bit samey after a while.
There is an endless mode, there is multiplayer, but those things usually only enhance the base experience provided that it's solid enough to make you want to see more of it. It also supports Oculus Rift.
The Good
- Running around at high speeds is somewhat fun
- Werewolves in space
- Better than Temple Run
The Bad
- Quick time events
- No freedom
- Lacking in every aspect
- Very repetitive
- Shallow
Conclusion
It's bad enough that PC users have to deal with the gimped interfaces designed to accommodate the primitive gamepads that rule the console world, they are also being subjected to games that consist of features that used to be basic mechanics a while back, and are now presented as standalone, complete experiences.
You could say that Infinity Runner is an instant win because it has werewolves in space, but even that campy premise can't really save it from the reality of the matter: it's just a mobile game, made a little bit bigger so it fits on a larger screen.
The concept warrants exploration, but ultimately the execution is lacking and the game lacks enough substance to deliver a memorable experience.
