Temple Run 2

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on March 03, 2013

With more than 100 million downloads, Temple Run is one of the most successful mobile games of all time. So, there were big expectations for the sequel, released in early 2013 by Imangi Studios. Touted as a refinement and not a revamp of the classic formula, Temple Run 2 is sleeker, faster, and more attractive than its very popular older brother, all to great effect.

The game handles very much like the first. Your character runs automatically and you must swipe up, down, left and right to avoid obstacles and turn. You can move the iPad or iPhone to tilt your character and pick up coins, and as you gather coins you can use them to buy upgrades like shields, boosts, score bonuses, and coin bonuses. In Temple Run 2, new features were added including changes in elevation (the first game was on flat ground), new means of transportation such as mine carts and vines to swing on, and a crisper, more vibrant game world that changes around you as you progress. The basic formula remains mostly unchanged, though. The truly great players can keep going forever, racking up coins, reaching new regions, and outrunning monsters. The game is still free and, like its predecessor, never requires an in-game purchase. However, for those who want a shortcut to more gems and coins, you can spend between $1 and $20 to get them instantly.

If you enjoyed Temple Run or any of the very similar "endless runners" in the App Store, you will absolutely enjoy Temple Run 2. With faster levels, more power-ups, the option to change your character (there are four characters this time, two of them female), and a beautiful game world, Temple Run 2 manages to improve in every way on the formula that the first game established so effectively.