Boson X Cuts Out The Extras For A Pure Endless-Running Experience [Review]

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Boson X

The endless runner genre might be in a bit of a rut. You run, run some more, kick that thing, avoid that other thing, jump over that third thing … it’s all getting a little predictable.

Boson X by Mu & Heyo
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone, iPad
Price: $2.59

Luckily, we have games like Boson X to mix things up a bit. Its developer bills it as a “rotational runner,” and it takes an interesting approach to adding to the genre: subtraction. Boson X doesn’t add new features like lasers or parkour like, for example, Runbot; it’s actually very minimal. And therein lies its strength.

Developer Gaijin Games’ Runner 2 is one of my favorite endless runners ever; it has great music, a reasonable difficulty curve, and an incredible art design. But if I have one problem with it, it’s that you have maybe a few too many obstacles to keep track of. If I picked it up right now after a few months, it would be a very bad idea to jump into one of the later levels because I can’t remember off the top of my head which obstacles need a kick or even which button delivers it.

It’s actually very minimal. And therein lies its strength.

Boson X, on the other hand, is immediately accessible at any time because all you control is jumping. Your character runs down his path, and you can jump left or right by tapping on that side of the screen. Tapping both sides makes you jump straight, and holding your taps longer lets you jump longer. None of those side-swipes confused as up-swipes to frustrate you; if you mess up, it’s because you missed the timing. And that’s somehow really refreshing in a touch-controlled game.

The idea is that you’re inside a particle accelerator, and you have to jump around its cylindrical wall to avoid gaps in the floor. Along the way, you can pick up energy by running along blue areas on the platform, and red areas make the length you’re running on start to sink. So probably avoid those.

The game adds difficulty with more red areas and increased running speed. That’s it. You have no more mechanics to learn. It’s a charmingly designed game that provides a wealth of entertainment with just a few pieces, and that in itself makes it worth a try.



Boson XGame Name: : Boson X
The Good: Simple, accurate controls that avoid the swipe confusion of other endless runners on touchscreens.
The Bad: No warning for sudden, occasional bursts of speed which lead to failure and shame.
The Verdict It’s a good, simple title that shows that you don’t need a lot of parts to make a fun experience.
Buy from:App Store

[rating=game4]

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