Canabalt Game Review

A game designed in just five days, Canabalt was conceived and created for the Experimental Game play Project. Canabalt epitomizes the expression simple pleasure. From the first frame of animation, the character in the game starts running, picking up speed as he leaps across rooftops and over small obstacles. If he tumbles into a crate or chair, he loses a little speed but keeps going. That speed loss, though, can prove catastrophic when he reaches a gap that is suddenly too wide to cross without adequate velocity.

What makes this whole experience thrilling is the fact that the player has no idea what kind of an obstacle he might run into. The whole screen shakes, buildings collapse and ships shoot past overhead making the game play exciting and fun. Such minimalism is a tactic that serves Canabalt well throughout and is reflected in the retro, pixel perfect, black and white visuals.

This game randomly generates the cityscape the player races through, adding a serious element of luck to the mixture. Skill isn't totally disregarded though; the player still needs lightning reflexes when the hero reaches top speed.

The game`s background in Flash is evident throughout. Canabalt`s minimal graphics dwell on atmosphere. From the smoothly animated runner, to the hulking monstrosities in the distant background, to the little touches, like the shatter of windows and rooftops, the game`s simple presentation does well in telling a more interesting story. There`s no narrative to speak of but Canabalt`s high-altitude world gives an impression of a fascinating sci-fi disaster happening around the player.

The only control a player has in game is over the character`s jumping. Tapping anywhere on screen results in a jump and the longer the screen is pressed, the higher the jump is. What sounds like a very simple game quickly turns into a fast paced reaction game.

The game is highly addictive, with the player trying to achieve the maximum distance possible with each retry. The game's simple animations work well enough to make it re-playable as the character runs, rolls, and jumps to his untimely death when he hits something. The game has a catchy, high energy electronic soundtrack that has different variations. The player can hear the sound of footsteps on metal, the quiet grunts of the character running and exerting while jumping from building to building. The sudden sounds of bombs dropping and alien ships zooming in also adds to the excitement.

Canabalt has no pause option or button which is a major flaw in its design. Also, there is no way to navigate back to the main screen from in-game and there is an absence of online leader boards. There is only a fan-made leader board accessible via Twitter. Canabalt strikes the right balance between skill and luck. It's certainly not for everybody. Some will judge it to be too simple and move on. But the compelling desire to play again and again makes it highly addictive.