Don’t cringe next time you’re gifted a bad sweater for Christmas – those adorable knitted trees and animals have feelings, you know. That’s if Forest Moon’s iPhone-only Knitted Deer [$0.99] is anything to go by, anyway. This runner brings a, well, knitted deer to life, prancing whimsically through purl-stitched meadows of floating skulls and circular saws. It’s deliciously delightful, in the same way as an awkward holiday dinner with extended family can be.

As far as controls go, you know the drill. Tap the left side of the screen to make our bipedal, antlered hero jump (or double-jump); spam-tap the right side to shoot-shoot-shoot. Various obstacles will keep coming at you, and your only goal is to either clear them or kill them. It takes awhile to get used to this deer’s super-high leaps and bounds, but once you’re familiar with it, Knitted Deer is rather engaging. You’ll pick up coins from fallen monsters, and these can be used in an upgrade system that feels admittedly under-implemented.

There’s no health bar, and you’ve got just two lives to spare – well, one life and one death, to be precise. When your happy reindeer slams headfirst into a barrier, he’s doomed to sweater hell with limbs flailing pitifully, the pleasant navy-and-cream color scheme giving way to a world of blood-red. Like Dante’s Inferno predicts, it’s a little more difficult down here than it is on mortal ground; hurled spears join the list of things trying to kill you, and the placement of barriers grows only more haphazard.

You’re not likely to last long. Most games will clock in at under a minute, which makes this the perfect timewaster for whiling away dragging moments at the bus stop.

The visuals and blippy music make for a beautiful aesthetic. While the chunky knit-stitch occasionally makes menu titles difficult to read, it’s been employed wonderfully in representing the deer and his danger-filled world – I never thought that watching a deer get his head ripped off by a bat might actually look rather charming.

The whole knit thing is the reason you’re most likely to pick up Knitted Deer, and it’s also the thing that’ll most likely keep you playing. If we’re being honest here, Knitted Deer doesn’t do anything new in the runner genre, besides veneering everything in yarn and adding a dark twist to our yuletide fashions. It does do an amazing job of exploiting its aesthetic, and it’s worth picking up purely because of that. Plus, just imagine the merchandising opportunities – I’m envisioning hell-sweaters, woollen deer plushies, everything.

I always find that the arrival of a traditionally non-mobile developer on the iOS platform fills me with equal parts excitement and skepticism for their prospects; wondering if we're headed for the next Rayman Jungle Run [$2.99] ...or the next Final Fantasy: All the Bravest [$3.99]. Case in point? Our announcement last week about Uber Entertainment's foray into iOS. The developer of Monday Night Combat is bringing a game to phones and tablets!? And it's based off of that awesome series? Excitement...Oh. It's an endless runner. Skepticism. After diving in and playing the title, I find myself surprisingly caught in the middle.

Set in the same dystopian future as Monday Night Combat, Outland Games similarly lampoons reality TV by introducing players to the latest and greatest bloodsport: combat running. For the amusement of onlooking millions, you're forced to dash through fiery  caverns and hazardous deserts, and battle your way through small armies of deadly robots for good measure. In your arsenal for survival is a mean pair of jumping legs and a handy assassin's blade, controlled with taps on the left and right side of the screen respectively.

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Kitties are cute and should be saved: this is the premise of Jones On Fire [$0.99], and it's a good one. These kitties are indeed cute, and you, as the intrepid firefighter Jones, really ought to save them. I can say with some certainty that they'd do the same for you.

The woods are on fire, and they're utterly stuffed with kitties. It's a bad combination. So Jones leaves the safety of her fire hall, dives out into the flaming woods, and runs and slides her way through each hazard level collecting every kitty she can. Then, after a brief breather in the hall, it's back out into the hellish flames, this time coming on even faster.

Hazard levels are an effective way to break up the monotony of an endless runner. Each one is tougher than the last, but the rewards are also greater. When you get through one, you pause to tally your kitties, multiplied by the difficulty you face, and then you hop back to it. When you burn through all your lives, the kitties drag you back to Hazard Level 1 to start all over again.

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If you're into runners, tonight's release Outland Games might be up your alley. It's a 2D, side-scrolling runner set deep in the Monday Night Combat Universe. In the game, you play as a contestant on a reality TV show that tasks you with running for your life. As you run, you'll have to do the usual: pick up coins, avoid obstacles, and kill stuff.

This one has a couple of things going for it. For one, its combo mechanic, which allows you to string together attacks and jumps, give the action a unique kind of locomotion. Also, the equipment system offers some pretty funny gear. For example, this afternoon, Eli and I used a candy cane and chef hat to defeat the endless robot hordes.

If you'd like to get a closer look before Outland launches tonight, just check out what we've got below. It'll hit at 99¢ as a Universal app, by the way.

Well, we gave it a spin this afternoon and now we know for sure. Sonic Dash is a behind-the-back endless runner, similar to, say, Temple Run or one of the other billions of its derivatives out there. It feels pretty same-y as a whole, but it does have a couple neat spots of original-ish design. The one that sticks out the most for us is the risk versus reward coin mechanic, which is borrowed from Sonic games of old. In brief, if you hit an enemy in Dash, you lose whatever rings you picked up. But at certain points in runs, you can opt to "bank" your rings. If you choose not to, you'll play a mini-game and increase the standing amount you've got. Get hit, though, and it's all gone.

If you'd like to see the game in action -- and you should because the production values are out of this world -- go ahead and check out our TA Plays below. We go over more than just the running part; we also dive into the persistent upgrade system, as well as play around with the IAP.

Dash will be available tonight at $1.99.

If your cravings for behind-the-back runners somehow still isn't satiated, or you've felt the genre was lacking in the social engagement area, then Zynga is hoping to woo you with their newest title Running with Friends. You can probably guess exactly what it is by the title alone: a Temple Run-like endless runner decked out with the social trappings that Zynga's games are known for. Running with Friends was briefly launched in the Canadian App Store back in January, but if you blinked you would have missed it. It appears they weren't quite ready to hit the market, but are taking another stab at it today according to an article at VentureBeat.

The plan is to launch Running with Friends in the Canadian App Store again as a soft launch, with a worldwide rollout happening about a month from now if everything goes smoothly. Right now, in fact, a version of the game is available in the Canadian App Store called Running with Friends Free [Free]. As with many other Zynga games, I'm thinking there might be an ad-free pay-up-front version at some point too.

As for the game itself, Running with Friends is set at the famous Running of the Bulls event in Pamplona, Spain. That's a pretty darn great setting for a Temple Run-like game, I have to say. Mechanics appear pretty standard, with plenty of swiping, jumping and sliding, though there are sections with breakable objects to smash through and occasionally you'll actually be able to hitch a ride on an actual bull. There are also 3 playable characters: a ninja, a ballerina, and a zombie. Here's a couple of App Store screens.

With Zynga's reputation of borrowing a little too liberally from the design book of other popular games, Running with Friends will no doubt take some heat. The truth is though, there's no less than one zillion Temple Run knockoffs in the App Store, and if anything I'm surprised it's taken this long for Zynga to put out their own game in the genre. I'm also curious to see how playing with other people works out, as it might end up being pretty cool.

If you're Canadian or have access to a Canadian App Store account, you can check out the game for free with the link below. Keep in mind that it's iPhone or iPod touch only, no iPad support. You can also drop some comments in our discussion forum and keep your eye out for a worldwide launch of Running with Friends in the near future.

[VentureBeat]

Canadian App Store Link: Running with Friends Free, Free

Sonic Jump [$0.99] was kinda weird because Sonic, you know, runs a lot. In fact, he runs really fast and that's always kinda been the main point of emphasis for most of the good Sonic games. Plus, auto-runners are a big deal on the App Store; it's clotted with them. Jump had us scratching our heads, considering all this. But, hey, looks like someone at SEGA got the memo. A new auto-runner starring Sonic is coming -- and it's coming "soon" to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Sonic Dash, as it's called, is a 3D runner. From the boilerplate, we gather it's endless, as opposed to stage-based. And that's about where our knowledge ends. From the SEGA blog:

Our hero will be doing what he does best — making a fast and frenzied 3D dash through stunning stages, as he navigates over, around, and through interminable dangers. Challenge your friends and compete on leaderboards — you may know who the fastest is, but, for how long?

As soon as we spy the game on the App Store, we'll give it a shot and get back to you and fill in some of these holes. If anything, though, this seems like a good direction for a Sonic game -- you know, the whole running thing.

So, yeah, Temple Run: Oz [$0.99] is real, and as you're probably expecting, it plays a lot like Temple Run 2 [Free]. At least, all the core mechanics that make that game sing -- the upgrades, the quick turns, and the leaping -- are all present.

What might surprise you, though, is that the fit between film IP and Temple Run feels pretty natural. This also seems like a much more active take on Temple Run. Roads constantly crumble, tree limbs fall, baboons swoop in after you; you've got stay on your toes as you play, which is neat.

Anyway, you've seen some images of the game, but if you'd like to see it in action, just check out what we've got below. Eli and I gave it a spin the other day and tried to show as much as possible in a short time. We go through two environments, as well as explore a few of the game's new persistent systems.

Just a note: a lot of our conversation hovers around IAP since I decided to go crazy in my mad dash to show everything. What I didn't do a good job of explaining is that this, like Temple Run 2, doesn't require your real dough. You can have a lot of fun without it.

There are moments when Rock Runners [$0.99] feels particularly cool, when you dash through a kinetic, ever-changing landscape, dash from portal to portal and generally act like a total badass. But most players probably won't reach those moments, because it can be a trudge to get to them.

It's a runner, but not an endless one—it has dozens of levels across four different worlds. Or, well, four worlds. "Different" is a stretch. When you've seen one rocky cave filled with pipes and mining equipment you've kind of seen them all—particularly when things start to get a little loopy.

It's uncomfortably obvious that Rock Runners' levels are made up of small segments chopped together, and it's not unusual to run through the same segment a few times over in a given level. "Ah," you'll think, "this is the bit where I fly through the portal, swing over the goo, land on the barrel and then swing onto the next platform." Or perhaps it's the segment where the pipe you're standing on falls and you fall with it, jumping and swinging away at the last second, or any number of other segments you've seen a dozen times before.

This economy of design hurts what is otherwise a pretty entertaining one-touch runner. You tap to jump, you tap to hook and swing, and when you're doing well you simply fly through everything. It's fun, that sense of inertia, though it can be hurt by the occasional performance stutter.

Wherever you run you collect gems, which happen to be currency, multipliers and speed boosts all in one. You keep the currency no matter what, but if you stumble—gracelessly bump into something for more than a moment—you lose the speed and the multiplier. This puts a high value on perfection, which is great. Playing perfectly is by far the most fun, so it's good to learn not to screw up early on.

The first couple worlds are not only samey, they're also incredibly straightforward. This keeps the difficulty curve flat for too long, leaving it to spike in the later levels. Those spikes are great, but they're the only breaks from a lengthy series of levels that blur together, differentiated by nothing but their positions on the map.

That map represents Rock Runners longevity. Your goal is to collect fuel canisters and make it to your ship in each world—how you do that is up to you. There's no reason to explore each and every level when the direct route is best. But there are locked levels, and to get at them you need to collect keys. Or you can take the long way around. These are the choices you'll face.

They're relevant, because your place on the game's leaderboards is established by how long it takes you to reach your ship. Not in a linear sense, though. You can clear every single level on your way through—Rock Runners will only count the most direct path you could have taken through the levels you've cleared to gather all the fuel canisters and reach the ship. Improving your times on those levels is paramount if you're into leaderboard competition.

That's the only time IAP may come into play. The game offers a few power-ups in exchange for your bounteous gems, but those power-ups are generally pretty pointless. When you're gunning for a better time, though, something that can save you from a single stumble or from death could conceivably be quite handy. Still, if you can play perfectly you won't need 'em, and they have limited charges either way.

It took me a while to warm to Rock Runners. It's fast-paced and catchy, sure, but I have plenty of fast-paced platformers. Still, as things got tougher and levels got more complicated I started to pay it a bit more mind. And when I realized I could struggle to shave precious seconds off my completion times, I found myself rather hooked. Yeah, the levels start to blend together pretty quickly, but I'm so close to the par time in world three. And I have a couple hundred stars left to earn, and I just might want to earn them.

Recoil Games hasn't come up with anything all that fresh or unique in the world of one-touch platformers, but Rock Runners has hooks that work. If the rest of the game worked as well, relied less on repetition and more on thoughtful level design, we might have something special. Instead we find ourselves with a runner that isn't quite the same old thing, but doesn't do nearly enough to stand out.

Turns out that dying is a pretty easy (and costly) thing to do in Die Hard [Free], a new tie-in movie game based on the latest Die Hard flick. In brief, it's a lane-based runner with a rudimentary shooting mechanic and some borderline aggressive IAP functionality. You play as tough guy John McClane's son (what?) and basically keep him safe as he runs through a bunch of broken down environments. You tap to shoot, swipe vertically to jump, and swipe left or right to move him out of harm's way.

This isn't exactly an endless runner, or at least it doesn't appear to be -- there's a lot of checkpointing, which implies this thing has an end. But, at the same time, using a checkpoint is kind of a pain. You have to pay with two currencies just to use one.

You'll see what we mean if you dig in below. This isn't exactly thrilling stuff, but we're also kinda struggling to think of any film to game adaptation that isn't named Chronicles of Riddick that hasn't been meh. So, hey, Die Hard everyone:

Earlier the other morning, Eli and I spent some time with Rock Runners [$0.99]. It's a physics-based runner that tasks you with swinging and jumping over and to various obstacles and platforms. You know, the standard stuff. Where it kinda breaks away from the pack is in its production value. Solid visuals, 3D models, and sound design accompany the standard genre action, making the game pop a bit more than it would have otherwise.

If you've got Runner Fatigue in a bad way, there's probably nothing in here that's going to blow your socks off. If you don't, however, maybe check this out. It might click with you:

Earlier this morning, Eli and I sat down (and stood up) with Zombie Road Trip [Free]. As you'd guess, it's a hill climbing game with zombies in it, combining every trope we've seen in both the runner and climbing genres. Interestingly, it also has a "chase" mechanic -- if you mess up a landing or smack into too many zombies, an undead horde will catch up with you and eat you. That's kinda cool, right?

Look, if you're done with these kinds of games, that's probably not enough for you. We totally get that, straight-up. For the rest of you out there, everything in this game is really well executed -- from look, to sound, to mechanics, this thing is solid. Give it a look. Or don't. Options! They're fun!

Heads up: a new Temple Run game set in the Wizard of Oz universe is coming later this month. At least, that's the word on the street courtesy a now-deleted tweet by Disney France PR rep Cecile Foques revealing that a game called Temple Run: Oz the Great and Powerful will be hitting February 27th.

This wouldn't be the first time Disney and Temple Run creator Imangi have teamed up to make a tie-in video game together. The two released Temple Run: Brave [$0.99] last summer.

If Temple Run: Oz the Great and Powerful is indeed a real thing, we're guessing we'll hear about it really soon. We'll forward along those details if they show up.

[via superannuation, via VG247]

Earlier this afternoon, Jared and I gave Sunny Hillride [$1.99] a spin. It's a heavily physics-based momentum game that plays sorta like Tiny Wings, except you guide a station wagon up and down hills instead of a bird. Its hook revolves around the car and the horribly tied luggage strapped to the top of it. If you hit a landing too hard, you'll lose bags, which in turn, will lower your score at the end of a run. You also need to find gas as you rocket up and down hillsides.

As far as these kinds of games go, this one's pretty good. We really dig the look and the luggage mechanic, even though both are simple in the grand scheme of things. The campaign angle is neat, too, as it kinda opens up the game for an actual narrative.

Anyway, if you're in the mood for another one of these kinds of games, this might be the one for you. Check it out:

Earlier this afternoon, Jared and I spent some time with Rail Rush [Free]. It's another endless runner. In the game, you control a mine cart and are tasked with collecting gold nuggets and avoiding various obstacles, including broken rails and oddly placed signage. As with most runners, the point of the game is just to go as far as you can. The farther you go, the higher your score.

You might remember this one. It came out earlier in 2012, but it's just now enjoying a big-time bump on the App Store charts.

As we've said before, Rail Rush a solid game for what it is. And, there's something to its style of running. It feels different, which is a nice thing in a genre that's as clotted as the runner is. Check it out: