• Price: $4.99 USD
• Developer: Gusarapo Games
• Publisher: Meteorbyte Studios
• Release Date: July 14, 2022

A review code was kindly provided by Meteorbyte Studios on behalf of Gusarapo Games. We thank them for being able to cover something they’ve worked so hard on.

Running on Magic is an auto-run platformer where you try to outrun the Grim Reaper. When you are running away in the beginning, you’ll eventually reach a point where the gap is too wide to successfully jump to the other side. The Grim Reaper wonders why anyone would attempt that jump without using magic to keep you in the air longer. 🤔

After learning a magical ability to help you float when jumping longer distances, you’ll be ready to get back to running away from the Grim Reaper. Running does occur automatically, but it’s possible to briefly go backwards a little bit to stay back from enemies or obstacles for a moment. You will automatically die if the screen has advanced without you or if you fall. There are 2 stats to keep track of in each level: how many hits you can take, and how full your magic meter is. Healing items for your HP show up in easy and normal modes, but not in hard or higher.

There are four difficulty levels, but you can’t play the hardest mode until you’ve beaten hard mode. The harder the mode, the faster your character will run – which makes it harder to avoid enemies, obstacles, and chasms. I wasn’t quite skilled enough to beat hard mode, but I did clear every level in both the easy and normal difficulties. (I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to earn every achievement as well.) There’s also an endless mode for you to rack up points and unlock the next endless level. Your running speed really picks up the further you get in endless mode, so it’s a great challenge.

Levels are procedurally generated, so each run will have a different order of enemies and obstacles, and you can’t learn the exact patterns to be more successful when you try the level again. You’ll want to avoid falling meteors and lightning strikes, among other things. The game has falling platforms, but it also has an interesting portal mechanic to deal with as you run. There isn’t really any time for you to defeat enemies you come across because of the auto-death when the screen advances too much, so avoidance seemed to work better.

Overall, the game is a bit short with 5 levels, but I think it’s well made. The procedurally generated levels and the endless mode really make Running on Magic last longer. It’s challenging even in easy mode, but not unreasonably so. I liked the storyline – it was fun watching the Grim Reaper chase my character around. The art style was also appealing, and I especially enjoyed the soundtrack. I think it’s a quality platformer at a very reasonable price. 👍🏻