There are a sea of runner games for iOS. Jetpack Joyride is probably one of the most popular, but Tiny Wings, Punch Quest, Canabalt, Rayman Jungle Run, and 10000000 have all had their days in the sun. And, yes, so did Temple Run, a behind-the-back runner taking its aesthetic stylings from the same jungle adventure serials Spelunky and Raiders of the Lost Ark liberally homage. However, I haven't played Temple Run, so I dove into Temple Run 2 last week with some hesitation. What I found was a moderately engaging endless runner game that, ultimately, does little to hook me beyond a week or two of play.
The game opens with a goading, adventurous text prompting the player to "take the idol IF YOU DARE", sitting on a pedestal. The moment they do, the explorer of choice (of which there are four, all with silly names and no apparent differences apart from cosmetics) takes the idol and runs swiftly away from a masked monster, and the camera swings behind the player character as you take control. Swiping motions are used to turn left and right, as well as ducking and jumping. This is familiar to those who have played the original game. There's an emphasis on quick-dodging and turns shortly after a jump, but the game's visibility issues come into view quickly when the game asks you to do this. The game is controlled through tilting as well; there are roughly three tracks on your path (left, center, right) that can be tilted between to avoid obstacles (which, when tripped upon, bring back the monster, who will eat the player if they make another mistake) or to collect coins.
Coins are used to purchase upgrades in the shop or to purchase other explorer models. Purchasing explorer models also unlocks a new power-up, which can be activated when enough coins are collected during a run. It's an efficient cyclical model that creates a relatively satisfying feedback loop based around collecting the coins, and that leads the player to emphasize upgrades and power-ups that increase the collection of coins. The powers include magnetized body, auto-running invulnerability, and nothing that's especially out of the ordinary. These power-ups can also be activated during a playthrough by collecting a token, encouraging players to spend coins and upgrade all the power-ups rather than just their favorite.
The game also contains another kind of currency; emeralds. Emeralds can be facilitated by in-app purchases or by collecting them very, very occasionally during the game. They can also be earned by leveling up through the completion of tasks, which come in sets of three in a manner similar to Jetpack Joyride. However, unlike Jetpack Joyride, the variety of tasks seems incredibly limited, and most are not as creative as "high five twenty scientists", but are more pedestrian tasks along the lines of "earn 2.5 million points" or "Go 1000 meters without collecting coins."
More interesting tasks could do a lot to improve the replayability of Temple Run 2. Unfortunately, there are only two effective gameplay models; the endless-running sequences and the mine cart sections. The mine cart sections are new to Temple Run 2, and exclusively use tilt controls to guide your mine cart through winding hallways. These are, however, very repetitive, and the emphasis on tilt control lowers the game's portability. While it can still probably be played on the couch or while waiting in a doctor's office, your desire to play it without your boss/professor noticing or to try to play it on the bus will be limited.
Temple Run 2 seems to be a marked improvement over Temple Run. The graphics are vastly improved, though they're still not the prettiest you'll see on the iOS platform, and the addition of mine cart sections that change the gameplay are a nice pace-setter for one's ability to play the game. Ultimately, however, these additions do little to make a case for why Temple Run 2 should stand out from the pack of really excellent runner games, especially when so few people gave Punch Quest and Tomena Sanner a shot. It's probably worth downloading, but it's ultimately a trifle in the world of the iOS market.