Scream ‘N’ Run Review

Me: Ahhh! Yaaargh!! AAAAIIIIEEEEE!!!

My Girlfriend (rushing into the room looking concerned): Are you okay…? What happened?!

Me: Oh, nothing. Just playing a new game; you’ve gotta scream at your iPod to make a little zombie dude jump over pink bunnies.

My Girlfriend (understandably annoyed yet obviously intrigued): Oooh, that sorta sounds like fun…

She was dead right. The aptly named Scream ‘N’ Run (out now, $0.99) is a heck of a lot of fun. Sure, at first glance, it might just look like yet another entry into iOS’ already sizable library of cutesy endless running games, but this one nimbly sidesteps convention by requiring you to use your vocal chords instead of fingers or thumbs to help your character dodge enemies as he automagically journeys through a side-scrolling zombieland.

As if using the iDevice’s microphone rather than touchscreen as a control method wasn’t already wacky enough, Scream ‘N’ Run subverts things further by making the hero of the piece a hideous zombie and the enemies adorable pink bunnies. Adorable pink bunnies who have inexplicably developed a taste for decaying zombie flesh, that is!

Gameplay is – pardon the awful pun – an absolute scream and will truly put your reactions (and lungs) to the test. The idea here is to try and run as far as you can while avoiding the fluffy fiends that attack from every angle. If you don’t scream loudly enough, your zombie will collide with a hungry bunny and lose a body part. Luckily there are plenty of spare arms, legs and torsos strewn around that you can pick up and repair your zombie with. The game ends when the crazed critters have managed to tear your undead dude apart completely.

Okay, it’s not all that sophisticated or deep, but Scream ‘N’ Run gets by on a delightfully warped sense of humor. Trust me, it’s pretty much impossible to play the game without collapsing into a fit of giggles thanks to the crazy scream-to-jump mechanic and a steady stream of visual gags. Other humorous little flourishes like the awesome app icon that lampoons Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ or a grisly ‘Game Over’ screen featuring two bunnies slurping delicious, gooey brains from a zombie’s decapitated head are bound to raise a smile as well.

Of course, once the novelty of shrieking at the top of your lungs at your iDevice wears off (or indeed you scream yourself hoarse), you’re left with a fairly basic, albeit lovingly made, run n’ jump/high-score game. Still, I got more than enough mileage out of Scream ‘n’ Run to wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a hilarious timewaster that isn’t afraid to think outside the box.

iFanzine Verdict: You’re guaranteed a riotous good time with this delightfully demented scream-controlled side-scroller. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for anyone who happens to be in your general vicinity when you’re playing it!