Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run (iOS) Review

The Nyan-Jellies invade Earth and are looking for a place to stay in this adorably cute runner title. The problems with Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run, however, are many, and the biggest is that it is simply not alone in what it is doing and does not do something unique. There are many titles in this genre for smartphones that are also free-to-play. One title that comes to mind is Subway Surfer. The problem is that Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run compared to that does not come off favourably. Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run feels extremely watered down compared to its competition due to there not being any upgrades for the Nyan-Jelly and no daily missions that other similar titles use to encourage future gaming.

What it does extremely well, though, is focus on the gameplay. While there is not much to do, nor much to achieve, what is there is very well made and fun. The game-mechanics are very well designed and the way some obstacles can work both to the advantage and disadvantage of the player is a very smart design choice. One clear example is the bushes that trap Nyan-Jelly for a while, restricting the jumping feature. However, besides that it also slows down Nyan-Jelly for a while, which is extremely important because as Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run goes on, it becomes faster. It is a very smart choice from a game design perspective to have obstacles that vary from being bad to good depending on the situations faced. This creates a unique feel in the genre where all possible variables in the environment must be calculated to fully succeed.

Another great aspect is its simple to play approach. All that is needed is to tap on the screen to make the Nyan-Jelly jump. This creates easily accessible gameplay that anyone can get into and enjoy. Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and this is especially true for free-to-play smartphone titles. It is easy, relaxing and (sort of) fun to play.

A large issue in Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run, though, is its adverts and the way it delivers them. It is fully understandable that a free-to-play game must either have adverts or a pay-to-win system to get profits as it is, after all, a free product. However, what is important is that in doing so, it should not ruin the gameplay and flow too much. In the case of Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run, sadly, they do. The issue is a double dip kind of advertising where two pop up at once. This might not sound like a problem at first, and it wouldn't be if it wasn't for the fact that it is not obvious which advert is above which one. Sometimes, two adverts pop up at once with different turn-off locations. However, if the button of the one on the "bottom layer" is pressed first, it actually makes the other pop up instead. This is highly problematic as it is not obvious which one actually is on the bottom layer and the one that looks like the bottom layer one might very well be programmed to be technically above the other one, making several mis-clicks that takes the player into the websites and interrupts the gameplay pretty badly. Sometimes, they also have a delay that makes them accidentally pop up in the middle of the gameplay without pausing the game. This causes several cheap deaths, and everyone who has ever played a free-to-play ad-based game knows that death equals more banners, and so on. This is extremely annoying when it happens during multiplayer matches and can spoil everything…

Other than this significant flaw, Nyan-Jelly: Get & Run offers great and simple gameplay, but feels extremely scaled down, even for a free-to-play title. It is fun but the lack of unlockables and a carrot to hunt makes it feel extremely bare. Its multiplayer is fun, but even then there is not much to hunt for. Overall, this is a decent title that could have done with some more polish, and less annoying advertisements.