King games may hold a firm stranglehold on mobile gaming with titles like Candy Crush Saga and Farm Heroes Saga, but there are a few endless runners that are making waves on the free gaming charts: Imangi’s Temple Run 2 and Kiloo’s Subway Surfers.
The purpose of these games is identical: run as fast as you can for as long as you can and collect coins while you do it. There is no real end to either of them, but you have the option of boosting your abilities via various micro-transactions. Both games are available on iOS, Android, the Windows Phone Store, and on the Amazon Kindle Fire.
But which one should you choose? You don’t necessarily have to pick one or the other, but it will probably help your scores to put your focus into one– at least for now.
Here are some features for you to consider when making your choice:
Difficulty
Temple Run 2 is by far the more difficult title. Both game features the same basic controls: slide up to jump over obstacles and slide down to roll or slide under obstacles.
However, Temple Run 2 requires players to slide right or left in order to make sharp 90 degree turns and avoid slamming into the edge of the pathway. This same motion is used to slide side to side across three lanes on Subway Surfers, which is a much more forgiving mechanic. Temple Run 2 also requires players to move their device side to side in order to veer left and right. This additional mechanic adds another thing for your brain to worry about that it wouldn’t need to if you were playing Subway Surfers.
Subway Surfers is also much more forgiving when it comes to the obstacles. If you run into ANYTHING in Temple Run 2, you are dead. It is possible to hit an obstacle and keep going in Subway Surfers.
Visuals
Temple Run 2 is a little more realistic. It has that Indiana Jones feel to it, and the setting is completely imaginary (though clearly based on South American ruins). The monster that chases you conveys a much more menacing sense of dread than the inspector chasing a Subway Surfers character.
Subway Surfers is cartoony and uses animated backdrops of various cities as its setting. The characters and obstacles are cute and not as serious as those in Temple Run 2.
‘Pay to Win’ Factor
In other words, which game wants your money more?
It is a close race. Both games feature the typical free-to-play mobile game purchase options: new characters, upgrades for existing characters, boosts, power-ups, extra lives, etc.
I would give the slight edge to Temple Run 2 here. The games higher level of difficulty encourages its players to spend a little more. Subway Surfers also starts players off with a lot more in-game currency, so less of an investment is necessary from the get-go.
Final Verdict
It depends on you. If you are looking for a serious, difficult gaming experience and don’t mind spending a little money, I’d go with Temple Run 2. If you are more interested in a less-stressful, whimsical jog around town, then Subway Surfers is your best bet. Either way, get ready to run for your life.
Original Author: Rory Appleton