Canabalt, a Flash-based Action Platformer for the IPod Touch and IPhone

Canabalt is a Flash animation action platformer created by Newgrounds.com designer AdamAtomic. The song track used in this creation was created by dannyBstyle, and additional audio was credited to Danny Baranowsky. This parkour-styled creation was submitted to Newgrounds.com on September 2, 2009 and won both a 2nd Place award on September 3, 2009 as well as a Weekly 2nd Place award on September 9, 2009. Canabalt is also available for the iPhone and iPod Touch and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store for $2.99. It is being sold by Darrel Johnson. The updated version in the iTunes Store, made available December 18, 2009, includes a few bug fixes as well as toggle functionalities for vibrations and visibility of the pause button.

Gameplay

Canabalt is essentially a run-and-jump game. Players can only control the jumping motion of the virtual character, who continues to run across the tops of buildings. The character will run from left to right, gaining speed as the game progresses. However, the speed of the virtual character will slow down if you stumble on a box or other object. Jump from rooftop to rooftop, through windows, and over explosives to attempt your escape from destruction. Watch out for crumbling rooftops, keep track of how quickly you are running, and always look ahead to time your jumping accurately, or risk falling to your death.

Controls for PC Version of Canabalt

Press either X or C or the spacebar on your keyboard to jump.
No mouse or arrow keys are required to participate in the great escape.
Use the plus and minus signs on your keyboard to toggle the volume level of the song track.
Pressing zero will mute the sound.
Pressing 1 will allow you to view the frames per second at which the Flash animation is running.

Game Review

Canabalt is an exciting escape simulation that will keep players playing for a long time. What makes this creation unique is that each time you replay the game, the objects in the game change, as well as the order of rooftops. This prevents people from memorizing when to make the right jump, keeping players on their feet. Since each time the game is played is different, this keeps the game interesting and exciting. Players will have to continuously look ahead at the right side of the screen to determine when to jump.

Though Canabalt only requires players to use one button, the gameplay is rather exciting and the many obstacles provide a good degree of challenge for all players. The sound track in the background also adds a nice touch that enhances the excitement and urgency of escape.

Canabalt scores a 10/10 for its high level of entertainment and replay value.