Run or Die

About

"Run or Die" is an endless runner game where you control a stick figure and avoid obstacles in a procedurally generated world. The game features various environments, including cities and deserts, and the objective is to run as far as possible while collecting coins and power-ups. You can unlock new characters, power-ups, and abilities as you progress through the game, providing additional replayability.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 105 reviews

gameplay13 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a variety of abilities that change dynamically, keeping each run fresh and challenging.
Beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
Offers multiple game modes, including endless mode and daily challenges, providing good replay value.

Level design can be frustrating, with unclear visual cues making it difficult to distinguish between obstacles and background elements.
The game can feel punishingly difficult, leading to frequent deaths that may frustrate players.
Some technical issues, such as lag and poor optimization for PC, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
54%
9%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simple mechanics that evolve with each checkpoint, offering a mix of challenge and replayability. While some reviews criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth, others praise its balance, engaging pixel art, and the rewarding nature of mastering its mechanics. Overall, it provides a fun and challenging experience, particularly for fans of precision-platforming and endless runner genres.
- “An endless runner with good music, lovely pixel art, interesting and consistent mechanics, and no microtransactions.”
- “The fact that your skills change from level to level is an interesting feature and makes for more challenging gameplay, though the mechanics of these are well explained in the introduction so they aren't difficult to grasp.”
- “I think that anyone looking for a challenging but fair game should give this one a chance, because the gameplay feels fun, challenging but not frustrating, where failure helps in learning more about the game and becoming better at it.”
- “In some ways, this is a lovely trifecta of everything you should never do with a game... it's pixel crap (looks bad), it's a mobile app (not even close to a real PC game), and it's an endless runner (terrible gameplay concept).”
- “Tldr: low ambitions retro pixel runner with repetitive gameplay loop.”
- “The gameplay is fine on the surface, but falls apart on deeper inspection.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
32%
10%
The music in the game is generally praised for its chill, soothing quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting that it complements the gameplay well without becoming repetitive or annoying. While some found the soundtrack limited to a few tracks, they still appreciated its addictiveness and emotional resonance, contributing positively to the gaming experience. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features, elevating the game's appeal alongside its beautiful pixel art and engaging mechanics.
- “The challenges are fun and challenging, endless mode is great if you want to flex your skill, daily run is also great for skill flexing, graphics are beautiful and well done, music is very chill and has good vibes.”
- “I'm not necessarily into endless runners, or at least usually... however the atmosphere of the game - brought to life with both the graphics and the simple, yet amazing soundtrack - is just overwhelming.”
- “The soundtrack is awesome.”
- “The music is boring though...”
- “It's like a less-musical, slower Bit-Trip Runner.”
- “Cons: the 16-bit graphics may make it hard to identify what you can land or not land on, only one song plays on the menu and when running (from my experience) and it can get repetitive after a while.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the charming retro pixel art and its nostalgic appeal, while others criticize it as outdated and poorly executed. Many players appreciate the artistic style and animations, noting that they enhance the overall atmosphere, but there are complaints about the lack of resolution options and clarity in gameplay elements. Overall, the visuals are seen as a defining feature that either resonates with players or detracts from their experience, depending on personal taste.
- “The challenges are fun and challenging, endless mode is great if you want to flex your skill, daily run is also great for skill flexing, graphics are beautiful and well done, music is very chill and has good vibes.”
- “Not only is the gameplay fair and balanced, the art style and pixel graphics are honestly top-notch.”
- “The pixel art style, the animations, the soundtrack - really good!”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “Visually, this is a ham-fisted mess, a dog's breakfast of bad visuals, and this kind of laziness and poor quality should never be foisted on gamers.”
- “The graphics design is terrible.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that while there are hints of an interesting narrative, it ultimately remains underdeveloped and vague. Some appreciate the potential for imagination within the minimal context provided, but overall, the absence of a fleshed-out storyline detracts from the experience. Players express a desire for a more substantial story mode to enhance the gameplay.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Pros: a vague yet simple story open for imagination, beautiful 16-bit graphics and anime artwork, pretty great music, tight controls, fun abilities, and addicting gameplay.”
- “Sadly, no story is told.”
- “If there are requests I can make, one of them would be for a fleshed out story mode (part of it is introduced in the intro).”
- “Supposedly, the story is spread out through the endless run, but I am not sure if I am good enough to reach the end.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered moderate, with some unique elements like different game modes and daily challenges that encourage competition among friends. However, many players feel that the content is limited, leading to only a few hours of engaging gameplay before it becomes repetitive. While the initial experience can be enjoyable, the lack of well-designed chunks and depth may hinder long-term replay value.
- “Endless mode is tough but fair, and the daily challenges could add a lot of replay value and competition between friends.”
- “'Run or Die' is a nice endless runner with a decent amount of replayability, but nothing game-changing.”
- “[b]Replayability verdict[/b]: Different game modes spice up a down-to-earth endless runner that provides a small amount of replay value.”
- “While the chunks do add replay value as they make runs feel unique (at least for the first few hours), the chunks themselves aren't always well designed.”
- “I suppose there’s a certain amount of replayability based on competing with friends or a self-interest in short-term goals, but I don’t feel like there’s enough content to justify more than a few hours of gameplay.”
- “'Run or die' is a nice endless runner with a decent amount of replayability, but nothing game-changing.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating graphics and enchanting soundtrack, creating an immersive experience that can induce a trance-like state. Reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful artwork and solid gameplay as key elements that enhance the overall ambiance.
- “I'm not necessarily in for endless runners, or at least usually... however the atmosphere of the game - brought to life with both the graphics and the simple, yet amazing soundtrack - is just overwhelming.”
- “The atmosphere puts you in a state of trance which makes the time go by.”
- “Great atmosphere, lovely artwork and solid gameplay.”
- “The atmosphere puts you in a state of trance, which makes the time go by.”
- “I'm not necessarily in for endless runners, or at least usually... however, the atmosphere of the game - brought to life with both the graphics and the simple, yet amazing soundtrack - is just overwhelming.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of "Run or Die" has been criticized as a cash grab, with users noting it feels like a low-effort mobile app rather than a legitimate PC game. In contrast, some players appreciate games that offer quality experiences without microtransactions, highlighting a desire for fair monetization practices in the genre.
- “Run or Die is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not). It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is yet another of several hundred, if not thousands, of garbage low-effort endless runners plaguing Steam.”
- “An endless runner with good music, lovely pixel art, interesting and consistent mechanics, and no microtransactions?”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that grinding is a significant and unavoidable aspect of the game, suggesting that players should be prepared for repetitive tasks to progress.
- “Grinding is what you will be doing!”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, and it just felt like a chore rather than fun.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a sense of accomplishment and motivation when successfully completing tasks, even at easier levels, highlighting the emotional satisfaction derived from progress and the desire for self-improvement.
- “Executing the plan to perfection to get all the discs on the first of the easy levels made me feel quite accomplished, all the while making me think about how much better I'll have to become since it was just an easy level.”