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Top Run

66%Game Brain Score
music, graphics
story, gameplay
86% User Score Based on 28 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Mac OSPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
Buy Nowfrom $2.71
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About

Top Run is endless runner with platformer elements. It has everything we love: neon, pixel art, a bit of outrun, tiny piece of synthwave, scanlines, VHS effects.

Genres & Tags
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Top Run screenshot
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Top Run screenshot
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Top Run screenshot
Top Run screenshot
Skip User Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews
music12 positive mentions
monetization2 negative mentions
  • The game features a vibrant 80s aesthetic with engaging visuals and a nostalgic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • It offers a variety of missions and unlockables that provide a sense of progress and encourage repeated play.
  • Top Run is a fun time-killer, making it suitable for quick gaming sessions while enjoying its retro vibe.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including glitches with enemy behavior and unresponsive controls that can disrupt gameplay.
  • Many upgrades and missions feel repetitive and grindy, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing after a certain point.
  • The game is criticized for being a mobile port with design deficiencies that do not meet the expectations of PC gamers.
  • music
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its retro vibe and beautiful soundtrack that complements the visuals, while others find it repetitive and lacking in quality. Critics argue that the music fails to compete with free streaming services like Spotify, and some describe it as annoying or insufficient for the game's length. Overall, while the aesthetic and references to the '80s are praised, the soundtrack's limited variety detracts from the experience for many players.

    • “Nice runner with cool retro vibe aesthetics and soundtrack!”
    • “First off, the game has great visuals and music, plus there's lots of cool '80s references (mainly movies and cartoons).”
    • “I really like the graphic style and the soundtrack is beautiful!”
    • “Top Run 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 devs. The game is a lazy 2D retro pixel endless runner (with platforming and shooter elements) as you run across a 1980's cityscape listening to annoying music.”
    • “If the business plan for a game is to compete with Spotify, which is free and has effectively unlimited music, all of which is better than the music here, it's failed before it even started.”
    • “Too bad the soundtrack isn't available.”
  • graphics
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are characterized by a vibrant 80s aesthetic, featuring neon colors, retro pixel art, and nostalgic references to pop culture, which create a visually engaging experience. Players appreciate the combination of these visuals with a fitting synth rock soundtrack, enhancing the overall nostalgic vibe. The retro style serves as a deliberate choice, offering a charming alternative to contemporary graphics.

    • “First off, the game has great visuals and music, plus there's lots of cool '80s references (mainly movies and cartoons).”
    • “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “Soaked in 80's kid nostalgia, getting addicted to running further and further with your pet pooch in a VHS-grained world, grinding out points for upgrades, aesthetic decorations, and costumes.”
    • “The main selling point is the 80s aesthetic, with lots of neon and cheesy synth rock and pop culture references.”
  • story
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game revolves around a mission-based system that offers players various objectives, such as defeating enemies or rescuing friends, which can enhance character progression. However, players express frustration with the reliance on luck for mission completion and the limitations of having only three active missions at a time, which can hinder progress. Additionally, unexpected triggers like "buddy time" can disrupt gameplay and lead to missed opportunities, adding to the overall challenge and complexity of the narrative experience.

    • “I appreciate mission systems like this as they force me to use certain strategies during my runs, and they certainly get more challenging as you progress.”
    • “You can gain experience and raise your character's level by accomplishing tons of missions with simple goals like 'kill x amount of y enemy' or 'rescue x friend y times'.”
    • “Missions are often dependent on luck, and you only ever have three active missions at a time, meaning you will only be able to make progress for those three missions until you get new ones.”
    • “Missions are too often dependent on luck (getting 3 of a specific powerup in a run for instance), and you only ever have three active missions at a time, meaning you will only be able to make progress for those three missions until you get new ones (with a few exceptions).”
    • “The 'buddy time' minigame activates on its own, and can make you miss a mission-critical boss or powerup.”
    • “I often found myself getting frustrated at first, such as when 'the floor is lava' is triggered while I'm in mid-jump and can't possibly get to safe ground, or when I'm about to kill an enemy that counts towards a mission goal only to have 'buddy time' trigger before my projectile hits the enemy.”
  • gameplay
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay features a unique blend of runner and platformer mechanics, enhanced by a neon theme. Players earn pixels that can be spent on customizable skins for themselves and their dog, which provide various buffs, extend powerup durations, and increase pixel value after covering certain distances. Overall, it offers a casual yet engaging experience reminiscent of a futuristic runner.

    • “It's a runner with very interesting platform mechanics.”
    • “The pixels you earn during gameplay can be spent on skins for you and your dog (in a nice touch, your skins come with different buffs), extending the effective time of powerups, and allowing you to trigger pixels being worth double (and eventually triple) after a certain distance is run.”
    • “Casual runner spiced with platformer + neon theme + mechanics = if Back to the Future had a runner game, this would be it.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of Top Run has been criticized as a blatant cash grab by mobile developers, with many users feeling that it lacks the quality and depth expected from a PC game. The game is perceived as a lazy port of a mobile app, offering minimal value and an unsatisfactory experience.

    • “Top Run 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 devs. The game is a lazy 2D retro pixel endless runner (with platforming and shooter elements) as you run across a 1980's cityscape listening to annoying music.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers good value for money, but its replayability is limited due to uninteresting rewards, which may deter players from returning after their initial playthrough.

    • “8.5/10 — good value for money/fair price tag, but replay value is quite limited with not-so-interesting rewards in return!”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game enjoyable, as it evokes 80's nostalgia while engaging them in a rewarding loop of running with their pet and earning points for upgrades, decorations, and costumes. The aesthetic and addictive nature of the gameplay enhances the overall experience.

    • “Grinding feels like an endless chore, where progress is painfully slow and rewards are minimal.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
    • “I found myself stuck in a loop of grinding, which took away from the enjoyment of the game.”
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