Run Boggo Run Free! Review

Hilarious Fun

Welcome to the Land of Boggs, where stress manifests as a grotesque monster and mindfulness is your key to success. BuzzFeed’s latest title Run Boggo Run Free! is an action-packed runner presented as a charming cartoon. Evocative of Adventure Time, this title boasts excellent humor, fun gameplay and challenging obstacles. More than simply an entertaining game, Run Boggo Run Free! aims to encourage players to pursue that zen life.

Simple Yet Challenging

Your sole mission in Run Boggo Run Free! is to escape the Stress Monster by dodging obstacles. While gameplay is similar Temple Run, the developers at BuzzFeed made a brilliantly poetic variation. Rather than following from behind, players view Boggo from the front as she runs toward the screen. From this view, the Stress Monster is always visible, towering in the background. It’s terrifying. This game is the cartoonish personification of adult life. Rocks appear in the foreground, giving you a short window of time to react. Simply swipe your finger in either direction to make Boggo change course and avoid them. Swipe up to make Boggo jump over shorter rocks. Running into rocks slows you down, and you’ll fail the level if you collide with too many. To make matters more challenging, running into yellow rocks means game over.

On a less frightening note, each level is riddled with calming goodies. Small critters called Calm Boggs carrying labels like “hot tea” or “deep breath” scurry about. Run into them to increase your score. Naturally, bath bombs are your best friends and secret weapons. When the Stress Monster gets angry, bath bombs are your only hope. At certain points, the Stress Monster will turn red, increase in size and run faster. Swipe across the bath bomb icon on the bottom left of the screen to throw some soothing goodness at the Stress Monster. However, you must do it quickly. Wait too long to soothe that stress and the monster will have you in its jaws. Gremlins appear in later levels. These little buggers inflict damage if you touch them. Luckily, they can be mindfully conquered by the mighty bath bomb as well. As players progress, the levels become more intricate, so it’s quite challenging to juggle all these tasks.

Outpace Stress

Before each level, a list of goals appears on the screen. These range from defeating Gremlins to collecting Calm Boggs. Additionally, players are required to reach a certain score to level up. Doing so allows players to start new levels. Aside from leveling up, earning points in Run Boggo Run Free! serves little purpose beyond helping players feel accomplished. There are no bonus features like special items or new skins for Boggo. While this makes the game feel a bit stale after a bit, it aligns nicely with the theme. Run Boggo Run Free! is all about mindfulness and minimalism after all. Who needs extra stuff? The developers drive this point home by keeping the gameplay consistent. However, it wouldn’t hurt to add a little more flare.

Run Boggo Run Free! is a pleasant experience overall. You’ll find yourself laughing at the comical dialogue and hilarious music. While the game lacks diversity, BuzzFeed executed the central concept exceptionally well. It may not be groundbreaking, but Run Boggo Run Free! is undeniably clever and fun.