Despicable Me: Minion Rush Android Review
Going Bananas
While we were waiting for the next sequel of Despicable Me, Gameloft surprised us with Minion Rush, a movie based endless runner android game in which you take control of one of Gru’s minions. The goal? To become the minion of the year, collect all the bananas while doing nasty despicable things along the way.
Gameplay
Despicable Me is three lane endless runner type of game. You run, collect stuff and avoid traps. Bananas are the main currency in this game and you can use them to buy power ups, unlock costumes and get boosts at the beginning of the level. The goal is of course to run as long as possible, collect bananas and power ups and suppress your previous best distance. There is another currency available, the golden tokens, which can be bought for real money or (rarely) found in game. They are used for revives, special upgrades, additional costumes or simply buying more bananas.
Eventually you will run into a boss fights. Boss fights consist of dodging projectiles and turning them against the boss. While they do sound simple, boss fights are fun to play and relatively easy. If you fail the first attempt, you will get it done on your second try (or third).
During the gameplay the camera occasionally shifts the perspective from over head view, to the side of the minion running. While interesting, this makes the game harder and will keep you on your toes the entire time. On top of all, Despicable Me supports cloud save and achievements, so your progress will remain intact even if you decide to uninstall the software.
Controls, Graphics
Controls are simple, you swipe left, right, up and down and you tap the screen during boss fights. Your minion is responsive and has no trouble following even the sloppiest reactions of your finger. Now and then you will be required to use your accelerometer too when you pick up the rocket power up, or enter the slide.
Graphics are crisp, colors vibrant and pleasant to watch. Unlike other endless runners, Despicable Me: Minion rush has levels. As you progress through the game, the environment changes giving you the feeling as you run through locations from the movie. The engine does an excellent job rendering the 3D objects in cartoonish style which kids will enjoy most.
The end of endless
All in all, Despicable Me is highly polished representative of the genre. The game funding is done exclusively by microtransactions thus avoiding in game ads completely. While this game does not redefine the endless run concept, it certainly pushes it a bit forward. Regardless if you are fan of the movie or you simply like playing this type of games, give Despicable Me: Minion rush a try. You can install it for free following the link to the play store below.
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Great gameplay |  |
Gold coins could be a bit cheaper |
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Funny, addictive |
There are lots of endless runners out there but I find Minion Rush in a way – thanks to their humor.
I agree that the camera angle switch is a bit obsolete and so far I only experienced it at Gru’s Lab. The in-app purchase prompts are also annoying knowing that this game is meant for kids and yeah, they are not cheap.
The game has also codes you can use, check them here: http://www.cheatmasters.com/blog/2013/08/02/despicable-me-minion-rush-unlock-codes-and-achievements-guide/