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The idea of finishing a level as fast as possible in a platformer can be fairly common, with
some games even going so far as to reward players for their speed, be it through bonus
points, achievements or maybe that elusive third golden star. Mos Speedrun by Physmo
turns speedy play in to a core component of its retro-slathered skill based platforming
and while you don't have to beat the top times to win, taking on the challenge will require
patience and reflexes honed to a sharp point to succeed.
By default players are given a touch interface setup that moves Mos, your colorful bug, based
on the side of the screen you tap, while jumps are performed by tapping on the opposite side
while moving. At first this may not seem like the optimal setup and indeed players may want
to opt for the more traditional two-way virtual d-pad and jump button setup to navigate the
many various enemies and environmental hazards in your way, but attempting to reach the preset
time-goals requires players to learn efficient, non-stop paths that are emphasized by the
default controls. In order to progress and unlock additional stages, players will need
to collect trophies associated with four basic achievements - completing a level; collecting
all the coins on a level; finding the 'hidden' skull; and beating the speedrun time.
These days it's almost expected that skill based platformers have a retro-esque theme
and Mos Speedrun is happy to oblige with its pixel-art world and up-tempo chiptune soundtrack.
Additional small touches like adding a faux-scanline effect and using TV snow as a visual transition
help to set the mood. Special levels can also be activated by placing special URLs in your
iDevices Safari browser, however the one level I was able to find via a QR code on the developer
site did not seem to load as intended.
As with all challenging platformers your mileage will vary depending on how far you wish to
go to conquer the levels and their additional objectives. Fans of League of Evil, N+ and
Super Meat Boy will quickly devour this title whole, but beating those speedruns is a whole
different kettle of fish and will keep you coming back for more.