Super Mole Escape comes perilously close to being a generic endless runner, or in this case, an endless digger. But Adult Swim adds its brand of irreverence to the familiar gameplay making this one vertical scroller I kinda dig.
You play as one of six mole convicts escaping from mole prison with the mole warden hot on your rodent tails. The ultimate futility of our efforts, (the warden can’t lose) adds a healthy dose of irony..
The locations and randomly generated tracks in Super Mole Escape are more than just backdrops. The obstacles encountered in each environment compels players to employ specific tactics suited to each transitory theme. For example, in the lava pit you want to get out fast, whereas strength and post-beating acceleration are key.on the ice-blocked wintry slope where lasers turn you into ice cubes.
Finally, the different characters each have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can upgrade them independently for speed, acceleration and strength. There is also a multiplayer mode, which is a great idea, but hard to comment upon since finding random Game Center matches is all but impossible.
Apart from all that, Super Mole Escape sticks with the tried and true. The controls are tilt by default with an option for touch. Both are solid, but not outstanding, and require some fine-tuning in the Settings menu. Taking a page from Jetpack Joyride’s playbook, there are missions to complete, gems to collect which serve as in-game currency, power ups, boosts, costumes, and a gem doubler that sells for $0.99 in-app.
Super Mole Escape is likely to be another iOS hit fro [adult swim]. Like their other games in collaboration with GrumpyFace Studios, Bring Me Sandwiches and Robot Unicorn Attack, the easy-going gaming mixed with cartoon aesthetics and memorable soundtracks quickly become habit forming. But where those others titles felt completely fresh, Super Mole Escape might leave you with a lingering sense of been there, dug that.
