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Mos Speedrun is a unique little game; it takes the short bursts of gamepaly provided by endless runners and it replaces it with set levels, designed to be speedrun through. This uniqueness is what makes it an interesting platformer for mobile gamers to check out.

The levels feature multiple goals, and badges for doing just that. There’s just plain completion, which may take a minute or two the first time through levels. Then, there’s a badge for executing the “speedrun” part of the title, completing in under a certain amount of time. There’s also the badge for collecting all coins in a level, and for finding the hidden skull. These badges aren’t just for posterity’s sake; players must also collect a certain number of badges in order to unlock later levels.

The game’s multi-objective levels are part of what make it so fun – first time through is usually careful exploration, learning the timing of enemy patterns and just figuring out the layout of the levels. Then comes trying to collect all the coins, the level’s skull, and occasionally the ghost that unlocks new outfits. Then, comes the speed run through the level, trying to perfect the path through the level, to get in under the timer. The levels are perfectly designed for these multiple approaches, and it brings a lot of variety to a game where the only commands are running and jumping. The Lite version comes with a great feature – being able to import progress into the full version of the game. It’s handy, and something other games should implement.

The touch controls are what they are – they’re a little touchy, and can be a bit tricky for a game that does often require quick-yet-careful actions in order to succeed. Thankfully, the game does support the iCade as well, and is a universal app, of course. The best speedruns can even be recorded, and saved to the Camera Roll for posterity’s sake. The Mac version of the game supports Joypad, but not the iOS version, which is a shame, as the simple controls would work well for Joypad.

Mos Speedrun is a game that fans of retro platformers should definitely check out. The speedrun level format fits for short-burst on-the-go gaming, and the level designs are perfectly made to be played in several ways.