Toby Moses 

Zombies, Run! – review

Novelist Naomi Alderman has given her backing to this running aid/audio adventure app, writes Toby Moses
  
  

zombies run
Zombies, Run! was developed with the help of novelist Naomi Alderman. Photograph: PR

Come the inevitable zombie apocalypse, the ability to run a few miles to evade the shuffling hordes would be handy, which is where Zombies, Run! (App store, Six to Start & Naomi Alderman, £5.49) comes in. Teaming up with novelist Alderman, and using crowd-sourced funding, the developers have created a running aid/audio adventure combined, offering something far more engaging than the athletes' monotoned encouragement on Nike+.

Over 13 missions (with 17 more to come free in this first season), you take the part of Runner 5 and have this tale of the undead piped into your ears. As you run, the iPhone's GPS tracks your pace – the moans growing louder as brain-eaters approach, forcing an increase in tempo to escape them. You also collect items as you run, which are used to bolster the survivors' base, adding an extra layer of interest beyond the number of calories burnt. The missions last about 25 minutes, consisting of five sections interspersed with your own tunes: perfect for all levels of jogger.

It may seem odd that running is required to escape "the walking dead", but an engaging story provides a better reason than most to hit the road – until of course the zombies actually rise and provide some truly deadly motivation.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*