Hands-on with Burt Destruction, a runner game that feels like full fledged Comedy Central show

Runner-style games are a dime a dozen in the Google Play Store, so in order for one to capture our attention, it takes something with a little more flare than normal. Enter, Burt Destruction by RunWilder Entertainment. Apparently, the fella behind Burt Destruction is a veteran in the industry, dabbling in such video game works as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So does that mean Burt Destruction will feature a similar level of production and polish? Let’s find out.

Keeping in mind this is only a mobile game, Burt Destruction adds extra gameplay features not normally found from others in the runner-genre, while adding a storyline and design that’s unequaled. In fact, the guys that did the cut scenes and character art were responsible for Comedy Central shows like Ugly Americans — one of my personal favorite animations to come along in a long while. Just watching the opening sequence, I felt like this was a show I somehow managed to miss out on, getting a good chuckle from the voice overs and wacky animations.

Story

It’s a bit strange that there’s even a story to begin with, but Burt Destruction has an interesting one. An evil Yeti is hellbent on creating a hair ray to transform the entire world into beast like himself (I know, it’s silly) and you play as Burt, a seemingly normal dude with Big Foot and a dodo bird as a friend (the former has a PHD) who rages out at the slightest level of excitement. It’s Burt’s natural ability that Yeti and his team of evil cohorts feel would make the perfect addition to their team, so they set out to capture Burt, while completing their plans to turn the world into a beast-men.

Gameplay and Graphics

This is a runner game, so, players will only have to perform a single action to advance: jump. Sounds easy, right? Well, the level is filled with enemies that can be defeated jumping on top of (classic platforming fare), and obstacles that will need to be carefully navigated over. Collecting coins strewn about the level and defeating enemies builds up Burt’s rage meter and once max’d out, allows him to go into a hulk-smash mode, transforming him into his invincible alter ego. Players are offered a variety of ways to upgrade and customize their character, adding additional powerups in the form of ally summons, and additional costumes. While this isn’t a freemium title, the difficult challenge in Burt Destruction kinda leave you feeling like there’s only one way to advance (forking out real money), and that may not leave such a good taste in some player’s mouths.

Visually the game looks great. I did find the 3D cell-shaded style a bit jarring after watching the amazingly well animated cutscenes, but that was just my personal preference. There’s enough enemies and changes in backdrops to keep things fresh and exciting in Burt Destruction, and I like that.

Verdict

Overall, I’d say Burt Destruction is a solid runner/platformer. However, its insane difficulty may prove too challenging for some and even with an entry fee, players may find it impossible to advance without purchasing the many powerups made available via a plethora of in-app purchases. Still, I did find the Burt Destruction more than enjoyable and despite the shortcomings in its business model, still worth a $2 download if for nothing else than accessing all of the game’s cutscenes.

[Burt Destruction on Google Play]