Sidewalker for iOs immediately drew me in with one sentence worth of the game’s premise: You’re late to work, you’re dodging pedestrians, collecting cash… and you’re not wearing any pants.
Sold.
As a person who constantly struggles to be on time for work, I was curious about how they would bring this concept to life. While I didn’t come in with any real expectations, I feel like Sidewalker left me wanting something more.
Sidewalker is an endless walker from developer Gutpela Interactive.
The game has a very simple premise and a highly amusing execution. You are a blockhead, (no really, see below) you are late to work and you’ve got to navigate the crowded streets and sidewalks of your city in an attempt to avoid getting fired for being late.
While dodging and adjusting your speed with swiping gestures on the touch screen, you also aim your character to collect money and powerups—like pants. Probably the most amusing thing in Sidewalker? If the large woman in the housecoat with a camera doesn’t get out of your way, you plant a firm kick and effectively run right through her. The game included some surprisingly satisfying sound effects and additional details, like hot dog vendors and pedestrians shouting amusing exclamations as you speed by.
While the game is definitely fun for an iOs free title, I didn’t find much replay value overall, and I got bored after just a few playthroughs.
While the more you run, the more points, cash, and powerups you can gain—the more I realized I wasn’t being challenged enough in the present. To add to that, who is this guy, and why is he running through the city with no pants? I’d love to know more about him. Give me a quick cut scene so I understand the why behind what I’m doing.
For gamers with children, this game is an easy sell. It’s 
free and has virtually no easily discernible violence–my 3.5 year old thinks it is absolutely hilarious, and he is improving his response time to things like oncoming cars (in game.)
The game runs smoothly and has great sound production–unfortunately great games are made of more.
Want to keep playing for high scores? Buy the full version of the game for $.99, or one of several powerups available to enhance your character a little bit quicker.
If you don’t take risks in dodging pedestrians and vehicles, you won’t get anywhere near high score territory. Be careful though, if you don’t collect enough pairs of pants, you can easily die with a three-hit round. Keep an eye out for the call from your boss! If you’re not fast enough—you can get fired, which is apparently much worse than death by head on collision.
For more details on Sidewalker,visit their homepage at walkingthegame.com or download the game for free on iOs devices now.
