Blades of Brim

High-speed action and nifty tricks like running on a vertical wall make this game a frenzied, fun experience. Players need to think quickly on their feet to react to the ever-changing obstacles Blades of Brim places in their path, such as Goons, which are round creatures you can knock down by moving right or left toward them or ducking down in front of them. Gamers also need to try to pick up helpful items along the way, such as coins, without ramming into objects like a wall, which will end the round immediately. Things can also end prematurely if they run out of the three available lives indicated by hearts at the top of the screen.

While most game aspects are thoroughly explained, the elements that chip away at your life is one aspect that's unclear. The app also doesn't spend much time providing a backstory -- players are dropped right into the action to test out the controls. Playing requires some thought and focus, but the moves, which involve things like shifting right or left, are simple enough that anyone should be able to progress at a reasonable level. If they die in a round, they can use Essence, which are earned by playing, or watch an ad to extend the round. Players don't have to repeat rounds multiple times, which helps keeps the game interesting. There really aren't many features that cause frustrating delays or could detract from the general excitement of the game. Overall, the app offers an impressively consistent amount of fun -- with an equally impressive lack of ads. Some in-app currency items are available for purchase, but they're not a required part of the gameplay -- players will actually see more prompts to invite friends to play through Facebook than references to buy things. Thanks in part to festive elements like wall jumping, Blades of Brim is a sharp take on the running game genre that anyone should enjoy playing -- generally without any content, aside from some weapon use, that might potentially concern parents.