Warm up before Super Mario Run with these 2D auto-runners now
Apple and Nintendo shocked the gaming community yesterday by using part of their keynote presentation to announce alongside Shigeru Miyamoto and Bill Trinen that Super Mario Run would be coming to iOS devices December 2016.
The auto-runner will eventually be coming to Android devices, but no date has been announced as to when this will occur.
While we all wait for December to roll around so we can experience Mario for the first time on the mobile platform, there are a number of 2D auto-runners worth checking out to whet your collective appetites in the meantime.
Some of the characters in these games, you might already be familiar with.
Rayman Jungle Run & Fiesta Run ($4.49 each on iOS and Android)
The limbless hero’s foray onto mobile devices was an absolute delight when it first came out, as it captured all of the good aspects of the Rayman series; vibrant visuals, plenty of collectibles, challenging levels, and a ridiculously catchy soundtrack. 
Made in the vein of the Rayman Origins and Legends games with the auto-runner treatment, the concept was simple: Rayman would run from left-to-right automatically and it was up to the player to use various touch commands to jump, punch and hover through the cleverly-designed levels. A nifty little feature was the ability to unlock wallpapers for your phone by playing through the game.
This was my wallpaper for a while back in 2012
The concept for Super Mario Run is very similar to Jungle Run – Nintendo would do well to capture the responsive controls and the same level of charm Rayman and his goofy friends showed on the mobile platform.
Punch Quest (Free on iOS and Android)
Unashamedly inspired by many beat-em-up arcade games before it, Punch Quest had the player tapping and swiping to perform punches and uppercuts while the character kept running through hordes of zombies and other ghoulish fiends. At the end of each run, a plethora of upgrades could be purchased to upgrade abilities and new ways of inflicting pain on your undead foes, including the ability to ride on a laser-shooting dinosaur.
Vector (Free on iOS and Android, or $1.49 full iOS version, $1.19 Android)
This stylish auto-runner is essentially a 2D version of Mirror’s Edge, with the anonymous protagonist on the run and performing parkour moves across rooftops to avoid the enemy. Strangely enough, there was a Mirror’s Edge game on mobile devices, but it was among the list of games EA removed from the App Store. While it may not be the s
ame as making death-defying leaps and dishing out parkour brutality as Faith, Vector is a strong enough game to fill the mobile 2D auto-runner parkour void in our hearts.
Badland ($4.99 on iOS, free with in-app-purchases on Android)
Badland is not your usual auto-runner. Instead of moving in one direction, the mobile game with Limbo aesthetics has you moving in all directions, the only input is a touch of the screen to flap the character’s wings for elevation. Worth playing for the gorgeous art design, Badland is not without its challenging puzzles along the way.
It is also worth noting its sequel, Badland 2, has been out for a while on iOS, but only recently joined the Android line-up. The original game is also on all major consoles in a Game-of-the-Year edition, including on the humble Wii U.
There are plenty of other auto-runners out there, and the 3D titles like Temple Run and Sonic Dash are almost household names among mobile gamers.
What other auto-runners have you played, and what gameplay mechanics do you hope to see Super Mario Run include from the genre?
