Mobile phone games weren't always terribly complex. While some of the games that you can play today almost rival console games in their scope and complexity, there are still plenty of old-school games that are meant to pass your spare time without having to think too much. While Stair Run is definitely an old-school game, it does have enough modern elements to make it worth a try for most players.

Features

Stair Run is absolutely one of the simplest games to start playing on any smart device. The controls are as basic as they come - tap once to start moving, hold your finger down to build, and let go to stop building. The entire game consists of a number of different courses that will require you to use quick reflexes and a bit of early planning to not only build over all of the obstacles, but to get to the finish line while using as few ricks as possible.

Benefits

This game isn't going to change your life, but it will help you to waste a little bit of free time when you have nothing else to do. The game is simple enough that you're not going to have to spend time learning how to play - the first level is a simple enough tutorial that you'll feel like you have the hang of the game by the end of the first track.

With that said, the game does provide players with a fair bit of reflex training. As the courses get longer and more complex, you'll need to time your builds precisely to avoid losing bricks and to stop yourself from hitting obstacles. Though none of the challenges are actually all that hard, the game does have a gentle ramping up of difficulty that will keep most players invested.

Pros and Cons

This game is absolutely free to download, but it's also free of any kind of annoying currency gathering. Though you can keep striving for a high score as long as you want, there's nothing here that really separates a player who decides to play the game for free from those who pay to get rid of ads. This shouldn't be as big a benefit as it is, yet going against one of the major factors in current app design does make that stand out. That, coupled with the relatively short stages, makes this a fun throw-back to older games.

There are only two real downsides here. The first is the ads. Though they aren't overly long, they do come fairly frequently and tend to repeat themselves quickly. Given that the game is free, though, sitting through them isn't too bad. The bigger issue is that the game does start feeling repetitive quickly. Once you've mastered the harder levels, there's really nowhere left for you to go with this game. While it would be nice to see it get a little more content, it's not necessarily a bad thing that most players will be left wanting more.

Conclusion

Stair Run is a fun game for those who are looking for a distraction. It's not going to win any awards and it won't change mobile gaming, but it's free and it is absolutely entertaining. Though the ads can get a little annoying, you do have the ability to pay a one time free to eliminate them - a choice that you might want to make if you spend enough time enjoying this game.