Nitrome does it again. Vault is an entertaining, but challenging game.

Nitrome has a string of hits on Android. It seems with every release, they are trying something a little bit different, but strangely enough, totally within their ever unfolding wheel house. Their latest game Vault, is an endless runner, and it is downright fun to play. It isn't easy, but when you string together several vaults, one right after the other, you feel pretty good about it. In short, it is worth a download to play.

Nitrome is know for games like Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage, Magic Touch: Wizard, Platform Panic and 8bit Doves. If you have played any of these games, you know they are full of retro graphics and pixels... and it works. As I have mentioned before, 8-bit and 16-bit graphics games are okay visually, but since I grew up playing them, those are not the games that draw my attention the quickest. However, Nitrome continues to publish great games in that vein, and you can't help but enjoy them. They blend challenging and fun game play, with colorful graphics that have just the right amount of detail. Vault is no different. Nitrome takes one button game play, and throws the sport of pole vaulting into an ever changing environment.

If you have watched the Olympics, you may have come across the pole vaulting portion of the competition. It occurs in Track and Field. The athlete has a somewhat flexible pole, that he/she carries in both hands. They sprint down the track and attempt to vault over a bar that is at a fixed position. The pole in their hands helps catapult them as they plant the pole and jump at just the right time. The mechanics in the game are exactly the same, except you don't have worry about running yourself. The game propels you forward, and the timing has to be just right as you plant your pole, in preparation for vaulting over any number or obstacles. Sometimes you are jumping over stationary crevices, and other times, the earth is quaking, and the ground you are running on is falling away. In other cases you have to get to areas that are much higher than your pole will allow, but thankfully, there are platforms that you can jump on that will propel you higher. 

As you are traversing the random environments, coins are sparsely located throughout the game. While your character avoids falling in holes, you try to grab as many coins as you can. The coins are used to unlock additional characters. The first character that is unlocked, is a Sunmaid Raisin looking guy wearing a sweatband on his head named King Edward. You unlock additional characters by paying for them with the coins you acquire.  There are four additional characters to unlock including Mr. Fish and Panic Bot. Panic Bot is a character in another one of Nitrome's games. That is the only use for the coins, which is a good thing. The highest priced character costs 2000 coins. While it may take a little while to amass 2000 coins, it won't take as long as you think. The games go quickly, and the coins are pretty prevalent in the game. You just have to be patient and continue playing. It doesn't feel like the grinding you face in other games, because the game play is enjoyable and varied. In addition, there are rings placed throughout the landscape. If your character passes through these rings, you get more coins. If you have a hard time waiting, there is always the option of paying real cash to get bundles of coins. The highest bundle of coins being 5000 coins for $6.00.

Vault is a free-to-play game. If you choose to unlock the game to get rid of the ads, it will cost you $2.31 In addition, the game is integrated with Google Game Play Services, with a leaderboard and 13 achievements to unlock. If you are looking for a game you can play for a few minutes, or for long stretches, Vault fits into both categories. It is a game that is a welcome addition to my library, and it is one that I can get great enjoyment out of in a minimal amount of time. Nitrome has done it again, and I am curious to see what they come up with next.

Vault: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nitrome.vault