Run 2 is a flash game that I loved playing years ago, like during school hours on coolmathgames.com. The game’s goal is to complete all the levels (around 40 or so) in the player’s selected mode, though it could double if the player wants to work on both modes. The game’s mechanics are governed by the selected mode: the screen gameplay continuously moves forward at a set pace, forcing the player to react and move around correctly in a timely manner.
Players in the skating mode have a faster moving screen, and players in the running mode a slower moving screen. But conversely, their control (accuracy and sensitivity) in movement decreases with that speed, making it more likely for a skating player to under- or overshoot and fall into the abyss (holes –> space). Another mechanic present is the existence of the walls, which provides an additional surface for the player to run on. Landing on a wall flips the player to that wall, creating new ground to run on. Both of these contribute to a dynamic of challenge, a sort of pressure that’s brought on by the speedy screen advancement (as opposed to time).
When it comes to the aesthetics created by that dynamic, I can see it fostering discovery and challenge (from the wall jumping, multiple levels, and two modes suggesting multiple “solutions” to a level) and abnegation (automatic restarts and no limits on retries). Since this is a solo game, its take on competition is mostly aided by the player’s desire to make it past every level. Personally, I think the colors of the levels are fun, too, and that’s a small motivation for me when I play it (the layout of the holes makes it fun to explore and for a moment decreases urgency in completing a level, because I wanna check out all the potential pathways first)
