Rayman Jungle Run

Rayman Jungle Run brings the world of Rayman Origins into the form of an auto-runner platformer, where the character runs forward on its own and the player only taps the screen to jump, double-jump, and perform a gliding attack. Controlling the game with one or two fingers and no virtual joystick was an unusual solution for 2012 and showed that a platformer can be played precisely on a touchscreen, provided the levels are designed directly for this control style instead of mechanically porting the classic gamepad-based design.

The game was created by the French studio Pastagames and built on the same visual and audio style that made the console game Rayman Origins famous – colorful jungles, fluid animation, and cheerful music were preserved even in the lighter mobile version. Levels are short, grouped by environment, and unlock progressively, which structures the game well for playing in short bursts, exactly how a phone is typically used – a few minutes on the way somewhere, during a break, while waiting in line.

It's a paid game with no ads and no microtransactions, which was a rather rare approach at a time of a growing free-to-play trend, keeping the experience clean and undisturbed by purchase offers. Collecting Lum creatures for perfect runs gives a reason to return even to completed levels and chase your own best time, and as with the other Origins installments, the difficulty gradually increases – the final set of levels can challenge even more experienced players who want to collect every last Lum.

Why play it: Worth it for anyone who wants a textbook example of a platformer tailored to touch controls, with no ads and no extra payment for progress.