No matter how far games have evolved, we still love games about running and jumping. The core gameplay mechanic of platformers continues to be one of the most enjoyable. But most platformers don’t have a sense of speed to them. They’re more about getting items and making precision jumps; things that don’t lend themselves to fast running. Except for the occaisional chase scene, you can take your time in a Mario game. What Canabalt for iPhone does, is force you to run. You have no control over your character except for jumping. He runs full-steam ahead all the time. You have run across rooftops, bust through the windows of skyscrapers, jump over desk chairs and debris falling from the sky, and sometimes the building you’re running on top of will crumble beneath your feet. There are no items, and no stopping for power-ups. There’s no goal. You’re just trying to get the most distance you can before you miss a jump, smack into a wall, and plummet to your death. It’s like a stripped-down, super fast 2D Mirror’s Edge, and I love it.

Each time you play it, you’re never spending more than a minute playing it, cause you’ll kill yourself by missing a jump sooner than later, so it makes the perfect toilet game. Try to play it for too long, and you’ll get burnt out pretty quickly. But in short bursts while you’re waiting on someone or dropping the kids off at the pool, it’s gaming bliss.

To top it off, the single music track in the game pumps pretty hard, and the splash screen at the start of the game telling you that for maximum awesome, headphones are recommended, is dead on. For $2.99, it’s well worth your money, and I’d have to say it’s my second favorite game on the iPhone behind Drop 7. If that’s not enough of a recommendation, you can check out the flash version for free to try it for yourself.