EverRun is a fantasy Endless Running Game by Budge Studios for the iOS
and Android systems.
A storm has scattered the petals of the Everbloom Tree, source of all magic in the world. You play as the Guardians of Everbloom, a team of Cool Horses who search for the petals. Together they travel the world, seeking to restore the Tree before magic is lost forever.
Mechanically, the game consists of a linear path divided into three lanes, covered with collectables, power-ups, obstacles, and pits of varying size. Players can switch between lanes of equal elevation, or drop onto lower ones: the latter is sometimes necessary to avoid a tall obstacle. Runs continue until a certain number of Petals are collected, depending on how many runs a Guardian has already completed. Some obstacles cover more than one lane, move, or are too big to jump over, so fast reflexes are necessary. At the end of runs, players return to the Everbloom tree, where they can replenish a Guardian's energy and buy equipment.
This game includes the following tropes:
- Allegedly Free Game: One character and a few levels are free, but everything else (including brushes, stable decor, and horse armor) must be bought with "Embers". Embers can be bought outright, earned by letting the game show you ads, logging in daily, or just playing well.
- An Interior Designer Is You: Each Guardian has personal items that their stall can be decorated with. They cost valuable Embers, which could be used to buy actually useful things, but you know how this trope is.
- Anti-Frustration Features:
- If a jump is almost accurate, space will warp slightly to make it successful.
- Pits are marked by fire pillars, so that even at night the player has fair warning they're approaching one.
- Players get to keep whatever Embers they collect on a failed run, enabling grinding.
- If a Guardian falls into a pit but still has hearts left, they will respawn in front of it.
- Arboreal Abode: The Everbloom Tree is hollowed out at its base, in which the Guardian stables are located. This results in a Round Table Shot.
- Automaton Horses: A downplayed example: if sky changes are any indication, the Guardians run for many days and nights while collecting petals, only resting when the job is done. However, they do have health and energy requirements.
- Cool Horse: The Guardians are invariably beautiful, fearless, and magical- especially when their unique Personality Powers come into play.
- Excuse Plot: The narration, delivered by a "nice sounding British lady", is mostly flavor text that doesn't influence gameplay.
- Fisher King: A non-royal example. Each Guardian has a bough of their Flower Motif on the Everbloom tree, and how many of those flowers are open reflects their progress through runs.
- Humans Are Not the Dominant Species: Apparently Lily once saved a tribe from "savage jungle horses".
- The Marvelous Deer: Mint is a teal-colored deer who is apparently enough of a horse to qualify as a Guardian.
- Money for Nothing: A Justified Trope, because otherwise bad players would have their game grind to a halt for lack of in-universe energy or real life cash. Just opening the app gets the player 50 free Embers, enough to buy a minor food item.
- Pony Tale: A more mythic, pony-focused version.
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Self-Imposed Challenge: The armor pieces that increase Petal/Ember value cost more than the pieces that allow Guardians to take more hits. High risk, high reward. - Scenery Porn: Every level. Moonlit woods, lush meadows, stark deserts- you run through them all.
- Tragic Keepsake: A possible ornament for Lily's stable is a flower/bead braid that was the last thing her mother made before passing on to the Spirit Realm. For some reason, you still have to pay for it.
- Video Game Caring Potential: Guardians get noticeably muddy after runs, which you can fix by grooming them. The game rewards you for this with a handful of Embers.
- Violation of Common Sense: "Achievements" are rewarded with Embers, but some achievements involve things like crashing into an obstacle 50 times, or falling into 10 pits.
- White Stallion: Lily is a female example, with the light grey coat and yellowish mane common to "white" horses in real life. Naturally, she is the wise and compassionate leader of the Guardians.
- Wizard Needs Food Badly: After a few runs, failed or successful, a Guardian will need their energy meter refilled before you can send them out again. Energy is replenished with food, like carrots, watermelon, or golden apples.
