Spooky Bikes is a Frustrating Endless Runner Game

The “frustrating endless runner game” genre is popular, with games like Flappy Bird experiencing wild success. Spooky Bikes brings that particular brand of fun to the Apple Watch. If you enjoy that sort of game, you’ll love Spooky Bikes.

There is no complication for Spooky Bikes, but if you find yourself wanting a shortcut to the game, you could always place it in your Dock. Open the app on your iPhone first, as the instructions you’ll need for the game are there. That’s all the iPhone app is; you play the game exclusively on your Apple Watch.

When you open the game on your Apple Watch, you’ll see the four different levels you can play. Each level is a different landscape. Once these four levels are completed, you can unlock more. Choose a level and your dirt bike is ready to go. Use the Digital Crown to move your biker. Tap the screen, repeatedly if needed, to keep your biker from taking a headfirst spill.  At the top of your screen, you’ll notice a back button; tap that to go back to the main menu. Force press the Apple Watch screen to bring up a special menu.  This menu gives you the option restart the current level, view a map, or view upgrades (special abilities.) These special abilities can help you through certain parts of the platfomer. The “Health” power-up restores your biker to full health. “Spooky Times” stops the action for a short time. “Ghost” allows you to send a ghost bike ahead to cheat death.

The graphics are nice for such a small screen. Spooky Bikes did crash on me once or twice while testing, but overall gameplay is pretty smooth, if a bit frustrating. I realize that for some, the frustration is part of the fun. Not me, but some people like that. If you do, you’ll get a kick out of Spooky Bikes. The game is $2.99 on the App Store.