Someone should ask Miyamoto what does he think of all the platformers out there inspired by Super Mario Bros. I for one think that the SMB-inspired game from developers Iddiction for the iPhone, Run Kitty Run: The Adventures of Timmy, is a pretty good title, although a little formulaic.

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The game features a hero (a kid basically, outfitted with a cat suit) out to rescue a girl of his dreams (sounds familiar?) from the clutches of a villain (this time it’s the playground bully). Even the levels are reminiscent of SMB. The first batch of levels takes place above ground. In place of tortoises and goombas, you have hamsters running inside hamster balls, and crazy rabbits walking all over the place.

The second set of levels kick start underground and anyone who has played the subterranean levels in SMB would instantly recognize the similarities, complete with fireballs and moving platforms. So what does Run Kitty Run brings to the table that wasn’t in its highly esteemed source of inspiration? For one, the 2D graphics, even though with a muted palette, look really good with excellent side-scrolling effects. I particularly like the horror-themed shadows prevalent in the subterranean levels.

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Run Kitty Run’s controls are are playable on an iPad (my iPhone remains in cold storage, anyone willing to donate to my iPhone 5 fund are more than welcome to pump in some money to my PayPal account) but for a much better experience, use an iPhone. As a homage to SMB, Run Kitty Run does it pretty well and the theme of the game, which is standing up to bullying, is a positive message that I support.

Nineoverten.com rates Run Kitty Run at a 4 out of 5. Do check it out. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for free for a limited time: https://itunes.apple.com/app/run-kitty-run-adventures-timmy/id567538966

A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review.