My experience with the second app, Battlesuit Runner by Olive Seraph, came about when I realized I needed something for my days off of
walking. While I enjoyed walking, my feet, back and legs do not. I got sore in
places I didn’t even know I had, but my feet were the biggest sufferers.
Hauling 300+ pounds around a mile or so was taxing on those poor, undeveloped
muscles. As an alternative, I wanted a full sized stationary bike, but I don’t
quite have room for it. I didn’t want the need to clean to become just another
excuse, so I purchased the half bike, otherwise known as the peddler.
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| NOT part of BSR, but totally should be! |
Now, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t expect the peddler to be
easier than walking. And it certainly was not. Where I could walk a half hour
without needing to sit a minute, the peddler kicked my rump in about 3 minutes.
Wow. This was going to take some getting used to. I began pedaling with the Zombies,
Run! app right away. It was just as fun and distracting, though I couldn’t ignore
the burn in my inner thighs quite enough to keep at it for any more than 5
minute stretches. Speaking of burn, I also realized I was going to burn through
the ZR storyline pretty quickly considering I was now exercising at least 6
times a week. This spurred me into searching for something else in the exercise
story app line. I poked around and read some reviews and settled on trying out this
thing called Battlesuit Runner.
Battlesuit Runner’s story revolves around the threat of an
alien invasion from a race called Xenos. The game puts you into the mind of a
soldier, who in turn has been put into a mech suit. You command this high
tech Battlesuit, controlling it,
guiding it and (hence the name) running it from place to place. But you don’t
work it alone. A gunner operates your laser turrets from home base,
speaking to you across your headset, telling you where to go and what position
is best for attacks. Hell, you have enough worry stomping around in a mech
suit, you don’t have time to worry about firing off well placed shots at those
nasty Xenos! Your commanding officers keep in touch, while other BSRs speak to
you from the field alongside you, all through the headset.
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| If that's the case, we are screwed! |
Once again you don’t have to turn the pedometer or GPS on,
but it will make a difference in how the storyline runs. You see, part of BSR’s
charm is the use of your walking/running speed to make story decisions. It’s
like a Choose Your Own Adventure with exercise instead of page turning. At
least once during each mission you are presented with a choice, and the game
uses your phone’s motion sensing to finalize the decision. For example, you’re asked
whether or not you want to delve into a nasty nest of badies or try and lure
them out. The game tells you to speed up for one choice or remain your current speed
for the other. If you haven’t turned on the tracking, then it will always go
with the constant speed choice. It’s a bit of a sacrifice when you’re on the peddler
or just stepping in place as opposed to actual walk around movement, but that’s
okay. The game also periodically asks you to speed up to “super charge” your
suit for maximum battle power. I find it will supercharge with or without the
GPS, so again it doesn’t hamper your enjoyment.
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| This is more my speed. I are robot. |
There is so much more to talk about concerning this game, so join me tomorrow for a more on it!