iPhone and iPad gaming practically invented the endless running genre. Ever since Canabalt had players leaping across infinite, random rooftops in 2009, we've seen countless mobile games about progressing as far as you can in a race that never stops. That's why Race the Sun, which was originally released on PC two years ago, feels like it has finally come home now that you can play it on the iPad. Its small, but fundamental, tweaks to the endless-runner formula remain refreshing, even two years after its debut.

Sunrise, Sunset
Race the Sun's core gameplay is what you'd expect from an endless runner. You control a small ship constantly rocketing forward, and tapping either side of the screen steers the ship away from obstacles. But Race the Sun soon reveals its own identity through clever additions to this foundation.

First, your ship is solar-powered. Each run represents a day, with the sun at its peak, and as you move forward, the sun begins to set. So not only must you avoid obstacles, but also stay in the sun's nourishing light to keep your ship fully charged. Each run is broken up into separate regions, with brief moments of rest between them. Later regions feature trickier courses with moving structures and wide shadows making survival even more difficult. And though you can extend the day by snagging a power-up, eventually the sun always sets and the game always ends. When you race the sun, the sun always wins.

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That's okay, because endless runners are all about the cycle of failure and retrying. Race the Sun frequently makes you feel like you've earned something from a run. There are lots of little objectives to complete, such as traveling a certain distance or using the jump power-up enough times. Achieving these goals grants experience points, and as your ship levels up, you access more upgrades to make future runs even more fruitful. One upgrade increases your score multiplier while another attracts nearby power-ups to your ship.

However, Race the Sun's most quietly brilliant decision is that its levels are only semi-randomized. In most endless runners, the course completely changes with each fresh attempt, and the goal is for players to quickly adapt to unexpected obstacles. But in Race the Sun, the course stays the same throughout the day. So you can replay it, learn the layouts, and do better next time. It's like a traditional racing game. And when the sun sets in the real world, you'll have a whole new course to learn.

Graphics and Features
Race the Sun's style is nearly as intriguing as its gameplay. Courses are grey, stark, barren landscapes. Obstacles are harsh, featureless, geometric shapes. The music and frequent use of pyramids create a vaguely Egyptian feeling, as does the focus on the sun. But more than anything, the game looks like a throwback to the earliest days of 3D polygonal gaming, like the original Star Fox on the Super Nintendo.

If this is your first time playing Race the Sun, you'll be happy to know that this iPad version looks as good and controls as elegantly as it did on the PC and PlayStation 4. It also includes unlockable alternate modes like the faster, tougher, Apocalypse levels and the cerebral, maze-like, Labyrinth levels. Unfortunately, downloadable content and user-created levels don't appear to be available in this version, at least at this moment.

Miles to Go Before I Sleep
There are so many endless runners on the App Store that it's easy believe the genre is all out of ideas. But play a few rounds of Race the Sun and you'll soon be proven wrong. You can't outrace the sun, but it's always worth a try.