Begin with a Sonic the Hedgehog base. Add some splatter cinema, mix in a bit of parkour, garnish with an electric guitar and serve free. That's the recipe for Running Fred, a runner game starring a ginger down on his luck named Fred who's being chased by Death. Death's pretty cool about the whole killing Fred thing, though. He provides you a nice tutorial and even gives Fred the chance to escape. If he can survive the gauntlet of brutal traps, that is.

As you run through the various dungeons, you collect coins that allow you to purchase upgrades, abilities, and costumes. This deviates from the rather unsettling trend of games being free on the Market, only to nickel and dime you on the bonuses. What's even nicer is that if you die in a level (and you will die), you get to keep all the coins you collected. Even losing enough times will net you power ups, so the moderate difficulty level of the game shouldn't put off casual players.

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Running Fred promises "gore galore", so right off the bat, we know this game is a little twisted. The gameplay is exciting and doesn't get old. The bevy of upgrades give you tons of new ways to get through the labyrinth of killing machines Death has put in your way. If you think you've got what it takes to cheat death, head over to the Market via the Hell Gat-err, widget below.

Running Fred
Running Fred
Developer: Dedalord
Price: Free