Organization: Everplay

Players don't have to settle when it comes to endless runners.  With the App Store already overflowing with options in this part-platformer, part-coffee break genre, new additions that lack substance will be washed out with the next inevitable rising tide of releases.  One of those new hopefuls, Miner Problem, is a playable runner with responsive controls and a charming, pixelated art style.  Unfortunately, it doesn't offer much beyond that.  Although it can be played without spending a dime, there are too many other, better options available to warrant investing time in this one.Our protagonist in Miner Problem is a lone, bomber-jacketed pickaxe jockey who has the misfortune of working in a vast mine prone to cave-ins.  Each run begins with his work being interrupted by the shudder of a soon-to-be-deadly rockslide, sending him sprinting for his life and any pieces of gold and diamonds he can snag along the way.  In standard endless runner fashion, the nameless blonde miner runs ever-onward automatically, leaving players with the task of jumping over obstacles by tapping the left side of the screen and tapping the right to utilize special abilities."Those abilities come from special pick-ups that our miner will randomly encounter during his sprint, deemed "events" in Miner Problem.  Each event is a suit or power that transforms our gold-digger into a teched-out version of himself.  For instance, the Skate event equips him with a Back to the Future-esque hoverboard that makes covering large chasms easier, Power puts him in a football player helmet that can ram through enemies and blockages, while Laser provides a jump-boosting laser gun and pair of sleek shades.  If these sound like the vehicle upgrades in Jetpack Joyride, it's because they are.  Miner Problem makes little secret of this, borrowing three events directly from Halfbrick's title—Jetpack, Gravity, and Robot—and even referencing its inspiration in multiple areas, from the game's icon to coins spelling out developer Cookiebit's initials à la the "HB" often encountered by Barry Steakfries.