Bastion
LQ: 9.15
Recommended Age: 10+
Skills Used: Planning, Working Memory, Mathematics, Reading
EverRun: The Horse Guardians is a combination endless runner and animal care simulation game. The premise of the game is that the player, using the horse guardian characters, is gathering petals to save the source of all magic. The player takes one of the horse guardians and goes for a run, where they must avoid and jump over obstacles, as well as collect petals and embers. When the player has collected a set number of petals, the run is over. The player can spend any embers that have been collected in the stables. Once there, the player can purchase food, brushes, and armor. Armor changes different aspects of the horse guardian’s runs. Embers can also purchase different horse guardians. The more expensive the horse guardian, the more fantastical the creature looks.
When in the stables, the player can groom their guardian, as well as buy armor and background decorations. The player must also pay attention to the energy rating of their guardian. If the energy level is low, they must buy food for the guardian. More expensive food provides more energy. If the guardian runs out of energy while on a run, the run ends and the player does not receive a completion bonus and can’t start another run until they have restored the guardian’s energy level.
This game has in-app ads and purchases available. The ESRB rated EverRun: The Horse Guardians E for Everyone and LW4K stands by this rating.
EverRun: The Horse Guardians helps kids practice and improve the following skills:
Managing our actions, feelings and behaviors.
In order to be successful at EverRun, the player must use self-awareness based thinking skills. While in the stables, the player needs to be aware of what their horse guardian is "feeling" by watching their energy levels. They must also stay aware of their ember levels. If they don't pay attention to how many embers they have, the player won't have the money to purchase food, their guardian won't have energy, and they won't be able to go out on a run.
While on a run, the player must practice awareness of their (the guardian's) surroundings, energy levels, and hearts. If they aren't constantly assessing the situation, they can run out of hearts (by hitting obstacles) or energy. The only way to be successful on a run is to watch out for obstacles, keep a watch on hearts, and gather as many embers as possible, while still ensuring that the required number of petals is collected before the energy meter reaches zero. If they do this, the player will be able to go on runs as much as they want, while also being able to save up enough embers to buy more guardians.
Understanding our own actions, thoughts and feelings.
The player must also exercise self-control when playing EverRun: The Horse Guardians. First, while embers are readily available during runs, the amount of embers collected on one run rarely adds up to much more than the amount needed to buy food for the guardian. A player's "bank account" of embers will grow, but it will grow slowly. Players must resist the impulse to purchase whatever catches their eye after a run, or they will be unable to save up for the bigger purchases. The player must also resist the impulse to focus on collecting only embers during the runs, or they will run out of energy and end up unable to go on more runs.
The runs themselves can also provide a chance to practice self-control. Obstacles appear practically out of nowhere and require the player to react quickly. This can make a player jumpy and jittery. If they don't keep these feelings under control, they are more likely to time their jumps and dodges wrong, causing them to hit the obstacles instead of avoid them. This can lead to frustration and anger, both of which can make the player's reaction time and overall gameplay worse.
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