If you told Adam Saltsman during the 5 hour game jam he created Canabalt in that within less than a decade, his work would inspire Nintendo to release a Mario game with the same central premise, do you think he would've believed you?

Canabalt, though not the original creator of the mechanic, is the modern fountainhead of the endless runner. It's no exaggeration to say that this concept has made copycats tens of millions of dollars in the years since its release. Far more importantly, it has come to define what it means to play games on a mobile device - both introducing interactive media to millions, but also bestowing the gift of play to the disabled.

As a game, Canabalt is good at what it does, though it doesn't do a lot. It's intuitive and simple as games can be, though it does carry with it some thematic heft and intrigue, picking an interesting "War of the Worlds"-like setting and building its mechanics around it. You dive in and out of windows, buildings crumble under your feet, bombs fall from the sky, the limbs of giant walkers appear suddenly in lieu of any permanent structure. It's fairly cinematic, all in all.

As a full-bodied game on PC, it is difficult for Canabalt to hold much attention, though its smattering of challenge modes and co-op play do make a solid attempt. It's worth a play for its legacy but also because it is genuinely fun for the time you'll spend with it.