Challenge others, team-up, and capture zones in this competitive exercise game
Developer: Location Games Limited
Price: Free
Subscription: $40 / £35 annually
Size: 165.9 MB
Version: 2.0
Platform: iPhone
We all know that exercise is often the last thing we want to do. Stride is another app that aims to inject a bit of fun into our daily walks or runs by adding a slice of zone-based competition. It’s an interesting formula that could get you off the couch and onto your local roads and footpaths. Intrigued? Let’s find out a bit more.
The concept behind Stride is straightforward enough. Your local area is divided up into zones which users of the app can capture by logging walks or runs in that specific area. It’s a bit like a game of King of the Hill slowed down to a walking (or running) pace.
Ready for the challenge?
Different captured zones are tagged by a user’s name – you get the chance to set this, along with a profile picture, when first booting up the app. When you zoom out of the map interface, Stride’s playfield is revealed to be a honeycomb of different captured zones, ready to be stolen. I noticed that a couple of players seemed to be dominating my neighborhood, so I grabbed my iPhone and took to the streets.
Logging a piece of exercise is easy. Tap Start in the Map interface, and then hit the tarmac – either by walking, running, or exercising using a wheelchair. More importantly, capturing a zone in Stride can be done by closing a circular loop. Some areas can be captured with a single visit, while others require you to return more than once.
Leaderboards to compete in.
While some of us might prefer to operate as lone wolves, Stride also supports alliances – allowing users to team-up and increase their control over a particular region. For this, you need an alliance code, or you can create one of your own.
It’s worth highlighting that there may be some privacy concerns around Stride. Some users have captured only a small region in the app and appear to have signed-up to the service using their full name and a profile picture, providing other users with a fairly accurate idea of where they live. The app would benefit from some signposting here, advising users to choose an assumed name instead.
Worth it?
While Stride is free to download and use, a $40/£35 annual subscription unlocks some extras: head-to-head challenges, personalized maps, and the ability to cheer friends or taunt rivals. A seven-day free trial lets users decide whether these features are worth paying for.
Overall, Stride offers a great competitive spin on walking or running. It might not facilitate good relationships with your neighbors, but the local rivalries it encourages could do wonders for your fitness levels!