Bit.Trip RUNNER

The Short


Pros
- Difficult "runner" style game similar to games such as Canabalt 
- Multiple levels will test your dexterity as the game quickly gets hard
- Has a fantastic visual style and awesome music
- Timing moves/jumps to musical beats was a clever addition
- Bonus levels inspired by the original Pitfall made me smile

Cons
- Relatively simple concept
- Can get really difficult really fast
- No mid-level checkpoints make the longer ones frustrating
- Getting all the items is a near-impossible task
- Why isn't this game on iOS?

I'm trippin' bits here. 

The Long

"Runner" games have quickly become extremely popular, especially on mobile devices. The general gist of these game is simple (and started by the indie flash game Canabalt): your character automatically runs to the right, and you get control over jumping and maybe a few other abilities as they charge forward. It's a simple, addicting concept, usually used on game to shoot for maximum distance travelled in attempts to dominate leaderboards. 

Bit.Trip RUNNER, the next in the Bit.Trip series of games, capitalizes on this budding genre by taking their trademark style and applying it to a runner style game. The result is a fun, simple, and extremely taxing experience.

Like a rainbow in the dark.

As stated, these games are simple, and Bit.Trip RUNNER is no exception. As Commander Video, you can jump, press down to slide, press back to kick, block, and...that's about it, actually. It's a simple collection of controls, but these all combine to create a surprisingly difficult platforming experience. As stated before, he auto-runs to the right, so it is your goal to make it to the end while collecting as much cash gold money (since he needs to pay off his student loans, or something) and bonus multipliers (which is how you get the rainbow to follow you) before the end. Once you beat a level you are scored, and if you got all the gold you get to do a bonus game that looks a lot like Pitfall on the Atari. I like it. 

Again with the gold. He really needs the cash. 

It starts simple and gets very taxing very fact. Even before the end of the first world you'll probably be throwing your keyboard (or controller, if you are on the Wii or 3DS) in frustration as you get so close to the end and then fail. While the initial levels are simple and relatively short, the later ones go on for a very long time, and with no checkpoints if you fail it's all the way back to the start. The lack of checkpoints is actually sort of a bummer; while I agree they shouldn't be on be default, it would have hurt to include it to help ease frustrations (I have world 1-11's first half committed to muscle memory by now I played it so many times).

That's essentially the gameplay in a nutshell. Simple, but extremely taxing dexterously. You'll need to get some lightning fast reflexes in order to beat all the levels, and even more if you want to collect all the treasures. 

The game has a really cool, retro look about it. 

The game looks and sounds retro, without resorting to the "Look, we made it in 16-bit graphics!" thing that seems to be all the rage in indie games these days. While Commander Video is pixelated, the background are blocky and colorful and look like a hybrid between old and new (kind of like 3D Dot Game Heroes). It looks really good, especially on a high resolution PC version, and makes your inevitable failures a little more tolerable when you get to run by stuff that at least looks cool. 

The music is also excellent. Every level starts off with just a simple beat, with every successful jump adding a chime to the song (jumps/slides/pickups are all on rhythm, so if you are musically inclined this game might be a little easier for you). Every time you picke up a multiplier the song gets additional instruments, and your jumps offer a bit more than chimes. Max out the multiplier and you get the full song, done in a similar style as the backdrops: retroesque, but still modern. The soundtrack is excellent, and mixing the beat with the gameplay was a great bonus. 

Karate kick action!

If you dig super hard games like Super Meat Boy, you should give Bit.Trip RUNNER a spin. Aside from the unfortunate lack of checkpoints and the general simplicity of the game, it plays extremely well, looks and sounds great, and provides you with a challenge. For $10 on Steam you can't go wrong, and the game is also available in a collection on the 3DS and on WiiWare. 

Four out of five stars. 

"Run, Forrest, run!"