? Note: We’re streaming Runner3 live on Saturday 5/19, join up!
I was super excited about getting the chance to play Runner3 for review. I’ve been a fan of the Bit.Trip series since the beginning, and have especially loved the Runner games!
But… I was faced with a lot of conflicting feelings while playing the game, unfortunately.
I’ve beaten the main game, but I’ll reserve judgment for now. I would have liked to publish a review on embargo day, but I haven’t played any of the Retro levels. (I can’t figure out how to unlock them.) Other reviewers that I reached out to weren’t able to help me either.
I think it would be negligent to offer a score on this game after playing only half the content.
But! I’ve collected my thoughts thus far and prepared a list of pros and cons. Without further ado…
Some Positives
+ Runner3 is ambitious. I never expected to have quests or interact with NPCs midlevel in a game like this.
+ The core “Runner” gameplay is here and as compelling as ever. You know what you’re getting, and it’s good.
+ Fun cameos – Shovel Knight and Charles Martinet—that’s awesome!
+ Great narration from Martinet. Lots of funny fake advertisements, puns in the level names, etc.
+ Lots of attainable achievements for completionists (especially the “not-actually impossible” impossible levels).
+ Music is good.
And Now the Negatives
– Music is not as good as previous games.
– Accomplishments aren’t very celebrated. Levels end with some calm, anticlimatic elevator music (even if you had an outstanding run). Bosses die out with a wet fizzle.
– Progression isn’t clear – there is gold to collect as well as gems, checkpoints that can be skipped, and a bullseye target at the end. It’s not communicated which of these feats correspond to which color of ring on the level select, or color of + icon, or position of said colored + icon. You can go into Stats and it literally records your amount of “Super Extra Awesome Double Perfect +” levels without telling you how to achieve them.
– This game is more expensive (at $30 digital, $40 physical) than any of the others in the series. Runner 2 is available right now on Wii U for $3. Buy that.
– It has fewer levels than Runner2. It has only a couple more levels than the original Runner.
– Roughly half the levels in Runner3 are “Retro” stages, which you aren’t told how to unlock… but the loading screens start giving you hints about what to do IN them from the start of the game.
– There are so many long loading screens in this game. If you want to back out from the level select to the menu, you’re going to sit through a lot of these back to back.
– CommanderVideo is missing some of his moves from previous titles, like holding forward to reflect beats with a shield—that was an awesome mechanic! There is also no loop-de-loops or dancing.
– This game lets you double jump, slam down to the ground, and switch paths. Because there are multiple ways to avoid or get through obstacles, it’s not as clear as in past games when you are doing things the right way.
– Sometimes you can’t switch tracks, sometimes they switch for you. Sometimes you die because the tracks are on different levels (but you’re supposed to be able to switch at any time).
– The art style is unique but disappointing in places—animations are loose, background elements are big and weird but not very nice to look at graphically.
– The levels themselves (at least in the main game) are not particularly interesting or difficult (unless you’re going for the ambiguous double perfect + or whatever) until world 3. World 3 was really cool… but it was the last world.
In Summary
Judging by the relative length of my complaints compared to my praises, you may get the feeling that I didn’t enjoy my time with Runner3. But I did!
I think even a bad Bit.Trip or Runner game is still a good game. You certainly wouldn’t waste your time picking up this title. You’ll be challenged and you’ll laugh along the way.
But there were undeniably several niggling aspects of the game’s design that kept me out of the flow, whether they were apparent glitches, omissions from past games, or a general sense of not knowing how to do more than advance through the basic levels.
Some of these issues might be ironed out by the time Runner3 is available for purchase, whether via a printed manual or online guide. I think those would have come in handy during my play-through (and still will as I continue to explore).
Gaming’s landscape has changed a lot since CommanderVideo first graced consoles. On Nintendo Switch, Runner3 is faced with competitors like the incredibly tight and exciting musical levels in Rayman Legends, or the superbly atmospheric rhythym-horror title Thumper. $30 is a tough sell when Runner3 struggles to stack up to the impressive accomplishments of its earlier installments.
I will definitely report back once I have a better understanding of the game’s full offering. I’d also like to extend a huge thanks to Choice Provisions, and Dant over there, for giving us the hook-ups. I hope this early look at Runner3 helps inform your buying decisions ahead of launch day, May 22nd!
Scott
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