The BIT.TRIP franchise began as a humble WiiWare game several years ago, now after gaining a bit of popularity and seeing the error of its ways in releasing such an awesome game on the Wii's online store, the BIT.TRIP series makes its way to PC.
BIT.TRIP as a franchise is so hard to describe due to each of its three entries being so distinctly different from the last, but all of them share one common entity; rhythm.
BIT.TRIP.RUNNER is the second entry in the franchise. Presented as a 2D platformer but having the mechanics of a rhythm game is puzzling to get your head around at first but once you get into the swing of things in the first few levels RUNNER becomes one of the most clever, fun and frustrating games you will have ever played...guaranteed.
In RUNNER you play as Commander Video, you fall from space onto what looks like an asteroid in a modernised 8-bit world. Your goal is to reach the end of each level using your limited abilities whilst keeping in time with the music and collecting as many gold bars as possible. The concept is incredibly simple and many will dismiss the game for its lack of actual user input besides the odd button press at an obstacle but its more the spectacle of it all and the challenge of the game itself that will keep you coming back again and again.
There are three hubs split into 11 levels a piece, each level will take about a minute however the likelihood of having to retry the level over and over just to complete it will take up most of your time.
Completing a level leaves you with a sense of accomplishment even if it is one of the simpler levels, but trying to 100% the level by collecting the gold bars will take a long time learning each and every part of the level and then making sure that you hit each beat correctly so that you can grab the bar.
Each action requires many different thought processes in order to pass the obstacle in your way, you have the abilities of Jump, Slide, Kick, Spring and one which is unlocked later into the game, you have to look at an obstacle and decide which action corresponds with that obstacle then press the button and hope its right. Then if it is right you have to keep a mental note of the fact that the obstacle that corresponds with that action looks like that, oh and did I mention there were several of each. This makes the game very complicated within the first half of the first hub and much more complicated than it deserves to be that early in the game, not to mention that it gets easier and doesn’t get as hard again until the end of the game.
The graphical style as mentioned earlier are reminiscent of old 8-bit games but brought into the 21st century. The blocky, sharp and striking visuals instantly catch your eye. Bright colours of every shade litter the landscape and often move along to the music. The depth of field gives the game a unique modern take on old games and often makes me think, what would all those old games I grew up on look like if they were remade like this and the results would more than likely be amazing.
The music is of an 8-bit style and also gets busier with more layers added the further into a level you get, the level starts off as a single track of music with little in the way of obstacles until you have 7 or 8 layers of music and so many obstacles your brain fries under the pressure of all the colours, obstacles and distractions on screen which is a nice feeling when you can finish the level after enduring all that.
Other than that, there isnt really anything else to BIT.TRIP.RUNNER, its a 2D platformer, rhythm game with a unique art style and stupidly hard difficulty curve. Anyone who enjoys XBLA's The Impossible Game or other rhythm games such as Guitar Hero will be a fan of RUNNER instantly. Many retro gamers will find a modern game that will harken back to the good old days and even those casual gamers will find a game to fill their time with. BIT.TRIP.RUNNER is one of the best indie games to be released in years.
BIT.TRIP.RUNNER – 9/10
+Amazing Visuals
+Amazing Sound
+Amazing Gameplay
