Bit.Trip RUNNER Hands-On
By:
Andre Segers
|
March 12, 2010, 1:44 am

Gaijin Games is back with their latest installment in the Bit.Trip series with Bit.Trip Runner. For the uninitiated, the Bit.Trip games all revolve around rhythm-based gameplay set against distinct retro-esque visuals and a chip-tunes soundtrack. It's crazy--and awesome.

 
 
As the name suggests, you take control of a runner (actually the series mascot, Commander Video) as he dashes through 50+ levels collecting items and avoiding obstacles, such as pits, low hanging walls, and various enemies. You have a repertoire of exactly three moves to help you through: Jump, punch, and slide. Because your character runs at a constant rate without any direct input, it takes fast reactions and impeccable timing to make it through the levels alive. And it only gets harder from there. I played through a few levels and found myself having trouble putting the controller down! Of course, this is partly due to the brilliantly interwoven visual and sound effects that emerge upon a good run, rewarding those who play well (if you've played Peggle, you can surely appreciate what a few sparkles and sound effects can do).

Bit.Trip Runner certainly stands out from the crowd--its purposefully simplistic aesthetic, retro 8-bit style tunes, and uncomplicated but unique gameplay instill it with both a sense of familiarity (for us older gamers, anyway) as well as one of novelty. Although Gaijin Games hasn't pinned-down an exact release date yet, they did suggest the price of this downloadable title should be in line with previous Bit.Trip games, which all launched at 600 WiiPoints ($6 in normal words). Look for it sometime this Spring on Wiiware.
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Background Check: Andre
I have never played a Bit.Trip game before. Both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Core looked too simplistic for my tastes (both in terms of art design and gameplay). I did however get the chance to go hands-on with the Bit.Trip Runner demo at GDC, and I was definitely stoked for the final game after trying it out. I love offbeat music games like Rez or even quirky Rhythm Games like Parappa the Rapper or Rhythm Tengoku, so I figured that I would love the hell out of Bit.Trip Runner.

Bit.Trip Runner GDC Demo – Loved it
Rez - Loved it
Parappa the Rapper - Like it
Rhythm Tengoku – Loved it