Bit.Trip Presents…Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

Genre: Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

Runner2, released in 2013 on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, is the second game in the Bit.Trip Runner series of Auto-Runner games, where players control Commander Video as he runs, jumps, and kicks his way through various stages, with obstacles and pickups arranged to coincide with the stage’s music, although I wouldn’t go quite so far as to call this a Music-Rhythm game.

I should note that as of this writing, Runner2 is the only game in the Bit.Trip franchise that has not been ported to modern consoles, with both Runner3 and all earlier Bit.Trip games making the trip before Runner2. Having said that, this game shares a lot in common with Runner3, so I’ll be copying much of my review of that game here.

Visually, this game looks good, not so much on a technical level, but mainly because the game’s visuals are so bizarre and imaginative. In the game’s early levels you’ll be running against a backdrop of floating midair island s with wooden houses and smiling hillsides, with later levels being similarly colorful. I don’t think the visuals here are quite as creative as what we would go on to see in Runner3, but they’re decent nonetheless.

For a game that emphasizes gameplay set to music, the music here is… okay. There’s nothing super-memorable, but it’s catchy enough to work, even if you can’t really “play to the beat” as much as you would think with this sort of premise. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the excellent tongue-in-cheek narration by Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario, though here he sounds more like Stan Lee).

As for the gameplay, this is honestly mostly pretty typical Auto-Runner stuff. Of course, as with most games of this genre, the difficulty is turned up high, though it’s not consistent – some levels will be a breeze to get through until you reach a particularly difficult section.

In the end, Runner2 is a decent Auto-Runner with a good presentation, but it doesn’t really deliver on the promise of a game that makes use of music in its mechanics, and the difficulty spikes throughout the game are enough to ward off most players, especially after you’ve had to repeat the same section countless times. It’s still well worth looking into if you’re a fan of the genre or enjoy Platformers with a great level of challenge, but most are better off trying something a bit more evenly balanced.

tl;dr – Runner2 is an Auto-Runner that is the second game in the Bit.Trip Runner series. This game features some imaginative visuals, along with fairly standard gameplay for the genre, complete with a high difficulty level that spikes at irregular intervals. If you’re looking for a challenging Platformer, this game may be just what you’re looking for, but most will probably find this too frustrating for their tastes.

Grade: B-

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