Runbow

Genre: Platformer / Party Game

Players: 1-8 Competitive (Local), 2-9 Competitive (Online)

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Review:

Runbow is a Platforming game with a focus on a fast-paced multiplayer Party Game style. As many as eight (local) or nine (online) players, competing in a variety of game types ranging from a race to the finish or seeing who can remain alive the longest, with the game’s primary twist being a background that constantly shifts colors, eliminating platforms and hazards of the corresponding color.

That may seem like quite a lot to take in, but in practice it’s fairly simple, and it works pretty damn well. The simple gameplay and fast pacing makes for some fun, frantic action as players jockey for position, try to gain the upper hand, and occasionally mess with each other to get on top.

Visually, the game looks simple, which is probably for the best considering all the action going on onscreen. However, the colorful presentation is fun, and the game incorporates a whole herd of well-known indie characters like Shovel Knight and Shantae for even more unique flavor.

I have two main complaints here about things that hold this game back from being something better. First, the lack of an ability to add bots feels like a pretty big oversight given the game’s huge multiplayer focus. And second, in the end the gameplay is still pretty basic, and even though it does what it does well, at least in that area it doesn’t set its sights too high, and I wish there were a little more nuance to the gameplay here.

Still, if you’re looking for a solid party game that makes for a fun time for a lot of players, Runbow does that very well, and is absolutely worth adding to your Switch library.

tl;dr – Runbow is a Platformer with Party Game sensibilities, where as many as 8 or 9 players are racing to a goal or duking it out to remain king of the hill, and it makes for some good frantic fun. It’s not especially deep and is missing a few features you’d want in this sort of thing, but on the whole this is a great game to bust out at a party.

Grade: B+

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