Ultimate Runner

Genre: Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Bundle: Monster Dynamite + Ultimate Runner, along with Monster Dynamite.)

Ultimate Runner is a behind-the-character Auto-Runner released in 2018 on Nintendo Switch and ported to PlayStation 3 in 2019. This game has players controlling one of various characters fleeing from a tribe of savage cannibals trying to cook them in a pot, avoiding hazards and collecting coins while the pursuing cannibals make the hand over mouth war cry noise that’s a stereotype for Native American Indians.

Yeah, so clearly this game is not going to be one for anyone who cares about cultural sensitivity. Or for those who at least prefer racist stereotypes to stick to just one race instead of compounding or conflating stereotypes for multiple races. Anyway…

Apart from those questionable elements, the presentation here is an odd mix of good and bad. The 3D visuals here are colorful, slightly cartoony, and look okay I suppose, but the animation is odd and awkward, and characters’ expressionless faces look kinda’ creepy. This is all backed by whimsical music that I suppose fits the game’s overall cheerful tone (you know, despite the cannibalism), but isn’t especially noteworthy otherwise.

For the gameplay, this is pretty standard stuff for a behind-the-character Auto-Runner. There are three lanes, you can jump or duck (well, roll), with the duck doubling as an attack that can take out enemies. That’s pretty much it. There’s nothing here we haven’t seen in countless other games in the genre, except perhaps hazards that are too close to other hazards, hiding them from view until they get close.

Oh, there is one other thing that’s different about this game – the price. At $20, this is one of the most expensive games that looks like it could have been a free mobile game that you still probably wouldn’t play on your mobile device because it’s neither original nor interesting. It does regularly go on sale for $4… but that’s still at least $3 more than I would say this game is worth.

There are so many Auto-Runners on Nintendo Switch at this point that one really needs to do something special to stand out and deserve a recommendation, and Ultimate Runner’s only claim to fame is dated racism and an absurdly high price tag. Neither make this game worth getting. Skip it.

tl;dr – Ultimate Runner is a behind-the-character Auto-Runner where players control a character running from cannibals trying to cook them for dinner. Apart from the dated racism and an absolutely insulting $20 price tag, this game has nothing to offer that you can’t get in countless other Auto-Runners. Skip it.

Grade: D

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