BIT. TRIP Presents…Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien Review

BIT. TRIP Presents…Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is the latest (7^th) installation in the BIT. TRIP series developed by Gaijin Games. The BIT. TRIP series have received a lot of attention due to their unique Atari inspired look and sound standing out in this current HD world, however Runner 2 breaks this tradition of retro style games. Runner 2 presents players with a 2.5D HD platformer that is a direct sequel to

the 4^th installation in the series, BIT. TRIP Runner. Unlike the original, Runner 2 has a plot which follows the main protagonist of BIT. TRIP – Commander Video – and his quest to stop his arch-nemesis Mingrawn Timbletot. The game opens with Commander video and friends chasing Timbletot into the hypersphere when suddenly Timbletot attacks the group with his reality infusion beam. Commander Video takes the brunt of the blast, sending him to new worlds that he must travel through in order to get back home and stop Timbletot, thus our adventure begins.

The first world that Commander Video is thrown into is The Welkin Wonderland – a simple world that exists up in the clouds. Throughout this world the player is introduced to the basic controls, jumping and sliding for the most part. The Welkin Wonderland offers a good introduction to the game to any new players of the series though newcomers may find it difficult at first, as we know the BIT. TRIP series is renowned for been difficult even on the easiest setting, Runner 2 is no exception. This is a game that needs patience so when you pick up this game make sure you’re in the right frame of mind – don’t let a little difficulty deter you from playing further, Runner 2 is worth all the swearing and desk punching that you will no doubt experience throughout.  The game is completely fair, just difficult. It’s not as demanding as Super Meat Boy in regards to precise platforming however it’s pretty close and requires faster reactions. Commander Video constantly runs to the right and you will not be able to know your next obstacle without trial and error, though due to the wonderfully simple controls and mechanics it’s not unfair to expect players to be able to react in good time. Obstacles are obvious and easy to spot – in each stage there will be two types of enemies – one type to jump over and one type to slide over, though their appearance changes from world to world. There are wooden planks that appear that you will have to kick down either running or sliding and trampoline platforms you will have to jump on as was the case in the first BIT. TRIP. In Runner 2 players will also be able to grind and hang from rails to avoid enemies and get to new areas in the level and go through loops whilst moving the right joystick in time or pressing a button combination. The game introduces all of the different actions at a steady pace and introduces the player to different situations in which to use the actions so they are eventually automatic reactions to the environment. This is good because each world has a boss which uses the majority of learned moves, so the player needs plenty of chance to practice perfecting the buttons and reaction timing. Additionally, Commander Video can also dance when you press right trigger. This isn’t necessary, but it is very amusing and adds points to your score every time you dance.

Including The Welkin Wonderland there are five worlds in total: The Welkin Wonderland, The Emerald Brine, The Supernature and The Mountinc. Sadds. The fifth one I won’t talk about for spoiler reasons, but any fans of the previous BIT. TRIP games out there – you will love it. Each world has its own theme, own soundtrack and is bursting with character. The Welkin Wonderland as mentioned before appears to be in the clouds, The Emerald Brine is sea-side/beach themed (which reminded me an awful lot of Treasure Trove Cove from Banjo Kazooie – probably all the treasure chests), The Supernature focus’s around the supernatural. It features trees and mountains with eyes, UFOs and even bigfoot. Finally, The Mountinc. Sadds is a sort of ‘fire’ level, based around some kind of production company located in the mountains. Each level has objects in the background that have eyes/mouths etc. which gives the game a lot of charm and personality (although the mountains in the background of The Mountinc. Sadds do indeed look very sad). Again this feels very familiar thanks to the likes of Banjo Kazooie and the Mario series – visually Runner 2 really does hit the nail on the head, but we’ll come back to that later.

Going back to the different worlds, each world contains fourteen regular levels and five bonus levels. The level design is fantastic. No two levels feel the same and all offer new challenges which is impressive considering the amount of levels featured in the game. Within each level as well as objects to avoid there are objects to collect. Gold is placed throughout each level which is important for the player to collect, along with red health signs that speed up Commander Video of which there are 4 in each level. If you collect all the gold and red signs then you will be awarded with a perfect. Outside of this, the main motivation to collect the gold is that gold allows you to unlock the five bonus stages within the main worlds. Giant padlocks, keys and treasure chests are featured in the levels too. In order to unlock the padlocks, you need the key, in order to get keys in each level you must first complete part of the level until you reach the level next to the key stage, which you can only access by finding the alternative route in the stage before it.  Once you have done this, you can collect keys and open padlocks which will lead you to new treasure chests which usually contain new characters or new clothing. Did I mention that you can play as different characters and get outfits for them? No? Well you can. Gameplay doesn’t change from what I can tell if you choose different characters, however it does make a nice change to play as Opposite Merman rather than Commander Video; a very nice addition to the game that adds motivation to collect the gold/keys and be precise outside of just completing/perfecting the level.

Visually the game is outstanding. The aesthetics are very smooth and pleasing to the eye – just what you want in a fast paced game, however sometimes the background can be distracting as they can become busy. It’s a shame you can’t just stop to look at them properly, but then it wouldn’t really be a Runner game if you could stop. The enemies and objects that you must avoid are visually clear enough for players to notice them as soon as they’re on screen. Again, the visuals are working together with the mechanics/goal to make an overall smooth and enjoyable experience. The music does this as well. Whenever an item is picked up or an obstacle is avoided a new sound will play and add to the overall music, speeding up and getting more intense in sync with the level and the player. BIT. TRIP Runner 2 has taken all the key aspects of what makes video games art and synced them together perfectly for a wonderfully smooth, beautiful and challenging experience. However, if you’re not a fan of the new HD looks then not to worry – throughout the game there are cartridges hidden in levels which when collected will take you to an old-school looking 8bit level which is fantastic, but a little difficult to follow and adjust to. You only have three chances each time you pick up the cartridge so it can be rather difficult to complete the retro stages. Outside of the in-game aesthetics, the cut scenes and menus are lovely too. The colour pallet is simple as is the art. It looks very much like a collage due to the block colours and solid lines. Minimalistic art to match minimalistic gameplay – we like, we like a lot.

In regards to the more technical sides of them game, everything is perfect. Controls are extremely responsive, however I was using a wired Xbox 360 control pad which I would highly recommend. It seems that is what the creators intended the game to be played with. This is not a game I would recommend playing with a keyboard as it could get a bit complicated. A warning to those of you out there that would like to play with the keyboard – it doesn’t seem that you can bind keys. Additionally it’s not possible to change the resolution without leaving full screen mode, you have to go into window mode. This is unfortunate for those who can’t run the game at full settings as when I tried to on a not-so-capable computer it affected the controls noticeably – there was a delay in input detection from the controller when the settings were maxed out. Very unfortunate as this is the last thing you want to experience in a game that’s based around reaction timing and precision platforming. However, the game looks absolutely fine in window mode and this is not a complaint, it’s just a minor inconvenience which was worth a mention for those without a powerful set up.

There is very little left to say about this game except buy it. At just under £11 plus a free copy of the original BIT. TRIP Runner if pre-purchased on Steam there’s no reason not to buy it. BIT. TRIP Runner 2 does everything the first one did and more. Gaijin Games kept the heart of Runner – a simple but fast platforming synced with music – and built upon it. They added a more pleasing aesthetics whilst leaving in a retro side of things for the fans, they added a whole host of new levels with collectables, new characters to unlock and a simple yet wonderfully portrayed narrative. Games that are this wonderfully composed are hard to come by. It takes a lot talent to merge together mechanics, gameplay, aesthetics and music together seamlessly, but BIT. TRIP Runner 2 does it effortlessly.

Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.