I recently made a purchase from the Wii Ware service, and I was so impressed with the software, I can’t help but write some thing about it. Which game did I purchase? Bit. Trip. Runner. Jonathan’s review, which is quite good, can be found here:
http://www.destructoid.com/review-bit-trip-runner-174005.phtml
Please consider this a companion piece, as I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Holmes’ sentiments. Runner has taken the ideas presented previously in the series to a whole new level. No longer are you looking at a mostly black screen, trying to keep track of small dots and blips. The graphics have been fleshed out, and now you see a complete scene unfold before you. Not only are the graphics improved, but the gameplay is more compelling than ever. I noticed while playing that more times than not, I was trying to pick up every item, even though you don't have to. Even at times when I was having serious trouble learning how to pass a stage, I was sure to pick up EVERY gold piece without fail. I was pushing myself to play a challenging game in the most difficult possible way. It is extremely rare for me (especially in the current game climate) to feel the need to 100% a level, let alone a whole game. The entire time I play Runner, I’m trying to put together the perfect run (when you succeed, it feels as good as any accomplishment in gaming). In fact, I’ve found myself stuck on the same level for long periods of time (over 30 min), only to realize that I could easily pass the stage if I just leave that last gold piece behind. For those of you that aren’t convinced yet, this game is worth ALL of the $8 they’re charging.

The first time I booted up the game, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity to a game that I grew up with called moon patrol. The forced pace, and the obstacle dodging, and the color palette brought me right back to ’85 in front of my grandma’s old television. As I continued to play, I noticed similarities to MANY games that I’ve played in the past. Not just titles from the Atari age, but games from the 8, 16, and 64 bit eras as well. There are even nods to games of the current generation in here!

Of course it’s easy to see the similarities to games like Pitfall and Mario, but it’s my plan to talk about the inspirations that you may have missed. I can’t believe how many times I’ve caught myself looking at something in the background, only to smash headlong into a fireball. Sure enough, I’ll get to the same area in the stage, and find a nod to Space Invaders or Mario, or even The Simpson’s. The game is consistently tossing out these abstract reminders of gaming history. So much so, that It’s impossible not to notice the amount of effort that has gone into the game. This serves to provide the player with even more incentive to continue Runner's forced journey.

Now, I could spend some time talking about some of the funnier things in the game (like Navi from OoT as a garbarge sniffing fly!), or the current indie scene nods (level two’s similarity to WoG, Meatboy!), but I have to touch on the one thing that overwhelms them all. Something, that made my brain itch as soon as I saw the first stair step portion of the game. Something that I wasn’t totally convinced of, at least, until I collected all of the gold in one of the level 3 courses. Bit. Trip. Runner. is maybe most influenced by one of my all time favorite 2600 games: The Smurfs.

The Smurfs was a game that (like most Atari games) suffered from poor controls. Just jumping up the platforms was too difficult for many. You can see in the video, that there was a double jump trick that made it a bit easier to get through, but it’s nowhere near as easy as it looks. The spider in the video is what convinced me of the connection, as the same spider also lives in the bonus rounds of Runner’s third level. And, now that I watch the video, I can see that many of the elements of The Smurfs have made their way into Bit. Trip. Runner. From the color palettes to the similar gameplay, Runner has got that same smurfy feel to it. It’s sometimes challenging to control, but is at the same time, always rewarding. Forcing you to maintain perfect focus and timing, but playing you against your senses. Runner does it by throwing in subtleties, like changing the background color behind Commander Video at the same time you need to make a jump with perfect timing. Smurfs does it by confusing your mind with awkward controls. Both use increased tempo to effect greater difficulty. The end result is the same, a game that defies logic and becomes gruelingly difficult, but remains supremely rewarding.

I’d like to end this by mentioning how big a fan of gaijin games I’ve become. I have been following them pretty closely and their earlier titles are great (I own Beat and Core). Runner, however, is a game of another caliber. It is the natural progression of the series, but at the same time is more than what the other three combine to be. It is great to see these types of games being made in an industry full of vapid, here today, gone tomorrow sorts of experiences. Not to mention the amount of comaraderie that I see between gaijin and Nintendo. I saw that Nintendo Channel video with you in a dress, btw, Alex. I thought you did very well with it. As for my parting sentiment, I say, Long Smurf the Indie Gaming scene on the Wii! couldn't resist, sorry...