Bit.Trip Runner

Developer Gaijin Games is becoming quite famous among Wii players that enjoy indie games, with the Bit.Trip series they created for the Wiiware being one of the most popular downloads of the online store. The series is notorious for its “pseudo old school” visuals, challenge and great implementation of sound, making the games more like rhythm games than what they first look like.

 

 

Bit.Trip Runner is the fourth game on the series, and this time it’s a platformer game. Controlling Commander Video (the series’ protagonist), you must jump, slide, kick and collect gold in order to progress. As the character runs on its own towards the finishing line, you must use all of your years of experience with platforming to time your moves perfectly or else, you go back right to the beginning.

 

 

It's much harder than it looks like

 

 

Collecting gold will earn you points, and if you collect all the gold in the level, you earn the right to go to a bonus stage, which plays just like the game, but with a Pitfall satire skin. Getting the gold to get to the bonus level, though, is a whole different story.

 

 

While not as challenging as the previous games in the series and presenting a better learning curve, make no mistake: Runner is still a real challenge, and going through all 36 levels might seem easy when you’re on the first 5, but the game makes sure you remember that it’s not supposed to be breezing through them when you’ve spent an hour trying to get past the same obstacle without success.

 

 

The most notorious part about a Bit.Trip game is the soundtrack and sound effects. There’s a background music playing that “evolves” as you progress (in the case of Runner, every time you obtain a pink “+”) and, as the beat improves, so does your score multiplier. Not only that, but every jump you do, every obstacle you slide makes this sample bit sound (hence the name), and the whole game is designed to make ANOTHER song on top of the one playing, just with the sound effects coming from your jumps. Following the rhythm, it’s possible to go through parts just on instincts, as you know what sound is supposed to be heard. As an example, there’s a part on 3-10 where various blue and red balls fly at you. Without the help from the sound, figuring out the timing would be impossible.

 

 

Slide! Jump! JumpJumpJumpJump!

 

 

Bit.Trip might sound short (most of the 36 levels can be beat in a minute or less... if you don’t miss), but for the price of 800 Nintendo Points (US$8,00), it’s worth a shot. The great soundtrack and the incredibly well-designed levels will make you come back for more, over and over.

 

Graphics - 8.0
A mix of 2D with 3D pixel art. Suits the game's atmosphere perfectly.

 

Sound - 10
Bit.Trip is the series that taught me that there is good electronic music in this world, and runner has some of the best tracks in the series.

 

Gameplay - 8.0
It's an old school platformer where you don't control the character's speed. The challenge might seem cheap sometimes for some.

 

Controls - 8.0
Hold the Wiimote sideways, NES-like. Only 5 buttons are used (excluding pause), and the response is great. Tip: holding down 2 makes you jump longer.

 

Replay Value - 7.0
Still no online leaderboards, but listening to the tracks again and trying to beat your own score still provides some replay.

 

Overall - 8.5
Bit.Trip Runner is a love letter to all the fans of platformers, and an example on how developers should tackle old ideas with new twists.