Game EXP: Runner3 (NS)

I guess it has been some time since I first talked about Runner3.  I had a mixed relationship with this game, which is probably the reason that I put the game down for a couple of months to play something where I was not bonking/dying 50+ times each time I started a new level that was designed to have no fewer than two playthroughs; some had a playthrough rate of three times in order to collect all of the collectables.  And then there was the update that made everything better for plebs like me who cannot make it through a single retro level.

Runner3 started off well enough, being more reminiscent of BIT.TRIP. Presents. . .Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien than it was of the original BIT.TRIP RUNNER, which I was perfectly fine with, although thinking back, having an option to switch to a retro skin of the same game would be pretty cool, but I realize that that would have made the production time a lot longer, and possibly upped the cost of the game as well.  One of the biggest differences though between Runner3 and Runner2, was that there was a dynamic camera that would sometimes push in closer to the player, or pull back to allow greater view of what was coming at you, although during those sequences it was usually due to running at a much faster speed than usual.  There was also the inclusion of vehicles for the first time, which still operated in a similar manner to the playable character, jumping to avoid obstacles and collecting gold bars, or introduced in this game, diamonds.

The first stage in Runner3, Foodland, felt a bit like the first stages in Runner2, in that they were designed to be introductory levels.  However, maybe because I have a history with this franchise, the level design felt more tailored to people who were already familiar with the the BIT.TRIP series.  In this case I felt somewhat at an advantage, but that did not mean that I was better at the game, just that I felt like there was not as much time to get used to game mechanics as previous entries, which I guess makes sense.  That being said, the first area is where I felt the most comfortable, although as the stages progressed, there was increased difficulty, but nothing like trying to kill Robert de Sable; or at least for me.

The second stage, Spookyland is where the difficulty seemed to explode into stupidly difficult.  Here I was finding myself taking around 20 attempts before getting to the mid-level checkpoint, followed by another 10-20 attempts to make it to the end of the stage.  It was during the second stage that I came to two conclusions.  1) I no longer cared about getting the Special Perfect ++ on nearly every regular level, and 2) That I needed to put the game down and stop playing.  Sure, you could label me as a quitter, but halfway through Stage 2 is where Runner3 really stopped being about playing a fun game and became an exercise in flagellation, minus the religious visions or needing to change my shorts.

And that is where Runner3 sat until months later, Choice Provisions released an update to the game that added a lot of features to the core game, apparently for people like me who found the difficulty too much to handle.  Among some of the gameplay updates, they added the ability to increase the number checkpoints or remove them all-together.  They also added a slider to increase/decrease the number of gold bars/diamonds throughout the stage.  Still somewhat downtrodden, I decided to check out the update and WOW!  I picked up where I left off in Spookyland and while it did take me a few bonks/deaths to get back into the swing of things, I was able to clear a few of the mid-checkpoint-checkpoints, which made finishing the stages a lot easier.

A part of me did feel a little guilty, like I was cheating myself by activating these multiple checkpoints that were not part of the original game, but then I told myself that had they not been there, I probably would forever be stuck in Spookyland, bonking 60+ times and not having any fun after the 10th bonk.  This assistance allowed me to finish the game and I am forever grateful to Choice Provisions for integrating it into the game, as an option, as a response to player feedback.  I also told myself that when I sat down to write about Runner3, that I was definitely not going to leave out that part as it would be dishonest and that is something I will not abide.

With the help of multiple checkpoints activated, I was able to make my way through Spookyland, and finally Machineland, although at the end of Machineland when you go up against Timbletot, I was a bit surprised as I felt that three stages seemed a bit short, but I guess that remains consistent with the BIT.TRIP series formula.  So I reached Timbletot, and then I put the game down again for a month.  I honestly do not know why specifically as I was having fun, but it was probably just another case of CPS.  Then, around the beginning of February, I decided that I would hunker down for that last boss fight and make a go of it.  And then after a number of tries, I did defeat Timbletot.  At least for now, until its inevitable return in the as of yet unannounced Runner4.

There is a fair amount in Runner3 that I have either not touched on, or barely talked about, like the retro levels, the "Impossible Levels," the cosmetic options (as Commander Video is above in the inverted , the Hero Quests, and the puppet shows.  And look how much I have already talked without going into all of that!?  But let us close out this Game EXP with a look at my stats for the game, and call it a good night then.

So based on these statistics, I bonked once every 40.9 seconds.

That's a lot.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
The Grave of Our Youth is Up Ahead