Multicolored Running Craziness: Runbow Review

Overview:

On your mark...get set....

RUNBOW!!!

Cartoonish, colorful characters race across an ever changing technicolor landscape running, leaping, and occasionally smacking each other into traps, pits, and various obstacles--on a quest for glory, trophies, and the fastest time possible.  13AM Games leaps into the game scene with a "colorful" entry that boasts a wide variety of characters, modes, and challenges.  So, does the game shine as brightly as the colors within?  Or does the end result leave you wishing for a wold of black and white?

Control:

There's a bit of a learning curve involved with some of the controls for Runbow.  Not to say that they are difficult to master or that there's too much going on; just that with all the action on screen in the multiplayer mode you can lose what button you pressed last and end up dead before you realize it.  Aside from that it controls tightly enough, which is exactly what you need in a game where dying over and over is to be expected.

Graphics and Style:

For a game where the characters are various hues of one color and have a certain paper-puppet quality to them; Runbow feels like there's more going on in terms of style and graphics.  The sharp angles and lack of curved surfaces make the whole thing like a Tim Burton design--but with colors of the rainbow rather than the typical black, white, and gray of a Burton film.  The simplicity not only lends a unique look, but I'd wager it's what helps the animation flow smoothly in multiplayer.  The "guest" runners that appear (such as Commander Video and Shovel Knight for starters) are also adapted to the style of the game and are pleasant to look at.  The graphics are crisp and as I mentioned before, moved smoothly even with 8 players.  I think this is pretty impressive for an indie game.

Music and Sound:

Sound

The jumps and punches in Runbow have a nice, bright sound to them, the "poof" type noise when you die don't reach the level of aggravation you might expect from a game that allows numerous deaths.  They are pleasant to hear and do the job they need to do.  Even the power ups are nice to hear.

Music

Dan Rodrigues deserves credit for giving Runbow a jazzy and energetic soundtrack whose pace never feels frenetic but hits the right tone every time.  From the bombastic trumpets and heavy drums of Behemoth mode to the fast paced orchestral Latin and jazz fusion of Adventure mode--the soundtrack never disappoints. You truly get that big band feel. I like a game with a simple visual style and an orchestral soundtrack.  I've said this before about other games, but really, a blend of simple visuals and complex music gives a game sense of weight.  You often see games with simpler graphics try to imitate 8 bit or 16 bit music with varying degrees of success.  Bringing an orchestral sound almost never fails to impress.  It's well worth your time to download the soundtrack as the composer Rodrigues did such an excellent job making the job unique and a real joy to hear.

Gameplay:

You and your opponents race across a technicolor landscape in mad dash to see who can reach the trophy at the level's end first.  Each level consists of various pits and traps which players can avoid by making use of single color platforms; however, the real challenge doesn't come in merely avoiding falling to your doom and getting to the trophy first.  During the race, the single color background constantly gets replaced by new colors whooshing across; adding and subtracting platforms of similar color.  Standing on a yellow platform above spikes and see yellow coming?  Better move fast to the blue platform above the pit, but don't linger too long because a wave of blue is on the horizon.  This constant change of color forces you to think fast, jump accurately, and relentlessly move forward.  Despite the need to continually move, the pacing never gets too frantic, and there are plenty of power ups and level variation to keep you playing for hours.  It's really impressive playing online as there was virtually no slow down, even when you have a full compliment of 8 players and I feel for a smaller company this is quite an accomplishment.  I've played other online multiplayer games produced by big companies that didn't have the smoothness that Runbow had.

Not in the mood to play with others nearby or online?  Can't scrape together enough friends to make for an interesting race?  Not a problem as the game offers a nice Adventure/Story mode that makes nice use of simple cut scenes, or the Behemoth mode where you move along inside the belly of a beast, progressing as far and fast as you can with no saves.

The only real fault I find with the game comes from something that's meant as a feature.  Whether you play local or online multiplayer there are times gameplay can get a bit confusing.  So much happens at once on screen that you can easily lose your character in the melee.  It takes a bit of getting used to all the action on screen.  When you do grow accostomed to it though, it makes for some really exciting gameplay.

Final Thoughts:

There's a richness to Runbow that I deeply appreciate.  The game offers so much in terms of unlockable characters, game modes, and options--it feels like a game that could have easily gotten a physical release and deserves one at some point in the future.  Oftentimes with a game that offers multiplayer but is independent or not a full-blown AAA title, you can see the game having a fairly short lifespan when it comes to players doing interaction online.  I hope this isn't the case for Runbow.   Runbow by 13AM Games takes the platform genre, tosses in a dash of runner, and the end result is a pleasant and challenging twist in a world of ever-changing color palettes.

  

Graphics/Visual Style: 10/10

Music/Sound: 10/10

Control and Gameplay: 9/10

Midweek Music Box: Bit Trip Fate

Embrace the frustration.

Despite the soundtrack that I've picked for today, I am not frustrated or angry.  I'm just a little overworked and over-tired of late.  I can't seem to fall into one nice, focused groove.  Now, much of this has to do more with the need to clean our apartment constantly for showings, trying to do home showings at the drop of a hat, finding and working writing jobs, maintaining the gaming blog, recording and editing a movie podcast I do with my brother....  

"Anger"

So yeah...okay, maybe I've let a little frustration and annoyance creep in.  But that makes this particular soundtrack all the more perfect.

Sometimes I get flustered with the pace of my life right now.  I'm not a terribly "type A" person as they call it.  I'm not always making lists of my "to do's" and trying to live my life in a certain order and get things done "just so."  If I don't do those things "just so" I won't freak out.  "Life finds a way," as Dr. Malcom once said.  So,  I can keep up a pace with or without a predetermined structure most days.  Of course, sometimes it is a necessary evil, the list making and following a pattern that is.  It's just when it becomes an all encompassing monster that I get frustrated and even a little angry.  If a "type B" person like myself finds themselves forced into a situation where we need to make lists, then by golly don't mess with that stupid "to do" list!  After all, you were the one who made it happen you type A'er! 

Where was I?  

Oh yes.  When that happens, when "to do" lists creep in, I need just the right set of music to help me get into the groove of writing since that's part of my family's income.  So, cue some appropriately titled Bit Trip music from the guys at Gaijin.

"Frustration"

I find the whole of the Bit Trip series music to be an utterly enjoyable affair, and Bit.Trip.Beat has an infectious and upbeat (oh so pun intended) quality that I've mentioned before.  I typically have that going if I'm trying to write about a informational article and need to keep up a cheery mood, or if I'm about to write an upbeat section from one of the books I'm working on and need to shift out of "clean the house" mode.  However, when I need to grind away at something, and knock off things from a "to do" list, I turn to the tunes of Bit.Trip.Fate to help me get through.

"Patience"

The key tracks I go to are "Patience," "Frustration," and "Anger"--and no, not just because they mirror my own feelings when I am working through a "to do" list.  There's a certain cadence within the music that serves as a great parallel for the pace at which I type and I think if you are looking for some thing to help you get through your own "to do's" then you can't go wrong with Bit.Trip.Fate.  

"Anger" has little blips and bloops interrupted by an occasional bass thump. These are eventually overridden with thumping bass and synth-sound mix that does an excellent job conveying both the emotion and the desire to push through it and get over it.  Frustration starts slow and quietly builds until the whole soundtrack booms, thumps, and eventually morphs into a rocking and beating tune that also does a great job putting a musical "soundtrack" to the feeling that it finds itself named after.  Of course "Patience" is a quieter tune than the other two, and it never builds to a volume level too high nor does it get populated with the same bass and "wubba wubba" sound of the other two.  It's a great little track for keeping focused during all too quiet moments where you need a little extra push to help get through a time consuming task.  At least, that's what I've found.

Overall, the tracks I've mentioned and linked to have an intrinsic rhythm to them that keeps my fingers flying while at the keyboard.  In a weird way it gets my mind "in tune" as it were, to the task of getting tasks done.  Getting through a laundry list of to do's can be frustrating just to look at, but if you have the right background music, like that found in Bit.Trip.Fate, it can go so much more smoothly.

Midweek Music Box: Bit Trip Beat

Credit to ilnedo.deviantart.com for this slice of awesomeness.

When last we left our hero he had journeyed hither and yon in search of the nefarious ner-do-well Timbletot.  Running rapidly and narrated by Charles Martinet, Commander video dashes along to a bevy of beautiful chip tunes that are delightful, peppy and perfect slices of sound.  Yet let us yonder to years of yesterday when Commander Video was on a flight of fancy and bopping to a beat. 

Yes!  It's time to talk about the beautiful beats from none other than  Bit.Trip.Beat!  The first in the "sound-sational" series of popular, innovative rhythm games by Gaijin Games.  Alliteration aside, it's  time for a Transition to more tame talk.

"Transition"

*whew*

While it is fun to mimic the style of the more recent adventure of Commander Video, let's go back a few years to when the first of these games was released.  I have to admit, I was a bit on the fence when I first saw the game.  It looked interesting and all, and the tunes in the trailer were catchy enough, but part of me hesitated a the the notion of downloading what looked like an over-glorified pong clone.  I'm glad I got over that hesitation because within minutes of playing the game I was hooked.  Sure it was difficult.  And yes, there's a bit of an endurance factor that comes into it.  Upwards of 15 minutes of gameplay with no breaks, and pausing could throw you off and make it so you immediately lose when coming back to game.  So what kept me coming back?  What should make you want to pick up the music or just search it out on Youtube?  EVERYTHING.

"Information Chase"

 The rhythms in this game not only offer a "bit" of the feel from the 8-bit era of games, but each tune has careful crafting and original orchestrations lacking in many modern games.  Whoops!  Alliterating a bit again, hard not to do that lately when thinking of Bit.Trip.Beat of late.  Some of the tunes start out simple and build to tune that has a note of building triumph.  Another tune starts with a darker tone, but eventually builds in a way that leads you to feel an undercurrent of determination.  Obviously the music works wonderfully for the game on screen, with the overall pattern of the tune helping you get the feel of where you are in the stage.  

I've used the soundtrack from Bit.Trip.Beat many a time when working out and writing.  Sure it's chiptunes, but there's so much emotion, so much energy and excitement from bleeps and bloops.  Yeah, other games with full orchestras can do this in a much more efficient way, but considering that Gaijin is trying to mimic an older style, but bringing it up to modern times, the fact that it can evoke so much feeling should serve as reminder that you don't need to rely on a full orchestra in order to make a player feel connected to the game or desire to hear the music from your game outside of sitting behind a controller.

The Midweek Music Box delves more into the musical side of things, but so much could be said about the gameplay, control, and just general fun that you can have with these games.  If you don't already own them, just go out and grab them for the music alone.  Or at least visit iTunes and grab the tracks available their for download.  You won't be sorry.

Now, it time to travel once more my dear reader into the land of long sentences and alliteration overload!