RunMan: Race Around The World Review

It's been pretty dark around here of late. From uploading my own poetry and short fiction – none of which have even the slightest shred of happiness in them – to studying William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus for university, it's been a long time since I did anything happy. Coincidentally, it's also been a long time since I had any money. The cure to both of these dilemmas comes in the form of RunMan, a lovely little independently developed game which can be downloaded for free here.

Now that I've said it's free you all think my standards have dropped, that if some thing's free then it's not worthwhile. Well, I'll have you know that my standards haven't dropped; I'm not giving anything back to the community, the community can fuck-off. Just because this game is free does not mean that I'm going to conclude my review with some benign statement like “what have you got to lose?” If it's shit I'll call it.

It is free though. Just saying.

Anyway, moving on from the fact that this wonderful game is completely free; RunMan: Race Around The World centres around the character of RunMan as he... races around the world. Well, you gotta hand it to them: they know how to be consistent. And this is is a video-game, the plot isn't important! It's all about the gameplay, which is actually very good here.

The game is a simple two dimensional platformer, with the objectives of all platformers: get to the end of the level. Each “zone” is divided into several levels with a boss level at the end. This is massively helped by the game's level design, which is some of the best I've ever seen. Several features have been added to vary things, most noticeably the sprint which speeds the game up and keeps it interesting for experienced players. The one complaint I do have is that the boss stages are always exactly the same thing sped up slightly. It's a minor complaint, but still enough to bring you back to the real world.

However, it's the game's graphics and sound which really make it worthwhile. The art work is intentionally cartoony and badly drawn, colour is used far too much, and the overall effect is that of a children's cartoon book. It's fucking wonderful! Add in some music which you just wouldn't expect, and this game is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

So, overall RunMan is an exceptionally well-made, fun, and simply joyous game. It harkens back to the days of gaming's infancy, provided tight level design, childish and amusing storytelling, and a look which is both wholly unique and all too familiar. The only complaints I can think to offer are the boss battles, and the game's length (clocking at roughly an hour and a half). Whilst there is some replay value (character unlocks etc.) it's not really all that worthwhile. Still, definitely worth a look.

And it's free.

8/10