[Note from Jason: This article was contributed by Robotube comrade Todd. Just so you know that it's not only me who's having super enjoy times with Bit Trip.]
Alright, so I’m not going to beat around the bush here. Jason knows the guys at Gaijin Games (more on that soon), and, as such, we are probably a little biased when it comes to the Bit.Trip series. For example, I’m not likely to say Bit.Trip Whatever “sucks”. I would be much more likely to say something like “Bit.Trip Notasgood is not their best attempt at game development”. You see how that works? Within, I discuss GG’s latest release, with great enthusiasm.
My first gaming system was a little device called the Nintendo Entertainment System. My NES and Super Mario Brothers was just the beginning of my long, long love affair with Nintendo. Sure, we’ve had our disagreements, but in the end, the makeup sex is always great (….what?). While I very much enjoy gaming in it’s current form, much of my gaming love lies in the memory of spending hours, days playing Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, and Metroid. Everything about it warms the pixellated cockles of my gaming heart, the graphics, the music. It hearkens back to a simpler time in gaming. No Microsoft, no Sony, and for the love of all the used to be holy, no Halo.
I still go back and play those classic games. It is not uncommon for me to pop Mega Man 2 into my NES and spend 30 minutes destroying it for the thousandth time. What I am trying to get to here, is that I really love classic gaming. As such, anything released now that has a classic look and feel to it will almost certainly get my money. Mega Mans (Mega Men?) 9 and 10 are out and I couldn’t be happier. While I love seeing new releases of classic IPs that I loved as a kid, I also am a huge fan of new games that throw back to that classic or retro feel. Enter, the Bit.Trip series. When I saw the first screen shots of BEAT floating around the interwebs I was already sold. I wanted to father GG’s children. I pointed Jason in the direction of the screen shots and he agreed that this series was going to be something to behold.
The latest release, Bit. Trip Runner, had me very excited. It has everything! Running, jumping, kicking, amazing look, feel, and sound. What is there not to love? On release day I downloaded it, questioning why GG would short-sell themselves on the price, and settled in for what I was sure to be GG’s best work to date. As you might imagine I was not disappointed. Now I want to carry GG’s children.
Bit.Trip Runner scratches an itch in my gaming psyche that has been left unattended for quite some time. This game brings me back to those days in my living room, sitting on the floor with my trusty NES controller in hand. Even the feel of the wii-mote turned sideways in my hand is a reasonable enough facsimile to invoke nostalgia. B.TR is beautifully crafted, silky smooth, and has perfect timing. The entire experience feels right at home on a Nintendo console, with a d-pad and two buttons for control. GG could not have nailed it better.
In the continuing saga of Commander Video, you finally take direct control of our little protagonist. Ok, maybe not direct control. Commander Video essentially runs (you see what they did there? Bit.Trip Runner? He runs? Clever guys!) at his own pace and it is up to you to dodge the numerous obstacles that get in his way. The obstacles are perfectly matched up with the beat of the music, as is the case in all of the B.T games thus far. If you get into the timing of the music many of the obstacles you have to dodge will just come naturally. Most levels have repeating sets of obstacles, so once you get through the first set, you can usualy float through the second.
For added challenge there are a number of piles of gold throughout each stage that will add to your score. Obtain all of the gold piles in a stage and you are rewarded with a bonus stage ripped right out of pitfall. There is even RF hiss in the audio in the bonus stage for that little extra added bit of awesome.
The bosses are clever and fun to confront, though have only encountered 2 of the 3 in the game so far. Bit.Trip runner has deceived me into thinking that this might be the first B.T game I can actually complete. While I have enjoyed playing all of the Bit.Trip games, not all of them have resonated so well with my brain’s configuration. Bit.Trip CORE, for example. I struggled for weeks to complete the first level, meanwhile Jason flew right through it and had no problems. Bit.Trip Runner, on the other hand, had fallen right into place for me, and the entire game has come very naturally. Of course, I say this as I am currently stuck on stage 3-9. I’ll get there, though. You will not defeat me this time, Gaijin!
For me, Bit.Trip Runner is the best of the series to date. Everyone forms their own opinion, though. Each game is just different enough where those who play them can get into one more than they can another. This is the game I have been waiting for from Gaijin since they released Bit.Trip BEAT, which, sadly, has now fallen to second place in my personal Bit.Trip favorite hierarchy. Great game guys. I can’t wait to see what you are cooking up in Bit.Trip ZOMG! I also understand that there is a special guest who will appear in the next B.T game.
For the 2 of you out there who have not yet seen B.T Runner, here is a little taste. But for $8, just go buy it!
