The iconic 80s anime Akira inspired RUNNER, a sci-fi arcade shooter that tries too hard. In an aggressive world, you must outrun robocops while wielding dual pistols while doing some justice. The game comes with a free visual novel, a soundtrack visualiser, and PSVR2 compatibility. Steve Blum stars in colourful cutscene interludes.
While the package looks cool, the game throws you way too much at once – introducing a dizzying array of mechanics in an overwhelming “rub my belly, pat my head” manner. In addition to wielding your weapons, you can also launch missiles, lob grenades, select different firing styles, steer your motorcycle, and generate a cyber-sword to deflect enemy projectiles. The amount of stuff is dizzying, and we’re still pressing the wrong buttons after several hours.
In the meantime, the game is punishing, to the point, we realized we wouldn’t get very far without invincibility. With practice, you can find a flow, but the levels are extremely long, and while checkpoints are generous, we felt physically exasperated at times. There are some brutal design decisions like you can only steer with the right thumbstick if you use a weapon with your left hand; you can unlock a vehicle that lets you steer while holding your guns, but you have to get your head around the system.
In addition to the synth-driven city pop soundtrack, the neon punk aesthetic looks really nice in 4K in PSVR2, and although the vibrant colours may cause headaches, we like the chaotic, almost violent nature of the presentation. We ultimately got bored of the levels fairly quickly, so it lacks the replayability that makes great arcade games great.
Pros:
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Great anime aesthetics.
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City pop’s best tracks.
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Virtual reality concept.
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PSVR2 haptics is great.
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Standalone visual novel.
Cons:
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Levels last too long.
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A lot of systems.
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The control scheme isn’t good.
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Hard to master.
Score 5/10
