Runner3

Runner3 is a case of "Bigger, better, greater" in video games. It takes most elements from the previous game and has bigger levels, more content, more extras - just "more" overall. However, the devs lost the point of the game in some passages, namely in most vehicle sections. Instead of rhythm-based reaction skills, it requires you to navigate through obstacles with pinpoint accuracy. Rhythm-skills aren't required for this, but rather delicate racing control skills - which are rather difficult if you play with WASD on a keyboard. Runner3 is also more frustrating than Runner2 in that each level isn't some 40 gold pieces long, but 100. However, all levels still only feature one checkpoint. This means that learning a level gets unnecessarily frustrating as failing the jump to collect gold #96 will have you start all the way back at #50 over and over again. That it rubs it in by displaying a huge number showing you how often you failed doesn't help with this, either. The level design is mostly good, but partially questionable. The camera is moving into all sorts of exciting angles making it difficult for you to see where you go to. New enemies (that have 3 or so different patterns, mind you) are introduced in a section that has you going at 2x speed. The double jump does create a safety net when jumping too early, but in some cases, it just gets in the way (also, you can access the first bonus level (!-1) without knowing that you even *have* a double jump). There also is an annoying sound bug (?) causing the collection sound of a gold or gem to sometimes get delayed until the next beat, at which point you already collected the next one, causing you to think you missed a piece and - if you are aiming for Perfect+ - may cause you to restart. Which goes back to the frustratingly long checkpoints. All of this isn't to say that this isn't a great game that has lots of replay value. It's just that Runner2 was the better rhythm game.

My first thought when watching this game's trailer was: "Holy Cow that looks good". And look good it does. What Runner 3 lacks, unfortunately, is the enjoyably simple mix of gameplay and challenge that the 2nd game (Runner 2) had. Runner 2 had 3 difficulty levels that you could select when starting a level. For the casual player, you could enjoy the level on Easy and still progress through the game. For the completionist you could beat the same level 3 times, once on each difficulty. For the hardcore gamer, you could simply beat the game on Hard. -Runner 3 removes the difficulty levels, and adds Jewels as a 2nd difficulty, among other things. The difference is that in Runner 2 you could enjoy the entire game at your own difficulty preference, whereas Runner 3 is quite hard by default, and it only gets harder if you want all the character costumes and other rewards. There are times when there is so much going on on-screen that you can no longer see your character. There are also quite a few obstacles that, at least for me, could not be reacted to. This results in me dying and having to make a mental note to avoid that obstacle the next time -- it basically means you have to memorize levels. This was true in the harder difficulties of Runner 2, but again it's true as a default in Runner 3. This will not be enjoyable for everyone, and it certainly wasn't for me. There are also vehicles now, but rather than being a fun addition these have controls that make them a feature I dread. There is now a store, so rather than unlocking costumes by simply playing the game you have to unlock various in game currencies to buy them. Some of these currencies I have yet to find even a single one of. All in all this game looks really good, and perhaps in short bouts you can have fun with it, but the difficulty makes it too frustrating for me to play for more than 30 minutes at a time. And this is coming from someone who 100% cleared Runner 2.

There's a fine balance to be struck when creating a sequel. Change things around too much, and it will feel like the game lost its identity; keep it too much the same, and it goes stale. Runner 3 achieves that balance quite well. Gone are some features I loved, but the new additions make up for it, with a few exceptions. For example, I loved having to unlock new outfits by finding alternate routes in-game, now I have to buy them; but I still have to find those alternate routes to get the collectibles so I can unlock new characters and even (a stroke of genius if you ask me) the story cutscenes. The game features only 3 worlds with few stages each, but those are much more varied and interesting this time, and full of alternative routes. The songs are more memorable and distinct than they were in Runner 2, although they still don't hold a candle to the ones in the first game. Gameplay-wise, I like how it gets much more difficult much faster than last time. I always felt Runner 2 took too long to start getting challenging, so it's a welcome change that they are taking inspiration from the first game's difficulty curve this time. The game is shorter than 2, yes, but it will still take a long time to master it. And while there isn't a traditional option to change difficulty, you can choose which of two paths you'll take before you start a level, one being much more challenging than the other, so there is the difficulty selection right there. This is a sequel, after all; if you need practice, go play the previous game - you won't be sorry you did. If I have some criticism, it's for those occasions when the game strays away from its rythm based roots. The retro game is fun, but I would prefer it to be rythm-based. Still not enough to knock a star off, though. In conclusion, I love the Runner series for its addictive, challenging gameplay, but also for its evolution from game to game. All of them are equally fantastic, and Runner 3 is a great addition to the franchise.

This is a great follow up to Runner 1 and 2. Runner 3 adds just enough new content to keep it fresh and interesting, while still offering a decent challenge (sometimes it's a bit too challenging). I will say that the added checkpoints throughout the level made the game less frustrating overall, but there were times when the additional checkpoints actually screwed me over because I missed a gold bar and had to redo the entire level because I crossed a checkpoint. That being said it's certainly worth trying for yourself!

customizable difficulty is great, more checkpoints, fewer or no enemies, etc. make it more accessible for folks like me who only very rarely dabble in runners/rhythm games. however, non-rebindable controls, especially in a game like this, make it a lot less accessible and completely unacceptable. they never had plans to add rebinding, already bad enough, but they didn't even bother to list every available key in-game, had to search the forums for a full list. and if you play without enemies, kick won't be tutorialized, you'll first face it (sans prompt) during a boss fight. furthermore: settings, controls and the exit button are only available in the main menu, not level select and definitely not while playing a level, so forfeit progress and press esc 15 times, or try random keys with each attempt. regularly not being able to see where you're going or falling because of the scenery and the constantly changing camera angles is another problem, on top of random stuff suddenly appearing right in front of you. these would be bad enough on their own, but some of it has to be done while the character is sped up. what joy. the narrator becomes annoying after a while but muting it won't remove the wait before starting a level or the game itself, as obviously lines still play silently. the world 3 music is horrible too but turning off music in a rhythm game is not a great idea. and menu navigation sfx seems to ignore volume settings, making it really loud regardless. can't remember how difficulty worked in runner 2, pretty sure it wasn't this customizable (neither were the controls btw), but I got a further there (gave up somewhere in world 5), whereas here I stopped near the end of world 3 with the vertical fans and precise landing positions and zero checkpoints.