First off, I'd like to thank Pendulo for making a very solid point-and-click adventure game series in the modern era of gaming. It is very respectable to create a trilogy of high production value adventure games in the age of shooters, platformers, and RPGs. Now, on to the actual review. I very much liked this game - it provided a very cinematic and engaging gaming experience. The characters are still quirky as ever, filled with great personalities and humorous moments. I enjoyed the fact that the story was not completely linear, as time jumped back and forth occasionally - it kept the suspense building nicely. What's better is that the story is more grounded in reality, and is not NEARLY as farfetched as Runaway 2, which I found very disappointing. The visuals are still strong, with some nice atmospheres and settings that aren't quite as diverse as Runaway 2's, but still gorgeous. Cutscenes are nicely rendered and integrate decently into the gameplay, though there are many more cutscenes towards the end, leading to a slightly fizzled finish (same happened with Runaway 2, though Runaway 3 has a much more satisfying ending, obviously). The puzzles are not nearly as ridiculous as the first two, though there is still some adventure game logic going on. What I found to be the most improved part of this game is the interface. Everything is just more streamlined, quicker, more finessed. It works better - there are no more pointless animations that are repeated every time you talk to someone or do something. You talk to someone, it's quick, you walk into a new area, it's quick. Another nice feature is the built in hint system. I also really liked the objectives map - it's sort of hard to explain, but whenever you need to do something you can click it in the inventory and Brian will systematically go through each objective you need to complete in order to progress in the game. Although this may spoon-feed you the answers occasionally, I greatly appreciate this because I found myself meandering and doing nothing in the first 2 game, but with this it is much clearer what I need to do. All in all, Runaway 3 is a solid, funny, and ultimately satisfying gaming experience. It is a tad short, but the experience is a good one. Highly recommended.
