Bit.Trip Presents…Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Wii U) Second Opinion Review

Just as was the case on the Wii in Bit.Trip Runner, Commander Video once again sets himself to run through unstoppable levels, and it's up to the player to make him jump over or slide under obstacles, destroying some with kicks, and performing a variety of other actions along the way. All of this is, again, performed in rhythm, as each action the player has to perform should ideally be timed exactly right with the background music so that the melodic sounds of jumps and other actions will play in harmony with the pleasant music soundtrack. This was efficient last time, and it still is in this sequel. However, in Runner 2, more actions come into play, giving the game some extra depths and requiring some further concentration as a result. This does not come into play until later in the game, but despite the gameplay being fairly simple to grasp right away, it gradually builds in complexity in the later stages.

As before, Commander Video gets to collect items as he goes. The stacks of gold bars are still there in great amounts for the player to attempt to collect. However, that's not all this time, since certain levels will be locked by keys which, in turn, will have to be collected. The Activision-style side-scrolling bonus stages are gone this time, though, instead replaced by a bonus mini-game.

In this, the player must attempt to shoot Commander Video out of a cannon into a target, very reminiscent of the cannon-man mini-game from Pilotwings 64. On top of this, a "Rewards" section lists a large amount of actions that the player must attempt to perform, like collecting all gold bars from each stage in the game and so on. This is pretty much the achievement system integrated into the game itself, since the Wii U doesn't provide this by default. This adds a lot to the overall value of the package, which would perhaps otherwise feel a bit limited for the price the game sells for.

There are some extra plot elements thrown in this time, as well. Whereas last time it was mostly conveyed through cryptic animated sequences, now the game is graced by a fully narrated plot! And by Charles Martinet no less, who every Nintendo fan knows for voicing Mario, Luigi and Wario, among other famous characters for almost two decades. Runner 2 even goes so far as to letting players know that directly through the voice of the man himself, much like one would expect from a Vincent Price narrated horror film, except here the mood leans more towards the 1950s sci-fi flick. This adds some extra goofiness to the story, which in itself is very nonsensical. The story isn't exactly very prominent in the experience, though, but that's neither a good or bad thing. Runner 2 remains a very "pick up and play" experience on the whole.

Of course, a game isn't much without graphics. It was mentioned earlier how the original used to sport a very retro look, reminiscent of Atari 2600 games. This is not at all the case anymore, since apparently the game doesn't take place in quite the same era, as implied in the title "Future Legend of Rhythm Alien," which explains why Commander Video is now made of polygons and runs through magnificent HD graphics instead of the very low res graphics of the original Bit.Trip series. Of course, the original series used this cleverly to fit into the limitations of WiiWare games, so it only makes sense that the more laid back limitations of the better hardware would lend themselves better to making something that looks more modern. However, old-school gamers who don't mind low res and who could relate to the Atari look may think back fondly to how they liked those days. Finally, the Bit.Trip series is nothing without music, and it's as good this time as it was last time, so we're not going to complain one bit. This is simply brilliant!

If all this isn't enough yet to convince you, a leader board system lets players check how their gaming performance compares to people on their Wii U friend list who also own the game - a feature that's proven itself to be fairly popular on the system recently, especially since the release of the Rayman Legends Challenges App.