BIT.TRIP RUNNER

BIT.TRIP RUNNER

Bit.Trip Runner, marketed as BIT.TRIP RUNNER, is an arcade-style 'rhythm game' developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service. It is the fourth game to be released in the Bit.Trip series of games

Levels

Impetus:

Mingrawn Timbletot

1. First Contact.
2. A wake of dust.
3. Gestersmek.
4. Crater Raider.
5. Unstoppable Mr. Video.
6. Junior Melchkin (Meet).
7. Jabol Smabbler.
8. Smabbler's Groan.
9. Beat Deposits.
10. End of the beginning.
11. Odyssey (I'm Sorry, This level took long time!).

• BOSS : Mingrawn Timbletot.

Tenacity:

Non Trotski

1. Lesser Timbletot.
2. Hairy Knorwhisp.
3. Flyss Whizzle.
4. Wizened Elderband.
5. Pandinkoris Plains.
6. Moint Moint.
7. Radbot (Meet).
8. Slobbering Falls.
9. Beats Mines.
10. Middle of the Middle.
11. Watcher's Watch.

• BOSS: Non Trotski.

Triumph:

1. Paradise Lost.
2. Leaky Krinkston.
3. Withering Moint.
4. Sewer Snark.
5. Congestion.
6. Tubular Unders.
7. Gall Blaster (Meet Meat Boy).
8. Ginger Pit.
9. The Gauntlet.
10. Beginning of the end.
11. Rusty Warren (Love this music for Angelbaby2000).

• Boss: The Source.

Each Zone High Score (Top 3)

Impetus

1. shadowlink331 (2521806525)

Tenacity

1. shadowlink331 (0993596800)

Triumph

1. shadowlink331 (1354947000)

Gameplay

Bit.Trip Runner is a 2D platformer in which the player takes control of Commander Video, the main protagonist of the Bit.Trip series who had appeared only during cut-scenes in the previous titles. The game is split into three worlds, known as "Impetus", "Tenacity" and "Triumph" respectively, each containing 11 stages and a boss encounter. In each level, Commander Video runs automatically from left to right. To complete a level, the player must input certain commands on the controller, including jumping, sliding and kicking, to avoid or destroy obstacles and enemies. If Commander Video is hit by any object, he is immediately warped back to the beginning of the level and starts running again.

During levels, the player obtains power-ups that upgrade the score multiplier, starting at 'Hyper' and progressing through 'Mega', 'Super', 'Ultra', and finally 'Extra'. As these multipliers are gained, the background music becomes more advanced accordingly, with new melodies being added and modern instrumentation layered on top.

BIT TRIP RUNNER Bonus Level

Commander Video is also able to collect gold bars distributed through the course of the levels - if all the gold bars in a level are acquired, the player is given access to a short bonus stage based on Pitfall, the famous Atari 2600 game programmed by David Crane.

Development

As the fourth of six Bit.Trip games, Runner was designed as an attempt at "fleshing out the BIT.TRIP universe into a fuller, richer place by showing players what exactly the world looked like: an optimistic and colorful place while at the same time dreary and hostile." The game makes a number of notable changes to the design conventions of the other Bit.Trip games, like a more traditional playable character and a structure consisting of lots of smaller levels rather than three long ones.

In an early version of Runner, Commander Video had a wider arsenal of abilities, some of which were callbacks to Core and Void, but designer Alex Neuse decided to remove the more complicated moves after observing that playtesters were becoming overwhelmed.

The game's soundtrack combines 8-bit music with contemporary genres such as techno and electronica. The independent chiptune band Anamanaguchi contributed some songs to the soundtrack. Meanwhile, to fit with the use of Commander Video as a character, artist Mike Roush created the graphics with a heavy emphasis on eyeballs, providing the locations with a greater personality

Modes

There are a few changes to the Mode system in RUNNER. there is no NETHER mode, and you can't Mode down unless you fail to dodge an obstical, in which case, the level restarts, and you are sent back to HYPER.

EXTRA

The music is alplified to it's best point, and CommanderVideo starts leaving his signature rainbow in his wake. The HUD makes a neon effect as it booms out towards the player and back in, staticly changing rainbow colors as in MEGA. The multiplier jumps to x100. Every gold you collect makes a bright sound, resembling the value of gold.

ULTRA

The music is alplified more, and CommanderVideo's wake recieves more sparkles and squares of yellow, orange, teal, pink and purple. The HUD makes a rainbow through each image of the HUD, and is slightly transparent, as the mode name slides across the mode box.. Your multiplier increases to x50. Every gold you collect makes the same tone from SUPER, but also makes a bright sound with it, and the sparkles spin rapidly as they fly out. Grab a CORE to mode up into EXTRA.

SUPER

The music is alplified a bit more, and CommanderVideo's wake recieves more sparkles and a couple of gusts of wind. The HUD Makes a rainbow effect that slides through like its own layer in the backround, and the mode name blasts out to the tempo of the song. Your multiplier increases to x20. Every gold you collect makes the echo tone from MEGA, and makes a deeper tone to go along with it, as more sparkles fly out. Grab a CORE to mode up into ULTRA.

MEGA

The music is alplified a bit, and CommanderVideo starts leaving sparkles in his wake. The HUD flashes a static rainbow, and your multiplier increases to x10. Every gold you collect makes an echo of the normal sound you'd here if you grab gold in HYPER, and a few sparkles fly out. Grab a CORE to mode up into SUPER.

HYPER

The mode you Start in. Your multiplier is x1. The HUD does not change. There are no special effects, and collecting gold makes a short tone. Grab a CORE to mode up into MEGA.

BONUS

This mode can only be seen if you collect all the gold in a normal level, and end in EXTRA Mode. Once this is completed, you will recieve your normal score, then you will be sent to the bonus level for that stage. In BONUS Mode, there is no music, the graphics are retro, and your multiplier remains x100, and sounds are also retro. However, the HUD is comletely white, and no special effects are added.