"I'm Charles Martinet, and now it's time for BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien!"
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (often shortened to simply Runner2 for brevity sake) is a 2013 standalone sequel to BIT.TRIP RUNNER that occurs in between RUNNER and FATE (though it has been stated to be non-canon). It keeps all of the same central gameplay bytes as its predecessor, with the addition of some new abilities and level design, as well as a completely overhauled graphical style.
In it, CommanderVideo ends up in a 3D world and must find his way back home while also helping the people of this new, whimsical world.
It was followed in 2018 by another standalone sequel, Runner3.
Plot[]
BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien takes place directly after BIT.TRIP RUNNER and right before BIT.TRIP FATE. As Commander Video and his friends are chasing Timbletot into the Hyper Sphere, Timbletot shoots them with a Reality Unfusion Beam. Commander Video, shielding his allies gets teleported to an unknown dimension. After thinking about his situation he decides to move on and goes to the Welkin Wonderland. After beating Timbletot in the Welkin Wonderland, he begins to fall to the planet below and ends up in the Emerald Brine. Once Timbletot is defeated in the Emerald Brine, Commander Video than makes his way into a forest called The Supernature. Defeating Timbletot once again he finds his way underground to the Mounting Sadds. Defeating Timbletot a fourth time, he finds a portal which takes him back to a place similar to his home dimension, The BIT.TRIP. After beating Timbletot for one more final time Commander Video leaves The BIT.TRIP and returns to his friends literally one frame later where no time has passed for them, while it has been 15 months for Commander Video.
Playable Characters[]
Playable characters include
- CommanderVideo
- CommandgirlVideo
- Unkle Dill
- Whetfahrt Cheesebörger
- Reverse Merman
- CaptainVideo
- RetroCommanderVideo (Effects on him are exactly like BIT.TRIP RUNNER)
Each character has unlockable costumes except for Retro Commander Video.
In addition, there is also the "Good Friends Character Pack" DLC which contains multiple characters from other indie games and one bonus Runner character:
- Dr. Fetus from Super Meat Boy
- Atlas from Portal 2
- Quote from Cave Story
- Josef from Machinarium
- Guy Spelunky from Spelunky
- Razputin from Psychonauts
- Invisible CommanderVideo
Modes[]
All modes that appeared in BIT.TRIP RUNNER appear here as well, with the notable exception of Nether. Multipliers are the same too in both games.
Worlds and Levels[]
The Welkin Wonderland[]
- Stratostar
- Plane Weather
- The Whifferdill
- A Windy Interlude
- Cloud Surfer
- Cloud Nein (Unlocked after accumulating 225 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Dangerous Altitude
- Cirrus Circus
- Triposphere Cumuliform
- Cloud 8 1/2 (Unlocked after accumulating 375 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Blue Blunder
- Into Thin Air
- Arid Airride
- The Gusty Bellows (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Arid Airride)
- This level is the world's Key Vault level.
- Cloud Canter
- Winding Wild Windworks
- Every Cloud (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Winding Wild Windworks)
- Unkle Dill is unlocked here
- The Celestial Ceiling
- Cumulonimbus Conundrum (Unlocked after accumulating 615 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Stratosfear (Boss)
The Emerald Brine[]
- Brine Time
- Two If By...
- Salty Bath
- Salty Splendor (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Salty Bath)
- Reverse Merman is unlocked here.
- Fluid Freeway
- Crate Expectations (Unlocked after accumulating 225 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- The Sea of Saw
- Listing Isthmus
- Tern N' Cough
- Going Half Mast
- Salty Sprint (Unlocked after accumulating 375 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Galloping Gangplanks
- Fish Boulevard
- Aquaducked
- Wet Deepness (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Aquaducked)
- This level is the world's Key Vault level.
- Soggy Bottoms
- Wet Watery Wetworks
- Aquatic Symphonic (Unlocked after accumulating 600 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Pining for Fnords
- Drowntown (Boss)
The Supernature[]
- Logjammin'
- Tripping On Herbs
- Treeathlon (Unlocked after accumulating 125 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Coniferous Say
- Blabbage Patch (Unlocked after accumulating 175 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Morning Wood
- Kasaobake
- Bigfoot's Big Foot
- Dubbed Steppes
- Slap Sticks (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Dubbed Steppes)
- Whetfahrt Cheesebörger is unlocked here.
- Harsh Gribaldeen
- Quail Hollow Howler
- Low-Hangin' Fruits
- Barking Mad (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Low-Hangin' Fruits)
- This is the world's Key Vault level.
- UFO OMG
- Wooden Woodery Woodworks
- Bush Wacky (Unlocked after accumulating 500 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Lumber Jackson
- Log Out
- Timber's Timbre (Boss)
The Mounting Sadds[]
- Ruined Run
- Flabby Woes
- The Moist Flowtubes
- Grumbling Cravages (Unlocked after accumulating 150 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Pilge Bump
- The Mimblesnits
- Grumble Gallop (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in The Mimblesnits)
- Pitazo is unlocked here.
- Bumpin' Uglies
- A Harsh Direction
- Devil's Marbles (Unlocked after accumulating 315 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- The Secret Tunnel
- The Stained Pits
- The Doleful Unders (Unlocked after accumulating 500 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Sweaty Dangle
- The Noble Gasses
- The Bonklands (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in The Noble Gasses)
- This is the world's Key Vault level.
- Wrongledoo
- The Twisted Strait
- Tubular Bowels
- Timbletrot (Boss)
The BIT.TRIP[]
- Descent Into Radness
- Familiar Apparitions
- Hypnagogic Logic (Unlocked after accumulating 125 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Supraliminal Slide
- Hyperbrain
- Whisper Demons
- Megathon (Unlocked after accumulating 250 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Melted Luster
- Superglide
- Sweet Eyefuls (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Superglide)
- CaptainVideo is unlocked here.
- Ultravision
- Trippin Walls
- Response-Ability (Unlocked after accumulating 425 Gold Pieces in the world's levels)
- Extralogic
- Pixel Dispatch
- Startled Future (Unlocked by finding the alternate exit in Pixel Dispatch)
- This is the world's Key Vault here.
- Spirit Runner
- Afterglow
- Only A Man
- Flight To Fate (Boss)
Preorder Bonuses[]
Players who pre-purchased Runner2 on Steam prior to February 26th would receive a copy of the game, a 10% Off Coupon for the Steam Store, and a free copy of the original BIT.TRIP RUNNER to either keep for themselves or gift to a friend.
Additionally, players who also partook in Valve's Team Fortress 2 would receive a pair of BIT.TRIP-themed sneakers for the Scout and Demoman called the "Buck Turner All-Stars". They appear as Team-Coloured sneakers (that being, either Red or Blue depending on the player's team) with the characteristic BIT.TRIP rainbow present on the rears of the shoes. These items can still be obtained in the game via various means, but only in Unique Quality, with the Genuine versions no longer being distributed.
Reception[]
Runner2 recieved very positive reviews ranging from 8 to 10s. Its Metascore is 85.
TRIVIA[]
- The game's rather unorthodox subtitle was chosen to poke fun at the Japanese subtitle for the original RUNNER, which translated to "Flat-Out Run of the Rhythm Alien", as well as the way English titles are often altered in Japan in general. When questioned if he thought the title would be unaffected in Japan, Mike Roush joked that the title might end up even worse.