Bit. Trip Runner [Nintendo Wii Ware, 2010]

Jun 092010

My wife called me a pussy the other day. I tend not to take name calling very seriously but when she calls me that in particular and we’re not in the middle of a profanity fest, it’s usually because I’m being a pussy. Her reason for referring to me as the best thing ever with its negative connotation fully intact was that I was in my 10th or 12th run through level 2-2 of Bit. Trip Runner and I started lamenting how I wish this game had check points in the levels. At the time, I had argued with her about her label for me but in hindsight, I was being a bit of a gaper. Allow me to elaborate…

The fourth installment in the Wii Ware exclusive Bit. Trip series, Bit. Trip Runner is the most elaborate of the games brought to us by the folks over at Gaijin Games (which apparently consists of four dudes in a room about the size of my living room, e.g. 1/5 of a Sex in The City chick’s shoe closet). You are placed in a 4-bit, retro-canvased world and given the task of guiding Commander Video through it. On the surface, that’d seem to be all there is to it and honestly, a lot of people are only going to get just that out of this game.

What people who take this game at face value are going to see is a platformer that presents the character they’re meant to control with a vital mechanic missing from his controls: Commander Video is constantly running at a steady rate. Instead of negotiating the pace of the gameplay as in something like Mario Bros. or Sonic game, you are forced to react by jumping over rocks, kicking down breakable roadblocks, sliding underneath UFO’s and fireballs, activating spring boards to propel you over impossible jumps, and blocking stray “beats” with your pong/beat paddle as you helplessly run toward all of them. So yes, if you looking at this as a platformer, you’re going to find the whole concept of being forced to run to be a hindrance to the gameplay. But good news! This isn’t actually a platformer.

What you’re actually playing in Bit. Trip Runner is rhythm game (think: Rock Band/Guitar Hero, Elite Beat Agents) dressed up as a platformer and what you’re actually doing when running through a level is running through a song. You’ll forgive me as I’m not exactly musically inclined to the degree that I’d notice this right off the bat but each level does seem to imitate the structure of very basic songs in that some arrangements of platforms and obstacles you navigate are repeated 2-4 times throughout most levels much the same way a song has verses that repeat throughout it. Commander Video’s actions (your actions) during levels set off key beats in the level’s music against the bass line already in play while you move along. The funny part is, I only noticed this “levels as songs” concept when after playing level 1-11 for the 30th time, I found myself beat boxing that level/song in the car, head bobbing and all.¬† So if you consider it a plus, Bit. Trip Runner makes you a better Justin Timberlake.

Destined for greatness.

About that “30th time through level 1-11″ comment, yeah, that was during one sitting. You will fail at this is game constantly. I didn’t say die because you don’t ever actually die – you don’t have “lives” to lose – but instead, Commander Video is unceremoniously driven back to the beginning of the level every time you fuck up.¬† This is definitely one of those games you don’t want to completely think about when playing it as it seems that when you turn half your brain off, you have one those “how did I read 50 pages?” moments.¬† I didn’t really take that strategy to heart in the beginning and that’s when I started whining like a little bitch about wanting a check point, that’s when I was deservedly labeled a pussy by my loving wife. I’m paraphrasing but the gist was:

Pfft. “Check points.” “Save points.” I remember when we had to leave our NES on pause for hours, sometimes days on end, so we could do stuff only to come back and lose all our lives in Super Mario Bros.¬† Kids have it too easy today.¬† You aren’t even losing lives, dude.¬† You’re given infinite chances; you’re the one that keeps fucking up.

Goddammit she’s right.¬† I was so fucking pumped after she told me that I started up the level and promptly died again.¬† She told me I was done, to let it go and turn off the game.¬† I took a weekend break and beat it on the first try the next time.¬† Thanks, coach.

The game lays out a perfect path (that requires perfect precision from the player) for Commander Video to follow.¬† Sitting or floating along the stylishly pixelated trail are a random number of¬† little stacks of gold bars and four larger, pink jumping-jack-like things you are meant to pick up by running over or jumping toward them.¬† If you collect them all in any given level, congratulations, you’ve played the game properly at which point you’ll be whisked to a super lo-res Pitfall-esque bonus stage where you’re meant to score beaucoup points by picking up more gold bars.¬† In addition, the pink thingies are score multipliers for the points you get for gold bars you pick up and also improve the quality of the music from a lo-fi chiptune sound to a mini harmonic symphony.¬† That and the generate a sweet ass rainbow trail behind Commander Video.

All of these ingredients combine to make an addictive experience.¬† I’d even go as far as to say if your one of those people who’d prefer a traditional platformer, you probably couldn’t put down the controller right away.¬† Bit. Trip Runner has this “bag-of-potato-chips” quality about it where you know you should put the bag down after the hour of picking at it but you keep shoveling chips in your face because¬† you’re weak-willed bastard.¬† The sweat on your palms from all the adrenaline pumping through you while you play this is comparable to the chip grease you wipe on your pants.¬† While I’m busy making comparisons, for everybody who’s ever shot a basketball or rolled bowling ball, etc. only to have that feeling of dread as it leaves you fingers where you know that it’s not going to connect, miss timing a jump in this game has the exact same feeling and it really sucks because of the frequency of its occurrence.¬† That’s hardly a mark against the game though; that’s just its nature.

I’ve only few quibbles.¬† While I’ve accepted that I should man up and play this naked like a Spartan, another, lesser difficulty that included checkpoints for the levels would’ve been a nice extra to have.¬† Sometimes, I just don’t feel like maximizing my pump and would prefer an executive workout.¬† Sometimes, I just want to be held and told everything’s going to be alright.¬† Also – and this has more to do with Nintendo’s rant-worthy crappy online experience – this is the kind of game that begs for leaderboards.¬† To attain a perfect score at this game is Herculean effort and something you should be able to brag about to anonymous strangers.¬† You can’t even do that with people on your friend list as the option just isn’t there.¬† That’s truly a shame.

But as the game stands, it’s truly a sublime experience.¬† There’s literally nothing complicated about Bit. Trip Runner’s gameplay yet you’ll be compelled to play this game for that very reason.¬† It’s got great style, music and level design and all for $8.¬† If you have the means, Bit. Trip runner is approved and recommended for everybody and their mother.¬† Hey, some mothers might be able to handle this: