SpeedRunners

Developer: DoubleDutch Games
Steam Release: Apr 2016
Hours Played: 4.7
Similar To: Dustforce / The King's Bird / N++ / Ninja Pizza Girl / Remnants of Naezith 
Rating: 2/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY

If you're after a title with all the good qualities of platform speedrunning, SpeedRunners may well be your answer - but it might just depend if a few design blemishes get in the way. For the single player experience you'll either be racing on maps versus three bots or going for the Solo Run option to improve your time on one of the 16 standard maps. As swinging is faster than running, runs are mainly about mastering the grappling hook as it allows you to swing from roofs indicated by a white line. Land decent hits multiple times on a couple of roofs or more and you'll be gliding through the air like a super-charged Tarzan in no time. Racing against bots still requires expertise with a hook, but in this case picking up power-ups like freeze-blocks or fireballs actually matters because you can use them to slow down opponents and gain the upper hand. 

BALANCE & PACE

Fortunately that's not all there is to it, for SpeedRunners' maps come with the usual extras to slow you down. Walls with stripes will alert you to the fact that wall-jumping is required while hanging blocks at head height will signal a slide is required. Gaps and spikes will test your double-jump ability while keeping track of your avatar as it's whisked along in a wind-tunnel will test your powers of observation. Landing on slopes will give you a speed boost and running through a blue energy-bath will give you added energy which you can use for an additional speed boost when required. For an extra smooth passage, memorizing courses and becoming familiar with where the short cuts lie will not only put you at an advantage but will make the experience all the more rewarding - particularly if you want to take your skills online. 
  

PRESENTATION & DESIGN 

The graphics are crisp and sharp overall but fairly plain with quirky illustrations in the background going with the theme of each map which range from everyday locations like factories, theme parks, libraries, zoos and casinos etc. Snazzy, blaring trumpets rock out an energetic tune while the soundtrack on the whole gives that pleasant ducking-and-diving, on-the-move bounce. Unfortunately, annoying design decisions abound: the game always starts in a window and needs to be manually full-screened every single time; pictures are auto-scrolled on the home page every few seconds; a timer insists on counting down five seconds to get to the level select screen... in single player mode, and there is a 60 second countdown timer at the level-select screen which throws you into a random game if you don't make up your mind quick enough!
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM

Story mode is essentially all of the 16 standard maps bundled into a package of 4 chapters with 4 levels in each. You race against bots under one of four difficulties (easy, medium, hard and unfair) and work your way through each level after winning a first-to-three race. A race is an elimination affair whereby the back-marker is zapped if he can't keep up to a screen's worth of action from the leader. The winner, of course, is declared when all three opponents have been eliminated. In some cases, to increase tension, the screen actually gets smaller and this works really well. Additionally, for practice, you may either play on maps versus bots (just like story mode but with no records) or solo them for a best time. However, this annoyingly gets reset when you leave and restart the same map later - and there are no leaderboards! Not good.    

CONCLUSION

With fluid control and all the avatars nicely animated, SpeedRunners is a pleasure to play. Speed-running a track to death through multiple efforts while becoming more and more proficient with the hook is a rewarding experience as is working out how best to take corners and what generally works well and what doesn't. The game also boasts good quality custom maps. My two disappointments are the lack of any decent permanent leaderboard, local or online, and that wiping of the best time after a session which I see no reason for. An "all-time best" ghost runner as well as a "session-best" ghost runner would certainly have enhanced the single player experience. Indeed, for a speed running game that names itself after the sub-genre itself - this has to go down as a significant flaw. But maybe it's all about preparing for the multiplayer battles after all.