You only have to worry about jumping and shooting as the screen moves from left to right, you have to judge when to jump (and hold it in) and shoot. It isn’t until later on that the game really pushes you to the absolute limit. There are three planets in total, with tons of varied and challenging levels in the beginning you’ll find them tough, but you’ll gradually start to work them out and get through the various sectors. Once you start to get used to the simple mechanics, obstacles can be measured and you’ll begin to use the game’s physics in your favour. It punishes you relentlessly, but there is a white light at the end of the tunnel. Like Super Meat Boy, Velocibox and Hotline Miami, RunGunJumpGun makes you want to keep going. You’ll cry, scream and swear until your lungs are void of air and your throat feels like it’s been savaged by sandpaper, but you’ll keep going back for more. The gruelling task of getting from one end of the level to the next just gets harder and harder until you’re caught in an orchestra of pulsing fire cannons, circular spinning saws and jagged rocks that look like the teeth of an unruly wild animal. If you have the patience to get through the kind of reflex gymnastics the game carelessly blurts out, you could probably proceed with caution.RunGunJumpGun is a twitch-heavy 2D platformer that’ll drive you mad. In short, Atomik: RunGunJumpGun is a potentially great game that’s hampered by shoddy level design that sacrifices genuine challenge for fake difficulty. Even if you master getting by one of these enemy types, another will come out of nowhere to own you. Whether it’s the multiple machines that shoot at you or the extremely infuriating turbines, there is no playing through this game without getting thrown into loads of deaths that have nothing to do with the player’s own ability to progress. Your character only has two measly hit points, and holding onto them is a death wish. You need every possible millisecond to make your move – especially when gathering collectibles along the way – or else you’ll be as good as dead. Yep, this is a trial-and-error game and a very obnoxious one at that. It’s when the game throws in all sorts of obstacles and tribulations simultaneously that causes me to put my foot down at times. Shooting and hovering is no problem at all it’s responsive and to the point. Unfortunately, this comes to an end when the biggest hurdle gets in the way: The level design. In fact, there is a degree of fun to be had with it. It’s like if the Helicopter game was torn apart and put back together to create a hugely beefed-up indie experience. You can feel the distorted nature the levels convey through the intensity of its soundtrack (as well as through the split-second gameplay that occurs, anyway).Īt first, RunGunJumpGun has the kind of pick-up-and-play attitude that can make any arcade-style title enjoyable when you get into it. The music has a fitting techno sound to it while also hinting at something grander with its atmospheric tones. I’m not the biggest fan of dubstep, but RunGunJumpGun‘s OST utilizes it in a way I can get down with. They, along with the accompanying one-liners, tell you everything you need to know about the character just by what sort of crazy expression or animation the frames convey. The animated character portraits that greet you every stage are easily my favorite parts.

Holy crap, this pixel art is gorgeous! Even if it can get exhausting for the eyes (hence its seizure warning), there’s still so much happening on-screen that it’s hard to not appreciate the effort made to pretty things up. This, along with the ongoing theme of the sun at risk, constantly gives off a “What will happen next?” vibe. It’s actually a neat way to unravel a storyline not spoon fed to you from the beginning. It relies on the various NPCs you’ll meet throughout the adventure to provide little details on what happened and who you are playing as. Does Atomik: RunGunJumpGun combine the best of these elements into one tight package, or does its ambitions fall short in the long run? Well… Running, jumping, and gunning proudly make up the Triforce of this game’s mechanics. Far from the catchiest title out there, Atomik: RunGunJumpGun also describes the action in a surprisingly straightforward manner.

Rungunjumpgun concept art