Nintendo Switch – Runbow #188

Some colorful fun never gets old it seems

Runbow – Nintendo Switch – Released: 7/3/18 – $14.99

Short Review (Review copy provided by Headup Games)

From the standpoint of someone that has heard of Runbow, knows how many versions exist, and yet never purchased it… This is a fun game even if you are playing it solo. Runbow is a side scrolling adventure game in single player but in multiplayer you are doing a mad dash to get to the end against friends. Outside of that, it is a celebration of well known indie titles that at the time were all on the Wii U. This version of the game sadly isn’t an “Ultimate” or “Definitive” version of the game. You will pay $15 to get the base game but there is still DLC to purchase if you choose to purchase it. I would have loved if this game included all the DLC but for the price it isn’t too bad. You can purchase the physical version which includes all the DLC for $30. If you wanted the deluxe version through the eShop you would need to purchase a $13 DLC pack that includes a ton of content. I would give Runbow a 9 out of 10! It has excellent base content for the price, tons of fun with or without friends, and overall just a great game if you enjoy many indie titles.

Icon is simple but it does make me wonder if the deluxe version has a different one:

Story

Being a game that focuses on the multiplayer aspect it is nice to see a multiplayer game try at a single player campaign. After you pick a character you will see four movie posters and zoom into one of them. You find the characters recording a movie? Taking vacation pictures? Honestly I have no idea what they are doing here. Since the enemies are props hanging from the sky and the next scene they are dancing. Satura steals a trophy, attacks the characters, and runs away. That is about as much story as I could pull from a 20 second cutscene. After that it zooms out of the posters and you are tasked with defeating all her challenges.

Gameplay

Runbow’s big gimmick is the background is always changing colors and can match platforms to make them disappear. The game cycles through 4 colors at a time and depending on the level, platforms disappear and new walls are revealed. Single player is fairly simple with you running from one side to the end of the stage and grabbing a trophy. Depending on the time you get you will be awarded with medals that unlock extras. Multiplayer is a different animal though as you are racing to the end of a stage, you collect power ups and you can attack your friends. I didn’t spent a ton of time playing this mode but did spend an afternoon playing with 5 players. It was a great time!

Personal Experience

I haven’t finished the game by a long shot. I am almost done the single player mode but collecting all the medals is a headache. If you are going for 100% it is going to be really rough since some stages require a perfect run for all the medals. I didn’t have a ton of time to play with friends but I really recommend playing through as much of single player as you can to unlock everything. This will make the multiplayer even better when people can change costumes or pick a character from a different indie game. Since all the characters play the same anyone can easily pick up and play the game as well.

Final Thoughts

If you are tired of Nintendo multiplayer games then pick this up. It is a must party game and you will have enough single player things to keep you busy for a long time. I know my gameplay footage only showed a tiny bit of it but still took me around an hour to beat one row. The game doesn’t really get any harder but there are several rows and columns in the single player campaign. You can spend hours just trying to 100% that and you have the added bonus of buying DLC to add even more content. The game is massive but I do wish they had deluxe version instead of a base game. It would have been great to play all of the DLC to give a full review but the base game is excellent on its own. I would give Runbow a 9 out of 10! It is jam packed with content, enough to keep anyone busy, multiplayer was a blast but do wish the base game was the deluxe version but at least the physical isn’t too expensive if you opt to get it physically.

My Gameplay Footage: