Today's game is an excellent platformer titled Runman: Race Around the World. This is one of my favorite little indie series of all time. I didn't have enough room to list this title along with the other Runman's, but as you can guess we also have the other Runman games to download today. As an extra bonus, Samurai Smackdown is being thrown in as well. Without further ado:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RunMan
RunMan is a rather simple platforming game in which the screen scrolls from right to left and you make your little RunMan jump and slide to avoid objects in the game. The longer you live, the faster RunMan becomes and the quicker the objects come. It's a great little time waster as there is no story behind the game or any driving force to make you play it....other than the need to outdo your previous score. I highly recommend the game just to kill 5 minutes, or 30.
_____________________________________________________________________________
RunMan Unlimited
This game is about as addictive as they come. Very short and seemingly simplistic run and jump game. It will suprise you with its difficulty, though. It is one of those rare games that make you want to continue to press the up arrow key.What's it about ?
You are a little star-shaped fellow who is some sort of crazed daredevil. You start off running, ducking, and jumping over and under obstacles that continue to come at you faster and faster.
Eventually you find yourself hang gliding and freefalling your way to victory. That is, if you have incredible patience.
Lots of fun, but very nerve-racking. I suggest downloading this if you want some cute finger-twitching fun.
~Via Gamemakergames.com
_____________________________________________________________________________
RunMan's Christmas Adventure
Santa Clause is MIA and only one can save Christmas! Guide RunMan through a snowball fight, ice skating - to the extreme, and a flight through the sky in Santa's sleigh. The whole package brings fun, excitement, and a big helping of holiday cheer!
~via Gamemakergames.com
Controls:
- Mouse = Aim
Space = Shoot
F10 = Fause
F4 = Toggle Full Screen/Window
F5/F6 = Save/Load
Esc = Exit
_____________________________________________________________________________
RunMan Going Coconuts
Like the other RunMan games, this one features the same agile RunMan character (now with sunglasses) that must complete a set of looney minigames for as long as possible to achieve a high score. This time, he's stranded on a desert island and he needs to run, jump, surf, and thwack crabs by spinning a giant mallet around.Gameplay
RunMan may sound fairly basic in gameplay based on my previous description, but actually it features some very original elements that make it unique and fun while smoothly done. In the first stage, runman jogs along the scrolling level automatically, and all you need to do is jump at the right times to avoid obstacles. However, you have two kinds of jumps, a long low jump and a brief tall jump. Weird or simple as this may seem, it's very occupying and difficult to get the hang of it, and you find yourself restarting as soon as you lose so you can beat your last score. Later in the game, you get to avoid sharks on your surfboard and try and hit jumps for points while also clobbering sharks in the air. All of this crazy cartoony gameplay is done quite well, except for a couple things- the midis used in the game cause it to freeze for a few seconds when they loop, which throws you off completely and unfortunately can't be avoided. Also, when bashing crabs with a huge rotating mallet, things can occasionally get stuck on each other and look quite awkward. Otherwise, there's nothing that stands out as wrong in the gameplay of this RunMan adventure.
7/10Graphics
The author of the RunMan games uses a quite daring graphics style that turns out working quite well. Nothing is straight or symmetrical, instead, things appear to be drawn by someone fairly uncoordinated, so they look scribbly and basic. Bright, lively colors decorate the screen, and the basic style allows for really cool animation. Unexpectedly, the scribbly style works very well and has become something to look for in RunMan games. As another reviewer put it, it causes the game to feel like some 4-year old's deranged coloring book fantasy. My only real peeve is that now and then, low quality rotations will reveal jagged or pixelated edges. Otherwise, I was very pleased with this game's appearance.
8/10Sound
While not original, the music used in this game is wonderful. It captures and enhances the atmosphere brilliantly and really adds a lot to the game. The mood of each tune is ideal, and each song is admirably well chosen to fit the situation. The sound effects, few as they are, are the same way. Somehow, they don't get annoying, either. Nice work in this area.
9/10Replay Value
More or less, you'll want to keep playing every RunMan game quite a bit until a new one comes out, because of its simplicity and the lure of being able to surf eventually. Unfortunately, I found that after I had covered all the stages, I had little will to go back to it any more. So the trick is to take awhile beating it, and you'll want to keep playing and playing and then hopefully another RunMan game will be released.
7/10Overall, this game scores almost an 8. But I'm feeling nice enough to round it, and it won't let me give a decimal.
Highs: Agreeable gameplay, good use of graphics and sound to create a very cartoony atmosphere, addictive, very smooth learning curve
Lows: Some gameplay flaws, and a strange lack of motivation to keep playing after it has been beaten
~Via Gamemakergames.com
_____________________________________________________________________________
Samurai Showdown
Samurai Smackdown has no story. Samurai Smackdown has no plot. Samurai Smackdown has no character development. But really, who cares about them anyway? It's a kick*** game!Obviously the main character of Samurai Smackdown is a Samurai. And that's pretty much all you know about him. The object of the game is to deflect incoming attacks by savage Ninja. Controls couldn't be simpler. Simply press the arrow key to block in that direction. This easy system is surprisingly fun, and you'll find yourself being drawn back to the game whenever you're bored. It is quite a challenging game, though, and you'll find it will take all of your skill and reflexes to do well.
Graphics are simple, but of excellent quality. There are no glitches at all, and everything fits perfectly with the game. Simply put, these are some of the best visuals I have seen in a Gamemaker Game. Elegant and stunning.
Sound is also simple, yet fits beautifully with the overall gameplay. The word "unobtrusive" comes to mind.
OSamurai Smackdown is a brilliant game. Perfectly suited for coffee breaks and any other time you have a spare minute. I downloaded it two months ago, and I still play it regularly. All in all, Samurai Smackdown is like a cigarette. It looks simple and innocent, but its addictive as hell and... Well, okay, at least Samurai Smackdown won't kill you if you try it out.
~Via Gamemakergames.com
_____________________________________________________________________________
RunMan's Monster Fracas
RunMan's Monster Fracas is yet another installment in the RunMan series, in which you must save everyone's favorite star-like creature from getting eaten by a humongous monster. If you're a late-comer who has never heard of the series, then you have two options:1. Go in the corner and cry about it.
2. Play the games and get caught up like a normal person.Now, one of the first things I did was go look up the word "Fracas". It is defined as "a noisy, disorderly fight or quarrel; a brawl". Doesn't that have you ready for some fun?
Graphics
RMF sticks with the graphics-style of its predecessors. While the graphics are simple, they are also original, appealing, and fit well together. Several fine touches are noticeable, including how RunMan kicks up dirt when he jumps or slides, the day to night transformation, multiple jumping animations, and a bar that shows how close the monster is to digesting you.
Sound
There is only one word for the music: interesting. Actually, the music could probably be described in many ways, but interesting covers all the bases. The music consists of a dude whistling while playing a banjo. There is no way I'd ever listen to these tunes outside of the game. Just not quite my style. However, they set the frantic-happy mood RunMan is known for quite well and manage to be entertaining in the process. If you happen to hate the banjo, though, there is a handy music toggle option.
The sound effects fit in well with the game. They are all well-chosen and well-placed. Unlike in many other games, the sounds in RMF actually add to the game, rather than taking away. If the sound effects bother you for some reason, you can also toggle the sound.
Gameplay
While the gameplay in RMF stays true to the series, it also provides a few changes. RunMan now has a reason for participating in his usual marathon: survival. If he goes too slow, he will be eaten by a hungry green monster. Instead of automatic movement, you now control the speed at which Mr. Man runs. You can also use sliding to increase your speed when going on a down-hill slope. In the previous RM games, hitting an obstacle ends your mad dash. Now, while colliding with obstacles will slow you down, helping the monster to catch up and snack on you, they no longer instantly end the game. Unless you fall into a pit, that is. RMF has a large variety of obstacles, and the random terrain makes the game experience different every time you play. The basic arrow-key controls make the game simple to play, but do not subtract from the fun in any way.
Final Thoughts
RunMan's Monster Fracas is a great addition to the RunMan series, making progress without changing too much. It is an addictive little game that has found a permanent place on my hard-drive. This is definitely a game worth checking out, even if you are not already a RunMan fan.
_____________________________________________________________________________
RunMan Race Around The World
Run through 35+ levels across 6 unique and preposterous zones!
Complete ridiculous feats of speed to earn shiny medals!
Unlock 4 lovable secret characters and probably some other stuff!
Colorful, bright, crude, colorful graphics!
Classic tunes courtesy of masters like Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Blind Blake, and more!
You can't die!
This is by far the crowning jewel of the series. This is almost brand spanking new with prettier graphics and better sound quality. If you don't decide the games are for your, at least check out the site below because it is rather comical. There's an excellent video of the trailer on the site as well.
