They Always Run Review

 And I'm always chasing.

I'm like a moth when it comes to games sometimes. I'll just be buzzing about minding my own business and then the most out-of-nowhere game will dangle itself in front of me with a dashingly smooth 2D platformer visual palette and gorgeously brushed landscapes and suddenly I've got to have it. But as you'll have likely picked up from my Hollow Knight review, I'm the kind of guy to buy in the moment and play several years later. As such, even though I added Sci-Fi fluid slash-gunner 'They Always Run' to my sights from the moment it first showed of it's stuff in the announcement trailer, I only made good on that fascination earlier this month. But I'm starting to really come to appreciate my laissez-faire approach to cool indie titles like these, because it means in my most drained moments I can pop a little nugget of pure creative joy to hop around in for a few hours and lighten up a dour... well, life I suppose.

That was how I came across what has become my single favourite platformer of all time, Hollow Knight, and how I came across another platformer just totally oozing with visual thematic glory, Blasphemous. And for me to be thinking of those games in the same breath as 'They Always Run' is certainly high praise indeed given how I felt, and very much still feel, about both of those games, but I will come out right now and say that I think this title here is actually a very different category of game to what both of those titles were trying to be. Not just because they were Metroidvania action platformers and this is very much more of straight-forward action-platformer; but because what is presented within this game is actually a slight more 'bare-faced' and 'basically coherent' then those grand, and sometimes narratively interpretative, 'story puzzle boxes' of games.

'They Always Run', as the title might imply, follows the journey's of a sci-fi bounty hunter with one of the most generic male hero protagonist names of all time; Aiden. (I don't know what it is about the name Aiden, but it's like the starter name for any fiction writer, for fantasy or Sci-Fi.) Aiden is a suitably bad-ass-coded anti-hero character with his poncho, revolver-esque pistols, triple blades and sight-obscuring face plate- perfect to to fit within the sci-fi wild western universe of frontier bounty hunting justice depicted throughout the game. You can expect to visit various genuinely gorgeous painted-landscape worlds chasing perps across the galaxy in a surprisingly head-strong narrative which... and I'm being very honest as a lover of storytelling myself- totally brushed by me throughout the majority of my playtime. The lore, the universe, the empire, the three-arm mutant species, (of which Aiden is a member) none appealed to me as much as the desire to just play the game.

And that might be because the very basic premise of 'They Always Run' is just so darn approachable and pick-up-and-play. You are privy to a loving animated set of three-handed melee blade attacks that smoothly transition from foe to foe as you cut open woefully unprepared foes between sections of moderately basic platforming. It's neither too stressful nor too patronising to be a wind-down game; and for that alone it's worth the time of anyone who just loves their platformers. But the game does sprinkle in some variety in platforming challenges, which grow in kind with movement options, enemy archetypes, (although you'll reach the four archetype limit within about 3 hours of play) and even an RPG tree that offers frills ontop of the established combat suite. None of it is overly serious or attention arresting, which I think plays a lot to the game's advantage.

As a hunter, Aiden is sent through space outposts dotted with rooms of enemies to slash through, optional bounty targets to scan and collect, (very reminiscent of 'Star Wars: Bounty Hunter') and even the odd 'secret chest' with a collectible slightly off the beaten path. You'll never quite find one of these bases splayed out with the sort of complexity and 'intention of design' from a metroidvania style title, in general the game is more linear, but the game makes up for that slight deficit with some genuinely arresting visual motifs both in the pleasing parry-kill animations which never quite get old to watch and practically every environment. There's so much appropriate detail placed just smartly enough to not clutter the brush-swept canvass, and yet not so little as to make the various biomes and worlds feel too dreamlike and indistinct. There's a strong heart of balance to the entire 'They Always Run' formula.

Your third mutant arm works operates as a utility tool, smashing junctions through walls in a very simple puzzle minigame, or spending bio-energy to smash enemy units for heavy bits of damage. But considering how every enemy is pretty straight-forward as it is, you'll very rarely find yourself coming up short on bioenergy units. Mostly I just like the way the third arm changes up the art of the game, allowing for three-way kill animations or super-dexterous feats where you slide along the floor whilst uppercutting and shooting someone from across the room. The style of what Aiden can do most often overwrites the relatively simplicity of pulling it off. But if you're looking for a rewarding combat system where you feel like you earn every cool finisher- 'They Always Run' will always leave you wanting for something more.

What I was most surprised by, considering the very basic premise of a sci-fi cowboy bounty hunter, was how dedicated this game was to taking it's world and lore seriously. The whole universe recently freed from a tyrannical empire lore is treated very straight-faced and the general prejudice against the three-arm race is supposed to be an emotional touchtone to relate to. It all seems a bit heavy-handed and a little out of place for a game that just really needed to have a loose string of missions related to bounty hunting in order to justify it's own exsistence. Instead we get an honest-to-goodness personal quest for revenge that intertwines with the plights of others that become your crew of confidants against the remnants of the empire who genetically engineered and enslaved the Three-arm people.

But even if I question it's appropriateness, I am a lover of narrative: so I took the time to engage with the story from the moment I realised it wasn't going to be throwaway. (Even if that was a few hours after it already started.) From that lens, I think the key aspects of the world are introduced in too weak of a manner, even a simple introductory scrawl of a couple of lines would have helped set the stage of the world so I know what is important and what isn't. I'll have known not to care about the crime boss you work for during the first mission and only that mission, but to pay more attention when going through the three-arm slum area you pass through in about thirty seconds- but which holds seminal importance to the main narrative later down the line.

The script employs the use of flashback moments throughout the story, and whilst they are placed appropriately for the scenes depicted they just aren't introduced properly- as such I thought the first flashback was me seeing the memories of a corpse I just interacted with rather than my own. Also, some of the flashbacks are literally just a couple of seconds long, containing no purpose within the narrative for further explaining the main character's backstory or expanding upon their former relationships beyond what might be seen in a fine-tooth-comb investigation, and I don't think the overall narrative is strong enough to warrant such an examination. The side character's are decent, as is the general writing style which teeters on angsty but just about manages to keep grounded at the most dangerous wobbles. But I have to admit certain characters like Haze, the surly always sarcastic always belittling member of the group, I found intensely annoying. I know that archetype of character is typical for this style of story, but I've seen it repeated far too often to the point I just can't find the charm in it anymore.

I think the game lacks a real impact behind it's major story beats due to that disconnect between presentation and narrative tone that I just can't get over. Whenever anything important happens I can't conjure up the emotion to respond to it because I haven't been immersed in that way to believe or care about what's going on. I don't even care about the plight of the three-arms all that much, and that might be because I don't even fully understand their backstory. I know they were bred to dig up some kind of mineral, but I don't remember if they ever bothered to explain that mineral's significance to this universe. That would be fine in a game that asks me to explore and interpret it's world, like Hollow Knight does, but for a fairly straightforward narrative that feels like an important omission to the bare basic vertebrae of the plotline.

Which is probably why I was so genuinely shocked when the game then had the gall to end on a twist cliffhanger. Honestly, I didn't really think the story had enough going on in it to warrant a follow-up story, even with the twist reveal at the end which I didn't see coming, but I also did not care enough to be wowed by such a turn of events. The game actually reminded me a little of 'Fallout: The Frontier' in it's final sequences, which is to say; it felt a little overly self indulgent to an unearned degree. Which is a shame to have to say because I otherwise liked the game I was playing and would be open to playing a follow-up provided the gameplay sees some change up and variation so I'm not just playing more of the same. Despite the surprising amount of effort dedicated to it; I wouldn't really return just to see this story picked up.

'They Always Run' is a solid indie platforming action game that impresses and sometimes stuns with it's 2D visuals, but never never quite manages to match that level of dazzle with it's gameplay or narrative. As it is, the game is extremely approachable and easy to pick-up-and-play; which I think is perhaps it's greatest strength as something to while-away spare time on with it's pleasing animations and basic platforming puzzles. But I can see from the tone of the writing and world building that someone in the team was angling for something much more out of this title, maybe just on the writer's table, but they wanted a semi-serious narrative which I don't feel this game managed to carry. As it stands, I did enjoy my time and for the price would simply have to recommend this perfectly solid platforming title for being just a great time to play. When it comes to actually judging the strength of the game next to some of the other modern platformers I've come to love, this one doesn't quite hold up. I think I'd probably award it something of a B- Grade on my scale, shooting above the average on the strength of the quality visuals which elevate the game. Maybe with an increase in scope and money invested, the apparently inevitable sequel can step things up to turn these promising bones to as strong a package as this game's writers want it to be. And on that day I will be happy to rave about it's success right here!

They Always Run

But never far

Thinking back to this year's E3 event, it's hard not to shake the idea that the AAA scene were the big 'losers' of the pot, because beside a couple of standouts every single big budget 'wow' game either didn't hit as hard as they should have, ultimately let us down on the reveal or were just plain AWOL from the event entirely. Of course, I acknowledge that this is about as much of a 'loser' one can be when they're getting the biggest gaming stage in the world to advertise their game, that's pretty much a guaranteed launch day break-even, but with the scatter-gun style approach to game reveals that we're doing nowadays you'd think a few more hits would have people salivating from the mouth. Instead, it was really the few lucky indie games that managed to make the big stage who made the most of their fifteen minutes with some genuinely impressive little trailers. I remember a lot of them much more then I remember any of the things announced at the Gearbox Event. (Oh right, that's because the only thing Gearbox announced was Godfall DLC. Time to rebury all memories tied to that event back into the 'to be shredded' cabinet.) Take one title who's name has been bouncing around my head for a while know; They Always Run.

Such a great name; simple, hokey, fun, why can't the big developers ever nail just a name with that kind of basic innate appeal? It doesn't need to sound cutting edge or super cool and hip, just make me interested and want to play the thing, maybe even make me smile a little just to read it. (I know I'm getting off track but bare with me.) Take that Assassin's Creed game which was just announced: Infinity, oh you mean like the Bioshock game, why am I not surprise that Ubisoft flounders at even the challenge of making original subtitles? Or what about the upcoming Halo. Infinite, again. Are you being serious? Are AAA developers screwing with us? Then on the otherside of the isle you've got games like Lovers in a dangerous Spacetime. Do you have any idea what that's about? Unless you've played it probably not, but it was enough to get me through the door and I loved the game. (Even if I was clearly unprepped for a game built for local co-op) They Always Run might not be quite as gimmicky as Asteroid Base's one-hit wonder, but it was born from the same heart.

Anyway, I heavily digress, They Always Run is a 2D Sci-fi platformer where you play a cyborg with a sword and a slicing disorder; that's probably the synopsis for a hundred other games on the market today, but none of them came across my eye at E3 whilst looking quite so pretty. A lot of the other 2D indie games that where here this E3 utilised the Bravely Default style of animation, with 2D sprites on a 3D background, and whilst that inarguably looks sumptuous; it loses that special spark once you've seen it on the fourth game this year alone. I found myself wanting something more traditional, which usually means going to those retro-themed games that go heavy on the pixels. They Always Run, however, features sleek smooth sprites across lovingly painted backgrounds and, as is becoming the calling card of a lot of these slashers that swoon me over, smooth as heck animations.

Looking upon the synopsis I was slightly amused at the curious similarity the raw setting had to a particular pop-culture phenonium which has taken the world of late. A certain spin-off to a long running franchise which has, in it's quality, far eclipsed the source material into becoming one of the most beloved of it's kind. It's also a product which hasn't even been touched upon in the gaming world yet for whatever stupid reason, so whether these similarities are intentional or otherwise, I can see this game scratching an itch for somefolk out there. For starters, this Sci-Fi adventure is set in a galaxy reeling from the recent fall of The Empire, (Okay...) for which lawlessness has run rampant across the fringe worlds. Opening up the way for a three armed robot-thing called Aidan to strike it rich as a bounty hunter. (Oh, and the Star Wars influences are literally dripping off of these screenshots. That Tunisian-style sand town even has Jawa-looking creeps in it, there's no hiding it.)

Whatever, it's a simple premise for a straightforward game about stalking colourful environments and cutting down huge criminals with style whilst bopping to snythy fun beats that almost belie the obvious western influences lying in the heart of this game. This is one of those games where the name of the game is all about style, and personally I've been simply digging ever single micro-fibre of what I've been seeing thusfar. I love the poncho for our three armed antagonist that sways in motion to literally everything he does be it slide, swing or jump, creating this accentuating wake to the fluid motions that borders on straight cinematic when coupled with the slow-mo. I love the intractability with the elements of the environment whereupon the player can choose to grab objects and chuck them at badguys, a way to make the background matter which so few games try for nowadays. And most of all I love the cutthroat speed of everything that elevates that sense of death being a mere misclick away, somewhat similar to the vibe of Ghostrunner.

I think that was it is that draws me to 'smaller' titles like this one, is the way in which they spit in the face of the modern AAA design landscape and their desire to try and "do everything". One particular recent openworld game whom I shall refrain from naming because they take-up way too much name drops across this blog as it is, is famous for this. Trying to be the best at exploration, world design, breathing environments, all the inbetween. That's what has kept Star Citizen in early access since the intention of the wheel and it haunts modern Ubisoft games across the board. Usually it leads to games that are spread too thin and thus end up being mediocre to passable in everything they try, as opposed to titles like this that pick their niche and be the best in that field that they possibly can be. This here is a fast-paced bloody action-slasher, and from the presentation of the trailer alone you can tell this team have put their soul into nailing that demographic.

I think that may be partially why the modern renaissance of 2D platformers has carried on next to totally unabated by all the evolution of the industry whilst newer modern trends have come and gone. Heck, I remember platformers coming back into relevance when Survival Games were still all the rage, just recall the fervour over 2014's Shovel Knight! The genre makes a perfect settling grounds for games that don't overcomplicate themselves and can specialise, and whatsmore you can plant pretty much any other genre of action title into a 2D space without losing the charm. Stealth action is present in Mark of the Assassin, rouge-like shooting is exemplified by Risk of Rain, there's even a decent amount of really well made and unique Souls-like 2D platformers that are simply fantastic. (I'm currently playing 'Salt and Sanctuary' but I'd be remiss not to recommend 'Blasphemous')

So whilst the AAA publishers and developers are tripping over themselves to disappoint themselves and their audience with more titles shown off whole orders of magnitude too early, I'm glad the E3 event still has time (albeit not much) for the real stars of the show that make up the price of admission a lot of the time. They may not be the titles that get the crowds through the door, and won't ever appear on the large billboards (I don't even know if E3 does those billboards anymore, I suspect not) but for me at least they're the games that worm under my skin and keep me up at night getting all excited for them. (Whatsmore, these games don't cost the GDP of a small country either. Sheesh.)