Runner was the first Bit.Trip game I thought was fantastic. Beat and Void (never played Core) were really good, but Runner blew my mind. My favorite game on WiiWare.

@mnementh: i would if i owned a balance board of my own, lol :3

If there were a balance board Bit Trip game, I would get a balance board.

@Adam: truly, you are wise beyond your cowboy years. i would probably wind up doing the same.

I do think its a great game. Requires memory but also problem solving skills. When you first see some objects or a new setup of obstacles you have to figure out how to deal with them. I like the fact that at a certain point you are playing it with your subconscious which is true of all the bit.trip games. If you never played a bit.trip game some design decisions might seem odd though.

I think gaijin games are to be commended on making such difficult games still fun and not frustrating in a bad way. The way that you never see a game over screen but are immediately brought back to the beginning of the level and start over is really clever because before you can get too angry you're back in the game. The music element I've also really liked in this and the other bit.trip games.

Posts like this are setting me up for disappointment. I don't have Bit Trip Runner yet. All the crazy positive comments are going to get me to buy it, but there's no way it can live up to this. Thanks.

The balance board is overrated. It controls terribly.

And it has nothing to do with my balance, by the way. cough

@Crunc: no problem, we aim to please around here :3

I strongly disagree with the best game ever assessment, the game is tiring on my eyes and mind, the gameplay is uninteresting (the only mental process is "match the obstacle to the move" and "what was coming again?") and getting through a level doesn't really feel satisfying either.

@pixelman - no it's not. It's underrated. It's very accurate and will be incredible for this game. But I won't sidetrack the topic further..

This, but if your on a level for about 50 minutes it is pretty satisfying.

Just got to Zone 3, 'tis so awesome.

No I don't think it is, its gets to the point where too much is happening and it just isn't fun.

I'm on the first level. The music and aesthetics are way better than the other two zones so far.

The music and aesthetics make it so that the game could be as hard as possible and it would still feel relaxed and fun. The music has this meditative sound to it. I might as well have been hypnotized, I couldn't stop playing and barely blinked -- of course, that led to a major headache later on.

I liked the look of world 1 the most. It felt the most Bit.Trippy. I wish they had an unlockable option where you could play a level and choose whatever zone theme you want to use for it.

Its a impressive game but ultimately plays as a strictly timed reaction test (as opposed to the relative freedom of a standard platformer). In addition, at points it requires a 'Rick Dangerous' level of trial and error gameplay to progress - its compelling but frustrating.
For me, thats when fun goes out the window and I decide to get out my SEGA Saturn, set the time limit on OutRun to 'easy' and play through that instead.

I am glad I bought the game and have now beaten it...but I doubt I will really go back and try and get perfect on most of the levels. Zone 2 was my favorite, and 3-9 through 3-Boss made me want to snap my WiiMote in half at times. The little teaser at the end makes me excited for the next game. What saved me from going insane during the harder levels, was taking a break and playing some Endless Ocean to relax, haha.

Pfft.
I hated Core and think Runner is fantastic.

Finally got to the final boss. 3-11 was hellish... but I still found myself having fun towards the end of it.