Something worthy of your attention, and five reasons I love it
 1. It takes a certain kind of confidence to name a video game BIT.TRIP Presents Runner 2 – Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. I’ve been struggling with how to refer to it more succinctly. Runner 2? Rhythm Alien? BTPR2FLORA? It’s a wacky name, but it actually represents the game. Because, make no mistake, this is wacky game.
2. Runner 2 (I’m going with Runner 2) is a video game that shows its retro influences in a number of ways. First, it is a side scroller – meaning the main goal of the game is to run from left to right in a two dimensionalworld. Secondly, the game harkens back to the days of Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog, a time when games were light on story and heavy on weirdness. They present their surreal realities to you with little explanation. The titular Rhythm Alien is some sort of space commander who was sent to another dimension and now needs to defeat the forces of evil. By running a lot, apparently.
3. Let’s get to the Rhythm part of the title. Runner 2 is essentially a music game. The game’s catchy soundtrack plays as you run through the levels, and each time you successfully perform a task such as jumping over an object, collecting a gold bar, or kicking an enemy, you add a new note or tone to the music. It’s a simple concept, but it adds a whole new layer of fun. As you perform well in the game, the music gets better, louder, and more exciting.
4. Runner 2 is hard. Most levels took me multiple attempts to conquer. Some took dozens of attempts. But that is how the game is designed to be played. There are no lives – each time you die, you are whisked back to your last checkpoint, the music resets, and you run again. If you like a challenge, Runner 2 is for you. If you don’t like playing the same level again and again, this probably isn’t the game your’e looking for. Personally, I was raised on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I still remember the frustration of dying again and again, but I also remember the gleeful feeling of victory when I finally succeeded. Runner 2 is a similar experience.
5. Runner 2 is a great game at a great price. It sells for $14.99 on most game systems. If you are a Playstation Plus member it is free this month. So go download it, pump up the volume, and get ready to run.
Learn more about  BIT.TRIP Presents Runner 2 – Future Legend of Rhythm Alien here.