Having just launched a campaign on Steam Greenlight, the Parisian studio Midnight Games has provided me with a beta version of their platform / runner game: Running Gods.
At the start of the game, I have the choice between single player and multiplayer mode. Being alone at this moment in front of my screen, I opt for the single player mode but you should know that the multiplayer mode allows four friends to compete.
So let's come back to the single player game. Several worlds are available to me and I start with Mount Olympus, the only one unlocked for the moment.
In the company of Zeus, I discover the very basic controls of the title. Namely that I used an Xbox 360 controller for my test but it is quite possible to keep the keyboard. The character runs to the right on his own, there is nothing to do. With the A key, he jumps high, very high. He can almost touch the top of the screen with a single leap. But suddenly, be careful to control the descent because it covers a good distance before falling.
The second movement is the flight which is activated with the right trigger RT. As soon as the character is in flight, it continues to the height where it is in a straight line, it activates quickly and it is very dynamic. Of course, it is not possible to fly forever and this consumes yellow energy (viewable top left). Finally, with LS, Zeus accelerates!
And that's all ! Nothing else ! With these simple commands, you will have to get by in the seven mythical environments: Mount Olympus, Amazons Wood, the Styx, the Frozen World, the Abyss, Battlefields and the Forge.
Worlds
Each world has 4 levels and unlocks a character: Artemis, Athena, Boreas, Hades, Hephaestus, Poseidon and Zeus.
These characters don't have any special powers in single player mode, just a different appearance. According to the press release, it seems that this power is indeed different in multiplayer mode.
There are many obstacles in the face. There are things on the ground, more or less visible ...
There are also big spiky balls that are unforgiving! Without counting the rocks which roll on the ground (not succeeded in nabbing one, too concentrated to dodge it).
Projectiles sometimes arrive from the side of the screen, such as lightning bolts, arrows or fireballs. Indicators show the direction that the element will take on arrival in order to anticipate the movement. This becomes more complex when several projectiles arrive, leaving only a very small passage in the middle, or even when projectiles announced quickly one after the other will take up the entire screen and the order must be memorized. appearance in order to stand in the right place at the right time.
Balls are to be recovered from the tables. They move, turn, descend and put movement on the board. Yellows give 1 point, oranges give 5! It is important to collect a maximum of them because 100 balls give an extra life. However, you have to know how to put things in order to only recover the balls that do not endanger: you should not sacrifice yourself for nothing!
Because the lives are not unlimited and any error is fatal, meaning an immediate return to the last checkpoint represented by these balls of pink energy. The balls do not reappear with each death, making it a little more difficult with each new attempt to recover free lives.
And when there are no more lives, it's the end!
On the contrary, if one succeeds in reaching the end of the level, a small table summarizes the performances for the level.
Really well done while the game is still in beta, Running Gods offers a beautiful running experience rather accessible to the rhythm of frenzied music. In addition to the multiplayer mode where up to four players will try to eject the others while dodging the obstacles of the world, a speedrun mode is to be unlocked for hardcore players wishing to reach the perfect score!
For my part, it is without hesitation a "yes" and I can not wait to see what Running Gods has in store for us in its final version!
