Runny Egg (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The controls are vital in a platformer, and Runny Egg's are tight, yet simple, with move, run and jump (plus double jump) being the only options. Surprisingly, there is no way to kill or even damage enemies in normal play, which makes for quite an unusually passive platforming experience. This will clearly not suit everyone, but it does make the power to be temporarily invincible (granted, when 100 chicks are collected) considerably more fun than would otherwise be the case. Another unusual mechanic is the fact that enemy hits work on a percentage scale, and therefore do not cause instant death. This means that damage from enemies is relatively common, but death itself is rare.

Runny Egg is, unfortunately, relatively short, consisting of just 16 stages, lasting a few minutes each. Depth is added with the optional challenges of completing each stage in a set time and finding a set number of chicks in a stage. These two goals give the replay value a nice contrast, with one objective focusing on speed, whilst the other focuses on exploration. Often, multiple paths will have to be taken and retaken in order to get enough chicks. In addition, levels are presented with different difficulty levels. All in all, these are simple, but effective, ways of extending the game, and they turn the seemingly repetitive task of replaying levels into an engaging and unique experience that rewards players for discovering the outer reaches of a level.

Another neat feature is the ability to upgrade the walking egg's speed or other features by spending points received from completing levels. It's great to see scores obtained in a platformer having a practical use, and the feedback loop is also appreciated (a better score means an upgraded egg, which can improve the score further).

The music, meanwhile, is a low point. It's upbeat and fits the title well, but it's far too repetitive. There's only one main tune for the whole game, which quickly gets stale. The lack of variety manifests itself in other areas, too. The stages themselves have different themes, as one might expect from a platformer, but these are essentially superficial background changes that don't affect the gameplay in any way. The core gameplay is solid and enjoyable, and whilst the levels themselves have hidden areas to explore, the gameplay features are all fully explored within the first minute or so of play, despite the ability to make small upgrades throughout the game. That said, it is a budget title, and for the cost there is little to complain about.