In Space Run, by independent developer Passtech Games, you are Buck Mann, a thrill-seeking, high-flying, arrogant pilot whose world is an oyster that he intends to claw open with his bare hands. Nothing stands to stop him on his way to the top, except for the fact that he is flat broke. With a character seemingly inspired by Han Solo, and a proud character to match, it’s hard not to enjoy your time spent as the captain of many a spacecraft as you climb your way to fame and fortune, delivering space cargo to and from whoever fronts the most coin. All in all, Space Run delivers a charming gaming experience, with immersive audio and visuals in the beauty of the infinite abyss of space. However, where the game succeeds, it fails to innovate. With what is essentially a reverse take on the usual tower defence formula, Space Run fails to bring anything truly new to the table; but instead embraces this with a very distinct flavor, all the while staying true to the inconceivable cheesiness of its scripts.
Upon first entry into the game’s main menu, you are treated to a wonderful display of the space environment where the large majority of your time in-game will be spent, and a glimpse at some core gameplay mechanics. Here, you see one of the many ships you will be asked to take charge of as you deliver your cargo from one stop to the next, delicately composed of numerous hexagonal tiles and littered with various space-delivering elements. It must be noted that while the textures aren’t the greatest, they are clean, sleek and, most importantly, clear! Given the hectic crowding of turrets, jets, shields, so on and so forth, the variance in the textures is a great relief in allowing you to easily differentiate between the myriad components strewn about (or in very orderly fashion, if you so desire) on your space-venturing vessel. Even during intense combat sequences, projectiles, tiles, hex nuts (the in-game currency used to purchase upgrades) shine clear as day in contrast with the surrounding darkness. This allows for a comprehensiveness in designing your ships to perfection, without having to worry of weary eyes as you watch yourself emerge victorious, or crumble away into nothingness.
Where audio is concerned, Space Run truly thrives. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the best part of my time, delivering the various pieces of cargo entrusted to Captain Mann, has been listening to the music; the beautiful accompaniment of strings, woodwinds, percussion and the works all singing away at the destruction of pirate ships and asteroids alike. It’s amazing to see great sound quality, with a beautiful range of booming basses to delicate trebles, that enhances and energizes the gameplay experience. The element of sound design is absolutely crucial in filling in the vast emptiness of space, and although the range of music is very limited, the prioritization of quality over quantity stands out as an integral part of the game. Moreover, in extending beyond the music, every soundbite is unique and synergizes well amidst the barrage of sounds emitted from every corner of the screen. Along with the visuals, the audio makes playing Space Run just as smooth as your spacecraft as it travels from station to station, which I truly appreciate and personally see as the strongest aspect of the game.
Speaking on the gameplay itself, Space Run delivers an enjoyable tower defense style of game that attempts to stray from the beaten path but ends up right back with the herd. In all the hours that I’ve spent engrossed in the shoes of Buck Mann, I truly kept searching for an innovative twist to the formula we’ve come to know and love, yet I’m left to search for longer. Indeed it is true that there is a complex strategy element to the game, and indeed it is set in space, but isn’t strategy the foundation of any tower defense game regardless of where it’s set? I must admit that Space Run differentiates itself by centering the gameplay around a spaceship, which allows for interesting structural developments. For example, you are forced to shelter yourself from incoming waves of asteroids, and the tower defense perspective is played with an outside in outlook as opposed to the typical inside out. Where previously, enemies would stroll in waves into a pre-set maze of your construction and fight their way to your doom, enemies instead surround you and you must bring the maze to them, in a sense. However, this simply isn’t enough and fails to draw my attention as an experience that drives the tower defense genre forward into the next generation of gaming.
Where gameplay in Space Run succeeds is in how well everything flows. Only a few rounds are necessary for you to understand how everything works and what it’s supposed to do. The sheer simplicity of the basic mechanics evolves into a complex array of variables through ship design, tile upgrades and even just luck. At the start of the game, your only enemies are asteroids and small pirate ships, but that quickly takes an exponential turn into the lands of panic and hysteria as you face bigger, strong, scarier enemies that have you scrambling for what to do next. Often times, you will be forced to replay a level countless times until you have your tiles constructed in the most precise of manners, built one by one in a pre-meditated order that offers you the greatest chance of success. Decisions will be made as to where thrusters should go, and whether or not your ship needs more turrets or shields, and every decision plays a crucial role in (quite literally) getting you from point A to point B. Over the course of a single mission, you will face a variety of enemies coming at you in merciless waves, seeking to destroy your precious cargo, however unwieldy it may be. Yet with time, practice and a whole lot of upgrades, you become better equipped to repel the attackers and defeat the menacing bosses that come your way.
You read that right, bosses. These boss battles will come in many a shape, with different ships and tactics that can be overpowered at times, but offer the thrill of a challenging fight to all those that seek it. Where it might be simple to just finish the game, it is most definitely a test of patience and skill to see through the end with a 100% completion rate which can be very rage-inducing to say the least. That said, the difficulties make the victories seem much more grand and glorious, a reward in and of itself.
Without giving too much away of the story, the aforementioned battles all tie into a basic plot-line driven by a characteristic art-style, an interesting comic book-like take on the adventures of Buck Mann as seen in dialogues and certain sequences. This serves to provide another layer of depth to characters you meet along the way and spices up the flavor of the game itself, using ‘depth’ very tentatively. Character dynamics are quick to notice, with the scruffy, ragged look of Buck Mann suiting his carefree attitude, and the cold rigidity of Addam-12 complimenting his role as the designated android along for the ride; all of which combine to form a supporting and endearing, albeit superficial, set of relationships between characters that helps drive the overarching gameplay narrative. Yet never did I encounter an admiration or a sense of attachment to any particular character as they were lacking and truly just superficial. Space Run doesn’t attempt to capture your full interest, using the silly humor as a means of filling in gaps where the plot is concerned and creating a forward-moving narrative. However, often times, this narrative can become overbearing as the intentionally cheesy writing can take away from the experience as a whole. If you take humor, and oxymorons, as seriously as I do, then there is a very fine line between charming and obnoxious. While at first, the puns, one-liners and back-and-forth dialogue is chuckle-worthy, it quickly evolves into the game’s largest crutch as it becomes more of an irritating distraction than a noteworthy supplement. Indeed, Space Run carries its own dynamic personality in and of itself, but it occasionally tries too hard to live up to a standard of witty humor and punchlines, and comes off as excessive and bothersome.
Space Run is a simple, yet intricate game of space strategy that can be enjoyed by many, with beautiful visuals and audio alongside fun gameplay mechanics. However, in order to reach the thrills of battle in the heart of space, one must breach layers of awkward script-writing and cringe in short bursts while the dialogues roll in. All in all, Space Run is truly a good game, with no clear drawbacks aside from the plot, or lack thereof. However, it just fails to innovate as promised, and fails to stand out as it lacks a unique touch of bravado. While the experience as a whole was neither overwhelmingly negative nor positive, I recommend picking up Space Run only to die-hard tower defense fans and gamers with some extra money to spend, looking to find a casual experience with hints of chuckle and cringe.
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