The Bit.Trip series is one of those series that has been sorely overlooked by most people mainly due to the fact that it’s hidden away on WiiWare. The previous games in the series, Beat, Core and Void, were all interesting puzzle games, taking an established gameplay mechanic and turning it into a rhythm game. Now the series takes the platforming mechanic and makes a run with it.

The basic premise of the Bit.Trip series is that you perform a certain task, be it bouncing blocks off a paddle, or hitting them with a laser, which creates a rhythm to the 8 bit style music that is playing in the background. In Runner, the mechanic has changed, with the beat being created by your jumps and collection of items.

Your character runs. That’s literally what he does. He can’t stop, and you need to navigate him through the level, by hurdling obstacles or ducking under them. Sounds basic, but the game hurtles along at a fair pace, meaning this is all about reactions. Item collection and well timed jumps gain you points, which will at the end of the level, be totalled and your high score placed on the leaderboard.

The premise is simple, but if it’s anything like the previous game, this will be superb. This is one WiiWare game you don’t want to miss out on!