RunMan: Race Around the World

By: Derek Yu

On: October 2nd, 2009

Tom Sennett and Matt Thorson’s RunMan: Race Around the World elicits a kind of primal joy in me that I was worried had left long ago. It’s just a fun game, through and through, super-injected with whimsy, full of surprising moments and fun characters who feel like old friends. You can’t ever really die, but the game is challenging enough. Still, I imagine one could get through RunMan pretty quickly by playing straight through… but it’s so enjoyable to run, bounce, swing, and fly through some of the levels that I’m more than happy to play them over and over to improve my time or collect medals.

The game’s music warrants its own paragraph. Tom Sennett is fond of using public domain jazz and bluegrass songs in his games (most notably, the original RunMan’s Monster Fracas), and they really add to the charm. I’m pretty accustomed to hearing either chiptunes or orchestral music (or occasionally metal) in games these days, and it’s refreshing to listen to something that deviates from those genres. I like sitting around on the map screen just to listen to the music.

But yeah, this is by far my favorite of Tom and Matt’s games, and possibly one of my favorite indie games of the year. I’d love to see more collaborations between them in the future, ’cause this one worked out really well. Great work!

TIGdb: Entry for RunMan: Race Around the World

  • Satanist

    awesome game

  • http://arkie.changjy.com/ Arkatox

    Hey, you said in the review that you hope to see more collabs between them in the future. Well, you better make that FAR future. Did you know that this game took over 5 years to make?

    I don’t know if another 5 year wait would be worth it, but at least it’ll hopefully be fun.

    I’ve asked CoolMoose (via e-mail), and he said that he really didn’t like the fact that this game was being made with Game Maker, ’cause he didn’t like GM much anymore (but he was stuck with it, ’cause they started working on it from before YMM started making AUS, you know). I think not liking GM is evil. So many people underestimate it. That’s why so many people were surprised that Iji was made “with a program as primative as Game Maker”. URGH IT HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!

  • mr

    Ah yes. Nothing like listening to the sweet sounds of Louis Armstrong doing “Ain’t Misbehavin'” while that &*(!@# tornado runs into Runman again… (and again… and again…)

  • Anthony Flack

    I reckon it’s rad and it looks good.

    The chunky pixelated scribbles do, at any rate – I’m not so sure about the fake canvas texture in story sections though. It’s the one element that seems jarringly out of place.

  • http://www.pixelprospector.com/indev/2009/10/2009/07/runman-race-around-the-world/ PixelProspector

    amazing game! great work!
    i made a gameplay video series in which i played through the entire game.
    from start to the credits.
    (6 worlds = 4-5 min each world -> about 30 min altogether)

  • ngajoe

    Man, I wish I could draw that good in MS Paint…gives the game a charming little kid ‘just have fun’ feel, and the music reinforces that thought.

    Well done, gents!

  • Arkatox

    Huh? Why’d someone delete my last comment? It had everything to do with the game, and I wasn’t lying.

  • AmnEn

    I am the REAL AmnEn!

  • AmnEn

    NO! I am Spartacus–er, I mean AmnEn!

  • AmnEn

    NO! I am Spartacus–er, I mean AmnEn!

  • Arkatox

    Stop spamming, guy(s).

  • Arkatox

    Oh what the heck, I’ll join in on the spamming too. Spam spam spam spam spam spam spam

  • ugh

    WHY DON’T YOU WORK IN WINE?!?! WHY?

  • doubleugh

    WHY DO THINK YOU CAN LOVE GAMES AND NOT USE WINDOWS AT THE SAME TIME?!?! WHY?!?!

  • Consumatopia

    Looks totally awesome, but this seems like a really serious problem.

  • Christian B

    Love the game. Love the graphics. Yay happy!

  • Yougiedeggs

    Yayy, I unlocked all the characters!

    *takes a look at the 80 medal character*

    Umm……wtf

  • F

    the amount of tears shed over the graphics on the tiny indie communities is funny.
    addicting game.

  • AmnEn

    DISREGARD THAT, I SUCK etc

  • tard

    Help! error found! etc. It used to work but it stopped working today, maybe my comp is fubar?

    ERROR in
    action number 1
    of Key Release Event for Key
    for object obj_final:

    Error defining an external function.

  • name

    Those saying that this was an artistic choice purely meant for this game are wrong.

    I looked at Tom’ Sennett’s webpage and surprise surprise, all of his games feature MS Paint graphics. Even his website.

    As well as it may work in this game, it’s obvious that it’s not an intentional design choice but one he made because that’s all he knows how to draw.

    I’d really see him make a game with much more refined and not so sloppy artwork.

  • Phasma Felis

    >As well as it may work in this game, it’s obvious that it’s not an intentional design choice but one he made because that’s all he knows how to draw.

    Nope. It’s an intentional design choice because he likes drawing that way, and he’s really goddamn good at it. See “An Untitled Story”, for example, which uses MSPaint art all the way through and is absolutely gorgeous. Compare to his MoneySeize, which does *not* use the same style (and IMHO doesn’t look as good).

    You don’t like it, hey, that’s great, but trying to justify your opinion by insulting the artist is kinda lame.

  • http://wherecouldtom.be Tom Sennett

    No no, he’s talking about me.

    And he’s right, I don’t know how to draw.

    Also I have no idea how to design games.

    I am seriously just flying by the seat of my pants here guys.

  • Hooker With No BeViS

    Lol @ name! *snort*