Bernie's Run is a brilliantly executed Action/Platformer/Puzzle game which serves up a hearty helping of fun, humor and challenge while capturing the very spirit of Bernie Sander's Political Revolution.
Initially, a Memory Game mechanic had me skeptical. I wasn't really sure what to expect here, however the
integration of the mechanic was VERY well thought out and the
execution was seamless. Ultimately the mechanic was fun, educational and relevant to the rest of the game. As a long time follower of Bernie Sanders I was already familiar with Bernie's platform so I was very impressed by how his idea's were so very faithfully reproduced here without bogging down the action. Very intelligently executed and refreshing. Thank you for that.
As a person who has an educated background in Visual Communications, I was observing the contrast between the
smooth rendered fonts/backgrounds and the
characters. In all honesty, I initially frowned upon this contrast, as it often eludes towards amateurish, cliche game maker design, almost to a trope
(certainly not to impede upon your work, or skills personally.) however, I found this "contrast" to be
deliberate in it's
overall esthetic treatment as it is
consistent throughout the game and ultimately defines
Bernie's Run unique style. Congrats on that. The Baddies are comical yet severe and Bernie himself is spot on (I think he has more energy than I.) By the way, I really dig the campaign bus, so comical.
I immediately discovered that there is plenty of opportunity to learn about "
how to play" this game, either by forum support and MOST importantly
in-game. The menus are easy to navigate as they are intuitive. In fact, I didn't even find the need for reminder text. Well done! The introductory tutorial level was short and to the point, if anything I would like to see the ability to skip it in replay. One thing though: exiting the game (why would you want to leave to begin with) can be wonky, especially if you are in full-screen, as you have to either go through the credits or exit full-screen and then X out of the application.
I find that the audio library sfx and chiptunes pair seamlessly with the rest of the game. The audio tracks really do round out this game, complementing the character and style of the universe being presented. With every design element combined, one certainly gets a sense of the good-spirited, comical over-tones prevalent here. Excellent treatment, it was well received with me.
Bernie's Run has a very well thought out and executed
challenge curve ratio. Levels get progressively more difficult to navigate and the levels get substantially larger by the time you reach Megalopolis. The environments themselves in the later half of the game can quickly become total peril for Bernie if he takes an overstep (thank goodness for the political parachute and the addition of Bernie Bird invincibility.) Levels evolve into nothing short of intricate mazes which are the hallmark of the platformer genre and also require the user to think. I recommend using the Bernie Bird in the thickest of situations to protect our beloved Vermont Senator from the harm of corporate media spin-doctor propagandists, Wall Street thuggery, BIG Bank speculation bandits, corporate special interest group lobbyists and other Anti-democracy thuggies.
The rally is of vital importance for the success of the Political Revolution. The user MUST be ULTRA QUICK to complete the Memory Game or risk losing a LOT of supporters! My first run though was EPIC PHAIL, finishing the game on the opposite end of the spectrum with -77% Support. What can I say, the Political Revolution isn't an easy road and I am no Bernie Sanders.
The control schemes need some rework though here's why: The space bar is to the left of the arrows and the mouse is to the right of the arrows, so there are 3 zones of interaction for two hands so one hand ALWAYS has to double duty a zone. Reassigning the space bar input to the left mouse button would facilitate the input pipeline immensely. I really like how jump was assigned to the up arrow BTW.
Overall, I can
really see the labor of love within this game which empowers the user to come back again and replay! I KNOW I did! I enjoyed this game and it will remain on my desktop. Thank you! -Bikkie
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