JETRUNNER Review

I have, in the past, been somewhat critical of first-person parkour. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done well. As such, I decided to take on Riddlebit Software’s latest title, JETRUNNER, with as open a mind as I can. The question is whether this is a marathon you should attempt, or if it would be better to stay at the pub.

In JETRUNNER, you take on the role of Nina White, a relative newcomer in the popular sport of Jetrunning. You’ll follow her adventure to the top, as she deals with annoying announcers and the fast-paced world of competitive sports.

One thing I did like is that Nina actually has thoughts and feelings that come across during the campaign, even if you never really have to do all that much with her. There’s humorous, well-voiced dialogue that reveals more about the character and even some of the lore about this strange future you live in. 

JETRUNNER really isn’t about the plot; instead, it’s about making it to the end of numerous courses in the best time you can. There is a lot of variety here, with some really well-designed maps that’ll test just how fast you can be. However, the overall function remains the same throughout. You have the base movement, wall running, sliding, and an air dash in terms of movement options to reach your goal. Offensively, you start with a basic punch, but you'll later unlock guns as well as other power-ups as you go, which are all designed to help you reach the end.

The best way to describe Jetrunning would be if you had a combination of parkour and skeet shooting. Basically, you need to destroy a set number of targets on each run to open up the goal; however, you can’t just stand around shooting. For instance, you might find walls that you need the super punch to destroy, but you can’t just punch the wall. Instead, it’s about finding the right angle to hit it to propel you to the next point, and other gameplay elements like that. It can get really complex, and honestly, there were points where I did get a bit confused about where I needed to go.

With that said, JETRUNNER nails one of the most important aspects of this design: the feeling of completion and a want to do better. Usually, with these kinds of games, I find myself more interested in finishing the levels rather than trying to get a better time. With JETRUNNER, I found myself going back to get a better score. I will say that the difficulty of the tracks varies wildly, and the shooting sometimes feels like an afterthought. Part of this was simply because the levels are gorgeous and well-designed.

Now, this isn’t the best-looking game in the world (the crowd in the stands is just oblong blobs), but everything is colourful and fun to move around. Not to mention the controls feel fluid once you get the hang of them. Although one thing that is a bit odd is that, in the earlier levels, you may end up waiting a bit to continue if you’re too fast. The reason for this is that the dialogue in the mission has to be completed before you can move to the next. It’s a bit of a pace killer sometimes, but it never takes too long. 

Essentially, if you’re looking for a game where you can test your skills, as well as show off to your friends while having a bit of a laugh, then JETRUNNER is for you. However, if you want something with a bit more depth or plot, then you might want to give it a miss. Honestly, I would say JETRUNNER is a great way to while away a dreary evening.