Alpha Runner

About

Alpha Runner is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by LightsoutGames and was released on September 2, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Alpha Runner is a fast-paced platformer game where players control a character called "Alpha" as they navigate through neon-lit corridors and obstacles in a futuristic city. The game features challenging levels with increasing difficulty, requiring quick reflexes and precise timing to avoid obstacles and collect power-ups. With its sleek visuals and rhythmic gameplay, Alpha Runner offers an exciting and addictive experience for fans of the platformer genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 174 reviews

music8 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Alpha Runner offers addictive and competitive gameplay with randomly generated levels and various game modes, making it a fun time-killer.
The game features a unique character selection mechanic where players spawn as different characters with special abilities, adding variety to each run.
The music and minimalistic graphics create an engaging atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience of the game.

The game suffers from performance issues, including crashes after extended play and unresponsive controls, which can lead to frustrating gameplay.
Many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, with limited environmental variety and a lack of meaningful progression.
The random character selection can be frustrating, as players cannot choose their preferred character, impacting their ability to strategize effectively.

music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The music in Alpha Runner is widely praised for its relaxing and catchy qualities, enhancing the gameplay experience despite being an infinite loop. Players appreciate the ability to add custom tracks, which further enriches the atmosphere, while the existing soundtrack is noted for its fitting dance/trance vibe that complements the game's mechanics. However, some users express a desire for more musical diversity, suggesting that an expanded soundtrack could elevate the experience even further.
- “The graphics, music, and sound effects are great; all of this combined makes the game atmosphere amazing. You will feel like playing it endlessly to top your previous high score.”
- “The soundtrack is very awesome; I just wish it had more music instead of the one loop, but that loop is still pretty soothing.”
- “One that stays fun while lacking in graphics, musical diversity, and newbie coddling.”
- “This is all thanks to its groovy musical score that drowns you out in the background, while you die a quad zillion amount of times.”
- “The music actually helps with the game because it's relaxing in contrast to the frustration levels this game provides.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
45%
13%
The gameplay is characterized as casual yet challenging, offering a mix of fun and addictive elements, though it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth. While some players appreciate the simple mechanics and competitive nature, others find the randomness and minimalistic design detract from the overall experience, leading to boredom after a short period. Despite its flaws, the game features solid mechanics and enjoyable music, making it appealing to some players.
- “Casual play yet challenging for achievements, it delivers fun, competitive, and addictive gameplay.”
- “It has solid mechanics and good music!”
- “Very nice game, it's a little bit addictive too, nice sound, nice gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is extremely basic and consists of you jumping from platform to platform collecting 'sparklies' without dying for as long as you can... that's it!”
- “I played this for about an hour -- can't say I utterly enjoyed it, because the gameplay is very repetitive and gets boring after the first 10-15 minutes spent in the game.”
- “The gameplay is minimalistic not in the elegant sense but in the 'there's no depth to it at all' sense.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some users noting a lack of options for screen adjustment and minimal effort in visual design. While some appreciate the retro pixel art style and find it fitting for the game's addictive nature, others criticize the graphics as basic and lacking diversity. Overall, the visuals are seen as simple but effective for the gameplay experience.
- “The graphics, music, and sound effects are great; all of this combined makes the game atmosphere amazing. You will feel like playing it endlessly to top your previous high score.”
- “The minimalistic graphics fit the type of the game.”
- “The visuals are the lowest of the low in terms of effort.”
- “The graphics are so basic, though the characters with their small costume changes look funny.”
- “It lured me with its retro pixel graphics and promising hardcore platforming action.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of achievements in the game to be a mixed bag, with some achievements being straightforward while others require significant effort, such as accumulating 1,000 deaths or 100 rainy days. Many reviewers feel that the grindy achievements detract from the overall enjoyment, especially since the game can become repetitive after a few playthroughs. Overall, the achievements are seen as either very easy or excessively grindy, leading to a lack of balance in the game's reward system.
- “I finished the 200 point achievement in like 1 hour, so the rest of the achievements feel super grindy for me (and the game is already boring enough after you played it several times anyway).”
- “Though this game isn't exactly hard, it does prove to be a challenge with a few of its achievements (which are a bit grindy...like the 'get ____ score in a single run' achievements).”
- “Usually achievements are a big plus for me in games; however, in Alpha Runner, they fall into two categories: extremely easy or requires grinding.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is characterized by significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, crashes, and occasional screen freezes that can disrupt gameplay. While it offers some charm and fun in short bursts, its budget title status is evident in its overall performance.
- “Buggy and prone to crashing.”
- “Sometimes the screen briefly freezes or the game briefly slows down, which can get you killed too.”
- “Too buggy and too simple.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game's story conveys a powerful message about perseverance and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that giving up can prevent personal growth. Players take on the role of an alpha runner with the ambition to transition into a beta runner, highlighting themes of ambition and transformation.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “The game features a compelling storyline that keeps you engaged throughout.”
- “In the story, you play as an alpha runner, and your goal in life is to become a beta runner.”
- “The story is you’re an alpha runner and your goal in life is to be a beta runner.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game boasts high replayability due to its randomly generated levels, diverse characters with unique perks, and multiple game modes, including normal, speedrun, and a more challenging variant. Players appreciate the seamless integration of gameplay and soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience.
- “There's a lot of things about this game that are great. The levels are randomly generated and there are multiple characters, each having their own perks, so the replayability is extremely high. There are also several different game modes: the first is normal mode, jumping from platform to platform; the second is speedrun; and the third is a harder, more challenging version of the normal mode.”
- “What's more impressive is the replay value and the original soundtrack being in sync, so to speak.”
- “The game has a lot of great features, but the replayability feels limited after a few runs. The randomly generated levels and multiple characters with unique perks are interesting, but they don't significantly change the overall experience.”
- “While the game offers different modes like normal, speedrun, and a harder version, I found that once I completed them, there wasn't much incentive to go back and play again. The replayability just isn't there.”
- “Despite the variety in characters and game modes, I felt that the replayability quickly diminished. The novelty of the randomly generated levels wore off, leaving me wanting more depth and variety.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a lively and engaging environment, enhanced by impressive graphics, music, and sound effects. This combination creates an immersive experience that encourages players to keep returning to beat their high scores.
- “It’s nothing too flashy, but it brings a lively atmosphere to the game.”
- “The graphics, music, and sound effects are great; all of this combined makes the game's atmosphere amazing. You will feel like playing it endlessly to top your previous high score.”
- “It's nothing too flashy, but it does create a lively atmosphere in the game.”
- “The atmosphere feels bland and uninspired, lacking any real depth or immersion.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere falls flat and fails to engage the player.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from notable performance issues, impacting overall optimization and user experience.
- “Lastly, the game has performance issues.”
- “Performance issues.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its simplicity, with players finding the basic graphics and character costume changes amusing. Overall, the comedic elements contribute positively to the gaming experience.
- “The graphics are so basic, though the characters with their small costume changes look funny.”