Runaway, A Road Adventure
- March 14, 2007
- Pendulo Studios
Get on Steam"Runaway: A Road Adventure" is a point-and-click adventure game that follows the story of a young college student, Brian, who gets caught up in a dangerous adventure after saving a beautiful woman, Gina, from the mafia. The game features traditional adventure gameplay with a focus on puzzle-solving and exploration, and it gained popularity in Europe for its engaging storyline, complex characters, and hand-drawn cartoon style. Players will need to use their wits and resources to help Brian and Gina evade the mob and uncover the truth behind their predicament.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Interesting story with unexpected twists that keeps players engaged.
- Charming hand-drawn visuals and well-executed voice acting enhance the overall atmosphere.
- Clever and challenging puzzles that provide a rewarding experience for players who enjoy mental workouts.
- Frustrating pixel hunting and illogical puzzles that can lead to confusion and annoyance.
- Some characters are unlikable and the main character's motivations can feel shallow.
- Lengthy cutscenes and dialogue that cannot be skipped, making the pacing feel slow.
- story160 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and filled with humor, while others criticize it for being boring, poorly paced, or riddled with clichés and plot holes. Many appreciate the quirky characters and the adventure's whimsical tone, but some feel that the narrative lacks depth and coherence, particularly in the latter parts. Overall, while the story has its moments and can be enjoyable, it often struggles with pacing and execution, leaving a divided impression among players.
“One of the standout features of Runaway is its captivating storyline.”
“With its compelling story, charming visuals, and brain-teasing puzzles, it's a journey well worth taking for anyone seeking a classic point-and-click adventure experience.”
“The story is engaging, and I'm genuinely invested.”
“I don't understand why I can't skip the first ten minutes of boring 'telling you, but not really showing you' dialogue and boring plot setup.”
“The story and the writing I found to be cheap and cheesy.”
“The story itself is so fragmented and scattered, it doesn't really make any sense until the last chapter of the game.”
- graphics81 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their hand-drawn visuals and attention to detail, creating a unique and charming art style that has aged well over the years. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful backgrounds and vibrant colors, opinions on character design are mixed, with some finding it less appealing. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding the dated cutscenes and inconsistent art styles.
“The hand-drawn visuals are a visual treat, showcasing the attention to detail that Pendulo Studios put into creating the game's unique art style.”
“Great graphics and hand-drawn backgrounds, the cel-shaded style aged very well, with the exception of a couple of weirdly lit cutscenes.”
“The graphics are very nice, and because the game has a comic look, it aged very well.”
“Puzzles are plain annoying and disappointing and the graphics are not looking good.”
“Unfortunately, the graphics didn't age well and the character models and gameplay were pretty clunky.”
“Dated graphics, sometimes looks hideous.”
- humor51 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of witty writing, goofy characters, and absurd situations that can elicit genuine laughter, though some jokes may not have aged well. While many players appreciate the quirky and sometimes dark humor, others find it hit-or-miss, with some moments being unintentionally funny or overly cheesy. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic charm with its humorous elements, appealing to fans of light-hearted adventure games.
“The writing is witty and engaging, with a good balance of humor and suspense.”
“Who knew a mummy could be so hilarious?”
“This game always makes me laugh via its brilliant jokes and funny cultural references.”
“Not funny.”
“Finally, I'm not sure if the runaway is supposed to be funny.”
“It was actually not funny at all; only partially hand-drawn and there was no adventure.”
- music38 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the catchy theme song and atmospheric background tracks that enhance the gameplay experience, while others criticize the repetitive and annoying nature of certain songs that can detract from enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its quality and ability to set the mood, but it also suffers from a few standout tracks that become tiresome due to their frequent repetition.
“The art is actually quite nice, and the music sets the atmosphere for each area quite nicely.”
“There’s a good quality voiceover and excellent background music always fitting the scene you’re in – slow bluesy strums while exploring in the dry heat of the Arizona desert; jazzy intense vibes while trying to escape New York – all of these splendidly build up the atmosphere.”
“The introduction music track and general theme song 'Runway' is catchy and a nice tune.”
“Can't skip a line, can't skip the video, have to listen to some obnoxious song while the credits roll for a game I haven't played yet...”
“Soundtrack consists of one song which is hella annoying from the start and you're forced to listen to it multiple times during the game playing or during the cutscenes.”
“Its by no means perfect, while the puzzles are mostly high quality there are quite a few illogical ones, you also have to go pixel-hunting from time to time, and the vocalized music can get really annoying after hearing the same whiny refrain over and over for hours.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with many users finding it unintuitive and tedious, particularly due to the manual switching between "use" and "look at" actions. While some puzzles are described as interesting and the visuals appealing, the overall experience is marred by slow progression and frustrating mechanics, leading to a lack of gameplay satisfaction. Despite the engaging story and characters, the gameplay itself is often considered a significant drawback.
“Gameplay is interesting, puzzles can be challenging, but mostly they are chill and not brain-breaking.”
“Great dialogues, music, cinematics, and gameplay!”
“Runaway has a standard point-and-click gameplay with inventory use, dialogue, and side quests helping your progress.”
“The gameplay experience is meh - the fact that you have to switch manually between 'use' and 'look at' is atrocious.”
“All of this makes the gameplay quite boring and tedious, and I just didn't have fun playing the game.”
“If we are to talk about gameplay, I have to confess that it has a ridiculously slow progressing gameplay for a ridiculously fast progressing storyline.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with repetitive tasks and prolonged cutscenes detracting from the enjoyment. Many reviewers note that the need for precise actions and the requirement to repeat certain actions multiple times contribute to a frustrating experience, particularly for casual gamers. While hardcore fans of adventure games may appreciate the effort, the general consensus is that the grinding elements make the gameplay feel monotonous and unenjoyable.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“This is a game for hardcore fans of adventure games only; its flaws are typical of the genre at the time of its release, with tedious quests and puzzles, and few standout moments.”
“All of this makes the gameplay quite boring and tedious, and I just didn't have fun playing the game.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by exceptional voice performances, stunning visuals, and fitting music that enhances each scene. Players appreciate the immersive quality created by the art and sound design, which effectively complements the gameplay and keeps them engaged. Overall, the atmosphere is described as amazing, contributing significantly to the game's positive reception.
“The art is actually quite nice, and the music sets the atmosphere for each area quite nicely.”
“There’s a good quality voiceover and excellent background music always fitting the scene you’re in – slow bluesy strums while exploring in the dry heat of the Arizona desert; jazzy intense vibes while trying to escape New York – all of these splendidly build up the atmosphere.”
“The characters are brought to life with well-executed voice performances that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“Usually when the gameplay fails, the only thing that can save it are the characters, story, and atmosphere.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game features charming designs and vibrant backgrounds that enhance immersion, though opinions on the character aesthetics vary. While some players appreciate the exaggerated art style, others feel it leans too heavily on stereotypes, leading to mixed reactions regarding the overall quality of character design.
“The character designs are charming, and the backgrounds are richly detailed, creating a vibrant and immersive world for players to explore.”
“The animations are lovely, and if you don't mind an exaggerated art style, the character design is good too.”
“Maybe if the character design was better (some characters look really weird), the result would be better as well.”
“Some of the character designs were okay, but they mostly ended up being exaggerations of stereotypes.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its stability, with users reporting no bugs or performance issues, which is notable for its genre. The well-executed voice performances further enhance the game's atmosphere, contributing to a polished experience.
“Thankfully, I didn't encounter any bugs or performance issues throughout, so at least it seems to be stable.”
“The characters are brought to life with well-executed voice performances that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“It's rather unusual for games of this genre and caliber to have an OST, but Runaway: A Road Adventure presents us with a lovely performance.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for failing to engage players, leaving them disconnected from the story. Additionally, some players report feeling uncomfortable due to the dissonance between character portrayal and voice, which detracts from their overall experience.
“So it felt like I was hearing a young girl's voice coming out of a voluptuous woman's body -- it made me feel wrong and uncomfortable inside.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
User experiences with stability vary significantly; while some report encountering glitches, bugs, and occasional screen freezes, others enjoy a smooth gaming experience without any issues.
“No glitches, smooth gaming experience.”
“The game runs flawlessly without any crashes.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or freezes.”
“There were some glitches and bugs I came across when playing; the screen froze a couple of times, and on some occasions, there were glitches related to the voice/animations.”
