Sprinter

About

Sprinter is a single player action game. It was developed by Light Step Games and was released on February 24, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Run through this compelling action game with minimalist art style and maximum story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

story8 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and engaging gameplay mechanic that challenges players' reaction times and coordination, making it addictive and rewarding.
The minimalist art style and atmospheric soundtrack create a soothing experience that complements the gameplay and emotional story.
There is significant replayability with the option to achieve gold times on levels, providing an extra challenge for achievement hunters.

The controls are poorly designed for keyboard users, making the game nearly unplayable without a controller, which can alienate some players.
The difficulty spikes significantly towards the end, which may frustrate players and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
The story is underdeveloped and often overshadowed by the gameplay, leaving players confused about its relevance to the overall experience.

story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
9%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it overshadowed by gameplay difficulty and lacking depth, while others appreciate its emotional and minimalist approach, conveyed through illustrated sequences. The narrative revolves around a family dealing with personal tragedy, presented in a unique format that some find engaging and others dismiss as ineffective. Overall, while the story may not resonate with everyone, it adds a layer of emotional depth to the gameplay experience.
- “You are then introduced to the story of the game, which entails a young girl, her mother, and her father.”
- “Sprinter, developed by Light Step Games, is the type of game that lulls you in with its minimalist design, and then takes a hold of you with its challenging levels, music, and emotional story depicted in only pictures.”
- “There you will discover an emotional story of a family – a husband, wife, and daughter – who are dealing with a personal tragedy.”
- “There's apparently some backstory, but the game implementation here is so lazy and low effort, it's not worth getting into.”
- “However, I don't know if the story will ever actually tie into the gameplay, and I don't care to find out.”
- “The story comics didn't really do anything for me.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The gameplay is described as fun, addictive, and engaging, with simple mechanics that evolve into challenging experiences as new elements are introduced in each chapter. While some players appreciate the unique and captivating gameplay, others note issues with optimization and difficulty that can overshadow the narrative. Overall, the game offers a blend of reaction-based mechanics and atmospheric elements that enhance the player experience, despite some frustrations with controls and performance.
- “The gameplay itself is fun, addictive, and ultimately satisfying.”
- “Every chapter throws a new mechanic into the mix that makes the game that little bit more difficult until you’re at your very wits end trying to complete each level in normal mode.”
- “The basic game mechanics are simple, but used in complex ways in order to challenge players.”
- “Sadly, the story gets overshadowed by the difficulty of the gameplay.”
- “Considering what this game is, it is horribly optimized, if at all. My PC can run nice graphics on GTA V, and even though it says 60fps in this game, it stutters at points (memory leak?) to a point where it does not accept some inputs from the controller, which is gameplay breaking like nothing else.”
- “Every chapter throws a new mechanic into the mix that makes the game that little bit more difficult until you’re at your very wits' end trying to complete each level in normal mode.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
44%
17%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting a lack of resolution options and optimization issues typical of console games, leading to a less impressive visual experience for PC gamers. However, the minimalist art style is praised for its clean and unique appearance, which complements the gameplay effectively, despite some players finding it overly simplistic. Overall, while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they are appreciated for their aesthetic coherence with the game's design and soundtrack.
- “It has a simple user interface and a very nicely drawn graphics style.”
- “The art style is clean and unique, and its simple appearance complements the gameplay incredibly well.”
- “The story is good, the graphics are awesome, and the soundtrack is very enjoyable as well.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
- “While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting edge graphics.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and atmospheric qualities, perfectly complementing the minimalist art style and enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its ability to create an engaging and emotional backdrop that elevates gameplay, particularly during challenging levels. The integration of sound effects with the music further enriches the immersive experience, making it a key aspect of the game's appeal.
- “The soundtrack is really amazing and it fits the minimalistic art style as well.”
- “The ambient music in this game is incredible and adds to the overall experience.”
- “I do have to give a special mention to the fantastic music and sound effects.”
- “Difficulty curve is a bit off; I struggled mostly at the start (learning how to cut corners perfectly) and the final chapter, which would be grueling if it weren't for the music.”
- “The music is calm and soothing, but don't let that fool you.”
- “Minimalist graphics and soundtrack which work really well together, but the difficulty increases in each level enough to keep you wanting more, just shy of making it too hard.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Sprinter captivates players with its minimalist design and soothing music, while delivering a profound emotional narrative centered on a family's struggle with personal tragedy. The game's illustrated storytelling and evocative soundtrack enhance the emotional experience, making it a deeply touching journey despite its seemingly peaceful exterior.
- “Sprinter, developed by Light Step Games, is the type of game that lulls you in with its minimalist design, and then takes hold of you with its challenging levels, music, and emotional story depicted in only pictures.”
- “There you will discover an emotional story of a family – a husband, wife, and daughter – who are dealing with a personal tragedy.”
- “+ very emotional soundtrack that fits in very well with the game and story.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game offers significant replayability, primarily through the pursuit of "gold times" and achievements, encouraging players to revisit levels for improved performance.
- “The 'gold times' feature adds to the replayability and achievements.”
- “Surprisingly, there is also a lot of room for replaying the levels.”
- “The 'gold times' feature can add to replayability and achievements.”
- “For replayability, you can go after the gold times.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a soothing experience enhanced by serene ambient music and sound effects, which together create an immersive environment. Players appreciate the combination of fun gameplay, atmospheric music reminiscent of "Thomas Was Alone," and illustrative elements that contribute to the storytelling.
- “It is a soothing experience, along with the atmospheric music and sound effects.”
- “Mixed with the serene, ambient music, it creates a great atmosphere.”
- “Fun gameplay, great atmospheric music (the style reminded me of 'Thomas Was Alone') and some nice illustrations that add to the story of the game.”