RunMan: Race Around the World

By: Derek Yu

On: October 2nd, 2009

Tom Sennett and Matt Thorson’s RunMan: Race Around the World elicits a kind of primal joy in me that I was worried had left long ago. It’s just a fun game, through and through, super-injected with whimsy, full of surprising moments and fun characters who feel like old friends. You can’t ever really die, but the game is challenging enough. Still, I imagine one could get through RunMan pretty quickly by playing straight through… but it’s so enjoyable to run, bounce, swing, and fly through some of the levels that I’m more than happy to play them over and over to improve my time or collect medals.

The game’s music warrants its own paragraph. Tom Sennett is fond of using public domain jazz and bluegrass songs in his games (most notably, the original RunMan’s Monster Fracas), and they really add to the charm. I’m pretty accustomed to hearing either chiptunes or orchestral music (or occasionally metal) in games these days, and it’s refreshing to listen to something that deviates from those genres. I like sitting around on the map screen just to listen to the music.

But yeah, this is by far my favorite of Tom and Matt’s games, and possibly one of my favorite indie games of the year. I’d love to see more collaborations between them in the future, ’cause this one worked out really well. Great work!

TIGdb: Entry for RunMan: Race Around the World

When the Bomb Goes Off

By: Derek Yu

On: April 27th, 2009

Tom Sennett Appreciation Week continues: It’s amazing what Tom Sennett can do with stick figures and some old timey music! In WarioWare the humor revolved around figuring out how to win in each microgame – When the Bomb Goes Off adds a very humanist touch to the basic concept.

Somehow I imagine that when the bomb does go off, I’ll be trying to finish a post for TIGSource!

Tom Sennett, Procrastinator

By: Derek Yu

On: April 22nd, 2009

I was going to post this when it came out 3 weeks ago, but… well, you know.

Tom, don’t think we’re going to accept this as an excuse if you and Matt never finish RunMan: Race Around the World!

Make Games Not War

By: Derek Yu

On: December 8th, 2008

I think we can all agree: one of the many nice things about having good independent gaming communities around is that you can always find friendly people to talk with, to laugh with, to drink with, and yes, to make sweet, sweet, passionate games with. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have… the facts of life. The facts of life. Let’s make games together!

Jonatan “cactus” Söderström teamed up with our very own Terry Cavanagh last month to create Xoldiers, a war-themed action game where you control a squad of deadly troops. There are a couple of neat things going on here: 1. the challenges and trade-offs of controlling a group of characters moving as a cohesive unit, and 2. the built-in level editor that lets you upload levels online. Good stuff!

And here’s a collaboration to keep your eye on: Tom “CoolMoose” Sennet has paired up with Matt “YMM” Thorson for RunMan: Race Around the World, a sequel to the seminal RunMan’s Monster Fracas. The game has been in development for three years and is finally nearing release. That video gives my brain a happy-boner.

You know, the forums are always bustling with new collaborations. So what are you waiting for? Find a nerd who loves games as much as you do, and make the beast with two keyboards. Go on! <3

RunMan’s Monster Fracas

By: Derek Yu

On: September 18th, 2007

I don’t know that there’s much to say about RunMan’s Monster Fracas except that it’s about running away from a big monster and it’s pretty endearing. And that the music is great.

Oh, and that sliding down slopes feels good.

And that it’s a pretty old game, so the online scoreboards aren’t working.

And “cucumber nipples.” I don’t know what that has to do with the game, but I thought I’d say it to see how it felt. Felt pretty nice.

(Thanks, moshboy! From the “”http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=410.0">Unpolished Gems" thread on the forums.)