RUNT

Man alive, I loved a lot of this one, but I don't think I'll be able to complete it the way it wants to. It demands replaying and seeing different characters at different moments (awesome!) but isn't the easiest to replay overall as there is a good bit of overlap each playthrough. Now, they have some options to jump around timelines, but it's not as easy as it could be. THAT SAID, my gosh, I loved my first playthrough of it. The writing is excellent, sound, visuals all top notch. I got my money's worth and then some, but I do feel as though I didn't get the resolution I would have wanted. That said, life be like that sometimes, and the ride I did have was memorable! I'm low-key hoping for updates that can add some QOL features, but if it doesn't happen, I'd still suggest everyone give this a try. Even at one run, it's a great run.

Waited until getting the True ending before posting this review - please, please play this game. It's heavy, it doesn't shy away from things. Doesn't pull its punches (much like certain characters in this game). The story is stellar, some people might not like a few points of it, but I think it keeps the story strong. Sure, a few more plot points/characters backgrounds could be fleshed out more, but what is here already is more than great. While there are some bugs and some typos, devs are actively working on those issues and fixing them. You are required to play the game multiple times, so if that's a drag to you I don't really recommend because you will NOT get the full story. Definitely a top contender for my favorite game of the year for sure.

I really wanted to love this. It's enthralling and well-written, the characters are all interesting, and it does a good job of getting you to feel exactly what it wants you to feel. But the jank and bad gameplay design make it a struggle to play. Most of the minigames (which can have effects on the plot) are awkward and unsatisfying, and both it, and the checking of what you've done, and what you know/don't know, break frequently. Clues you haven't discovered show up in your notes, and your character talks about deaths they haven't witnessed or learned about. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the structure of the game. Minor structural spoilers: [spoiler] The game is designed to be replayed multiple times, in order to get a 'proper' ending. [/spoiler] This is fine, many games do it well, but here, the lack of quality of life features and jank make it a pain. The first three hours for me were a fun but bumpy ride, but after that, it was just hitting bump after bump, waiting for it to be fun again. I'm still recommending this though, because the writing is that damn good. If you're looking for a well-written gothic horror game, I'd recommend either waiting for the devs to hopefully patch out bugs, or buying it to support them, playing it until the jank tires you out, and then watching the rest on youtube.

i never write reviews but i really loved this game a lot so i thought id try (forgive my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ grammar) it has been such an enjoyable experience to explore skipclaw trying to solve the mystery,, when playing as runt the more you learn the less you know Anyone could be lying and everyone has plenty reason to ,, added with the looming deadline & extra limitations set by your brother the tension quickly builds -- theres never enough time to learn everything so you gotta keep trying but the writing definitely makes the effort feel worth it great art great soundtrack great characters

I love this game, but a warning to those who want to play it: [h1] You WILL have to play this game 3 times to get the full story [/h1] The 25 hours come from me often forgetting my PC open ([i] whoops [/i]) so the runs necessary to reach the true ending you might be able to do faster than I did. [u] The game's story will reward your commitment, so give it a shot. [/u] RUNT has a lot of potential and I think it executes that potential very well in its writing since even game mechanics like [spoiler] the rewinding option, notes being taken by Runt, ecc... [/spoiler] tie into the narrative of the game. Runt's writing and trying to recollect what has happened, so it's a solid explanation for some crucial games mechanics that helps them not feel out of place each time you finish the game especially because you will be wrong, [b] more than once [/b]. Now, Runt's not the only one with memory problems here, but if that last Fisher puzzle has not driven me insane to the point of making me forget the past 25 hours of gameplay, the game requires you to do [b] 3 full runs [/b] before you can unlock the true ending. [h2] PROS [/h2] The story is solid, it really is. It's fun and gets you very immersed. It's a visual novel, so the only main things that can be criticised when it comes to these games are writing, story and art (maybe music too but to me as long as something isn't grating on my ears it can be given a pass). My nitpick here is that more art would've benefitted this game immensely because of how gorgeous the artstyle is; it's what helped sell the game for me. For some reason rural gothic had been on my mind just a few days before this game's release so while mindlessly scrolling down on Steam upon seeing it it immediately caught my attention. (Guess it was fate.) The drawings are gritty and dark, they fit perfectly with the tone of the game. I love the choice of regular sounds over actual voices for the characters. The OST also is good, in general I'd say the game nails all of the creative aspects (writing, art, music) but it does not land on its feet as gracefully on one thing: the minigames. [h2] CONS [/h2] They are my main grievance with the game, they're not a KEY element of visual novels but are typically incorporated as a refresher from the reading so I always welcome them. HOWEVER, they can become tedious because of some bugs present (hitboxes that are a little off or the notebook having some issues while doing deductions during the selection of clues) they're nothing game breaking luckily. When I say this though it's without malice and from a place of love for the game, those are all things that could be fixed to make the game more enjoyable. If you're reading this because you're frustrated with Fisher's Jigsaw ass puzzles, I get you (and I have contributed by giving one of the solutions ;) Besides that my final verdict is overwhelmingly positive. I came for a good story I've been rewarded with exactly that; despite some of the potentially tedious aspects of this game (Since replaying a game isn't everyone's cup of tea and trust it's typically not mine either) it is not a game I ever felt annoyed playing. Did Fisher's puzzles make me wish there was one less brother? Absolutely, but I still enjoyed the game. Now I'll be off to try and get my friends to play it too so I can feel like a great sage offering them advice.

If you enjoy a VN with a powerful narrative voice, a compelling, dark and ominous world and interesting characters that try your bias or sympathy, Runt is a definite recommend. Art is thoroughly excellent as well, the dream sequences were a big favourite of mine. The sound design adds so much to the chilling atmosphere and the tactile little bits your character does. My recommendation would be to focus on a single character per playthrough, a lot can change and can be revealed if you talk to them every day, even better if you investigate the story threads/"side quests" they're included in and the people they're closer to. I've personally notebooked some questions/results which is how I like to play in general but it has enabled me to get minute differences in later game-days or subsequent playthroughs, and I found it really satisfying to unearth some odd dialogue even if it took some doing. There's a lot of depth to this game if you're willing to go digging. Yes there are some minor growing pains with certain aspects of minigames like click/target accuracy but once you get a grip on it it's not a big issue (and it's worthwhile to embrace the failure once in a while to see the outcomes or reactions). Overall the narrative has such an excellent sense of place and works so well telling the story through Runt's limited understanding of the world that every playthrough gives you-the-player something to chew on - even if you don't get to solve everything there's so much to the themes, the personalities, the motivations and their real life parallels that kept me thinking about it after and between playing. Very strong effort for a first game.

In the Strayer house, you are the runt. Four older brothers, all livin’ together in the woods under a gray sky and a cracked rooftop, brandishin’ guns and knives and hatred. All that venom has to go somewhere, and you’re the best punchin’ bag we got. When Hunter’s fury turns your way, when the static in the air hums with his righteous anger and his fist shoots out like a piston, you will feel its impact and say you’re very sorry, sir. You will cook. You will clean. You will treat your elders with respect. There’s a mystery to solve and you will ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ solve it. You aren’t just bottom rung. You’re the bottom rung of one of the last ladders on Earth. Compared to the Strayer home on the west side of the map, the post-apocalyptic town of Skipclaw is Candyland. It’s that distinct rural American rot, that greyish brown that hangs over everythin’ like stagnant water, the smells of dry grass and roadkill. Thankfully, most folks get along just fine. There’s plenty to learn and even more to hide, and even the town’s prickliest feel safer than any of your brothers back home. There’s warmth to be found in Skipclaw, but you’re here to solve a mystery; uncover who would dare defile the church that was once your home away from home, long before everything went all wrong with the world. RUNT is structured around five days, each spent askin’ questions and chasin’ leads. It’s a whodunnit, one that pulls from its complex web of characters, their relationships, and reasons to share gossip with you. There’s a vividness to Skipclaw, despite the game looking admittedly low-budget. At the end of each day, you spend a shift with one of your four brothers, and that’s where RUNT really starts to click. Under Hunter’s thumb, everyone is miserable. Despite hatin’ their guts, you come to understand why the Strayer family is so fundamentally broken - what a long dead evangelical father with a bible in one hand and an angry fist in another can still do to you. It’s so earnest and desperate and raw. If it wasn’t obvious, RUNT’s script is really special. That being said, there are some serious structural issues that make the game a hard sell. First and most obvious, almost no QoL features: no quick skip, no manual saving or loading, no transcript. This alone would be enough of a dealbreaker to keep most people away from a VN. Where the issues start to compound is in the actual layout of the game. At set points in the week, you’ll be thrown into a mini-game. These games are both completely unskippable and 2005 flash game-level janky. There are some puzzles sprinkled throughout the game that are, to put it charitably, atrocious. These mini-games and puzzles are also extremely important for dictating stats and opening up certain dialogue trees. For being a game that requires multiple replays and branching paths to see it through to the end, the real end, it’s a cryin’ shame this sort of thing wasn’t cleaned up. To me, RUNT is the best game that should’ve been a novel. I think it’s hard-carried by its script, but I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t have a great time all the way to the end. The overall experience, of being the powerless little runt that never had a pig’s chance in a slaughterhouse, is in perfect lock-step with the game’s tone and themes. If you can put up with some serious gameplay flaws to get a great story (as is tradition with VN’s it seems), you’ll probably have a good time. Get a few patches in this one and maybe a Slay The Princess-esque director’s cut and it’s a stone-cold classic.

Amazing horror experience with a deceptively large amount of optional material to uncover. The art and music are both great, and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface in terms of the underlying story. Well worth the price.