Cute adventure platformer originating from a fictional videogame
— itch.io description
Little Runmo - The Game
is a 2D platform game by JuhoSprite for Windows and web browser. It is an adaptation of Gooseworx's Little Runmo, a 2019 animated short film about the protagonist of a platform game who discovers some things about his world.
The player controls the protagonist Runmo, guiding him through the world of his game and its many hazards. The gameplay is based on that of the original story, while also taking inspiration from the Super Mario Bros. games.
The game was developed over the course of about a year. A demo was released in May 2023, consisting of a tutorial level and a "Level 1". The full game was released in October 2023. The demo music was composed by Rodirod, while the full game uses the Little Runmo original soundtrack by Gooseworx.
JuhoSprite, with help from Tomer_BARZ, also released a project file, allowing people to make their own mods of the game and have them featured on the project file's page.
Contains examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The game adds several platforming sequences in places where there originally weren't any.
- Anti-Frustration Features: Getting a Game Over will not erase your progress; you just get returned to the beginning of the game.
- Auto-Save: Pikit appears at various points throughout the world, serving as an autosave point. If Runmo dies, he will revive at the last location of Pikit's he passed.
- Blatant Lies: Pikit in the Brutal Bonus Level. "Just a few more jumps..." HA HA HA.
- Bottomless Pits: Certain pits with no visible bottoms will kill Runmo if he falls in them.
- Brutal Bonus Level: Collecting all seven collectibles enables Runmo to unlock the door behind the Dring King and reach the challenging secret level inside the slumbering Temp King's body.
- Corridor Cubbyhole Run: Some areas have boulders rolling back and forth over a floor pitted with holes. You can pass these boulders by hiding in the holes and waiting for the boulders to roll past overhead. Some holes are deep enough to stand in and let the boulder pass, while more shallow ones require crouching.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: To make some jumps, it is necessary to keep the pressure on a directional key to make Runmo stick to a wall if he's unable to land feet-first on the platform you aim at, so you can reach the top by wall jumping. Sometimes the gap length is questionable and Runmo may actually land feet-first on the platform... doomed to slip off if the platform is too short and you don't let go of the directional key in time.
- Demoted to Extra: The Dring King is now a mere obstacle, rather than a puzzle like in the original short.
- Double Jump: By using the special move in midair, Runmo will dash forward and upward, boosting jumps.
- Drought Level of Doom: None of the Underworld levels are particularly bright but The Morgue lacks any colorful feaures whatsoever and its deathtrap layout is at least twice as dense as of the previous areas.
- Emote Animation: There are four different emote animations the player can make Runmo do: shrugging, looking around, raising his arms in triumph, and sitting.
- Escape Sequence: Grobletombus Marble Eyes now has one; after his introduction, you have to run away from him until you reach the other side of the spiked wall which kills him.
- Freelook Button: If the map has space underneath Runmo, the player can use the camera button to move the field of view downward.
- The Goomba: The Little Dangers are the first enemy encountered. They walk back and forth slowly and predictably, and are easily defeated by jumping on them.
- Goomba Stomp: Most enemies can be defeated by landing on top of them.
- Mooks, but no Bosses: The game has plenty of Mooks and hazards, but is devoid of boss fights. The closest thing the game has to a Final Boss is Grobletombus Marble Eyes' final Escape Sequence.
- One-Hit-Point Wonder: Runmo will die if he takes a single hit.
- Overhead Interaction Indicator: If Runmo is standing close enough to Pikit, a speech bubble icon will appear over Pikit's head, indicating that they can be interacted with to see what they have to say.
- Shout-Out: One room in Storage resembles the computer room in The Amazing Digital Circus.
- Shown Their Work: The game incorporates the Glorg stable and the unseen portion of the overworld depicted in Gooseworx's map of the Runmo world.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the original short, Dring King dies after Runmo turns off the life extractor. In the game, this won't happen and you instead just move past him, either proceeding to the morgue or directly jumping into the sleeping Temp King's mouth.
- Spikes of Doom: Spikes are scattered throughout the world on floors and walls, and touching them will kill Runmo.
- Springs, Springs Everywhere: In the first level, spring-loaded jump pads can be jumped on for a vertical boost. In the Temp King's stomach, green bubbles serve the same purpose.
- Temporary Platform: Some platforms, if stood upon, will disappear after a second. Others are only accessible at timed intervals.
- Video-Game Lives: The life counter shows how many extra lives Runmo has.note He starts out with three, and loses one with each death. More lives can be picked up throughout the game. If he dies without having any extra lives, he will respawn at the beginning of the game instead of at the last save point.
- Video Game Dashing: By using the special move while midair or crouching, Runmo will dash forward. If midair, he leaps, and if crouching, he rolls.
- Voice Grunting: Like in the original animation, Pikit speaks through wood creaking noises at varying pitches.
- Wall Jump: Runmo can scale walls by repeatedly springing off of them.
- Womb Level: Like the original short, at one point you end up in the Temp King's stomach. Though this game has an entire platforming sequence take place in there, rather than just the game show.
