Run 3
is a platform game created by Joseph Cloutier (AKA 'player_03') on Kongregate. It is the third in the series, and was released in June of 2014, though it is unfinished and being regularly updated. Run 1 and Run 2, the first two games in the series, were released in 2008 and 2011 respectively.
In the game, one plays as a grey alien travelling through space via sets of Tunnels. Unlike the first two games in the series, Run 3 introduces a plot and an explanation for why these Tunnels exist, as well as 10 different playable characters each with their own unique personalities and role in the story.
Ten aliens leave their home Planet to explore the Tunnels, though they later discover that due to the Planet orbiting at a faster rate than them, the Planet is no longer accessible via the Tunnels. Some of the aliens, lead by the Angel, wish to return to the planet, whereas others, lead by the Runner, want to remain in the Tunnels and choose to head towards the Wormhole. Meanwhile, the Gentleman and the Lizard choose neither group.
Run 3 contains examples of:
- 2½D: Whilst the game is mostly 3D graphics-wise, in gameplay one cannot move backwards whilst running. The cutscenes also seem to be 2D.
- Amazing Technicolor World: The tunnels comes in every colour imaginable.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Alternate character costumes are often rewards for completing different parts of the game.
- Artifact Title: The first game just had the Runner, and thus the title made perfect sense. Come Run 3, where a lot of the characters don't actually run.
- Artificial Gravity: It's implied there's at least some form of this in the Tunnels.
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: Subverted. Though it looks like there shouldn't be air in the tunnels, due to all the holes in them, there really is air in the tunnels.The Angel's Infinite Mode Flavor Text: Whoever built the Tunnels was an idiot. Space is naturally frictionless, but they added air—and therefore air friction—intentionally.
- Broken Bridge: The N-Tunnelnote is inaccessible until you complete the Bridge Building missions, where you push boxes to build a bridge to the tunnel.
- Capital Letters Are Magic: Zig-Zagged. The Planet is always capitalized, but "tunnels" isn't.Infinite Mode Flavor Text: The Planet isn't the only planet in the Solar System. It gets the name "Planet" because it's the important one.
- Closed Circle: The characters are trapped in the Tunnels due to the Planet orbiting at a faster speed, and have been there for nearly a year.
- Covers Always Lie: On the mobile art, it shows the Zombie and the Caveman, two costumes in Run 1, on the art for the game. However, the actual game doesn't feature these characters.
- Cyclops: Whatever species of alien the characters are, each of them has a singular eye (usually green, although the Bunny has one which is black).
- Death Is Cheap: Fail a level and you'll just respawn at the start of it.
- Deus ex Machina: Averted. The characters fly over a gap between two tunnels in a space vehicle the Angel found... and then proceed to have an argument which results in the Duplicator falling out of said vehicle.
- Dysfunction Junction: Downplayed with the going home group, who basically argue with each other at any chance they have.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The third game is a big step up from the first two, introducing a plot, more characters, and improvements in gameplay and graphics.
- Endless Game: The Infinite Mode is the main way of obtaining power cells, the game's currency.
- Event Flag: The Memory Evaluation tunnel cannot be played until you've finished both the Bridge Building missions and the Angel missions. It has little to do with either of them. This is the "project" that the Gentleman referred to when he refused the Angel's request to go home.
- Flavor Text: When you die in Infinite Mode, the screen shows you some flavor text about your selected character along with your stats for that run.
- The Government: Mentioned in an argument between the Duplicator and the Angel.Angel: The Government may be a bunch of idiots, but they're still better role models than you.
- The Greys: Whilst not quite humanoid, the aliens in-game are grey.
- Hammerspace: Discussed in the cutscene "Superpowers". Presumably, also how the Student manages to fit batteries, a book, and whatever Applied Phlebotinum allows her to change gravity in such a small backpack.
- The Homeward Journey: A lot of the characters are trying to return back to the Planet.
- Informed Attribute: The characters' gender are revealed in dialog rather than through visible characteristics.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: As the story progresses, the ten main characters split up into different groups depending on their motivation.
- Meaningful Name: All the character's names have pretty simple meanings; for example, the Skater... likes skating.
- One World Order: The Planet is ruled by The Government.
- Point-and-Click Map: Simply click on a dot on a line to go to its corresponding level.
- The Remake: Run 3 was originally supported on Adobe Flash. Due to Flash's discontinuation in December 2020, Run 3 is being remade with a new camera called Away3D, which is supported by HTML5 The same applies to the first Run game.
- Space Sailing: The vehicle that the Pastafarian and the Angel find looks like a small boat, and the first cutscene with the "going home" gang riding it is aptly called "Boat Ride".
- Spell My Name with a "The": Subverted. Each character is conventionally referred to with a lowercase "the" before their names, but it's not actually a part of their names.
Word of God has stated that this rule is based on our moon and sun literally being named "the Moon" and "the Sun." - There's No Place Like Home: Zig-Zagged. Many of the aliens wish to leave the Tunnels and return home. The 'way onwards' group actively avoids attempts at returning to the Planet.
- Two Girls to a Team: The group that wishes to explore the Wormhole consists of the Runner and the Student (both of whom are female), and the Skater (who is male).
