When it comes to cyberpunk settings, it's rarely ever a happy-go-lucky situation for the characters living in it. The proof of this can be found in Runner: Preamble by Truant Pixel. This is the prologue for the runner series presented as a visual novel. As you follow one character's perspective, you'll be faced with scenes and choices for how to progress the story. The goal is to make choices in hopes of learning new information without hitting a dead end. Most choices let you go at your own pace, but be careful when things get intense so you can react in time.
What is Runner: Preamble?
Smuggling appears to be one of the preferred professions in dystopian societies and they make for good stories. This is what's happening in Runner: Preamble before things get too heavy. In a huge futuristic city that serves as a mining facility, everyone in it is part of the Caldera Corporation. For those trying to get around the corporate stranglehold, there are Runners who smuggle all sorts of goods at great risk. You play as Vice, formerly known as Victor, an ex-runner who has worked his way up to a lucrative position in Caldera. However, he still works with Runners and things kick off when the corporation's powerful AI ATLAS starts imposing severe restrictions across the city. You'll follow Vice as he meets with Runners to warn and prepare for whatever's coming.
An Interesting Runner: Preamble
The problem with reviewing visual novels is that they're more like interactive books than games. But, Runner: Preamble makes a solid effort to make medium exciting. Its strongest quality is its pacing. After the intro fills you in with all the pertinent details, you're equipped to follow along with how things unfold. When you're in Vice's office, you're clued into the situation but not too much to spoil the rest of the story. Events flow well into each other with a mix of detailed dialogue and action sequences. Despite being static, the character graphics are detailed and the voice acting gives them a sense of presence. When the action picks up, you do feel a sense of danger and urgency which really makes for an engaging experience.
However, where visual novels get a chance to shine is in sound and music. For a dystopian cyberpunk setting, the audio is quite effective. The music for the dialogue and narrative sections is subtle but enigmatic which matches the tone of the story. When confronting enemies or driving down the road, the music picks up with a mix of energy and at times intensity which helps to transport you there.
Runner: Preamble to little
Again, it's tricky to review visual novels because of the limitations of the format. Runner: Preamble works within the parameters, but is overall lacking. The biggest drawback is that it's too short. There are a limited number of paths you can follow to gather as much information as you can, but it won't take you long to go through them all. Even after you do, there are still so many unanswered questions, even for a prologue. The issue is that it doesn't end with a fuse being lit but more of a nudge toward the explosives. It won't take long for you to absorb all the excitement that the story has to offer.
Going on a Runner: Preamble
Runner: Preamble is a dystopian cyberpunk visual novel about preparing for a corporate crackdown from a dangerous AI. It's exciting with a nice mix of dialogue and action with music to complement the events. However, it's too short and doesn't satisfy enough within its presentation. Like an appetiser, you should try to savour the preamble.
