Run Tekila Run | PS5 Review

A narrative 4th wall breaking adventure comes to us in the form of, "Run Tekila Run". This game which features the dreams of a sleeping girl named Dua has her pursuing a sheep named Tekila that has gone astray. During her nightly counting of the sheep Tekila doubles back over the fence causing Dua to pursue. What ends up happening is a hurried run through sectioned off locations filled with zombies and other creature threats. All of which is told through the storyteller's perspective in real time with Dua's chase.

Told through the narrator's perspective we play through Dua's dream state as she pursues Tekila, a sheep run amuck. This narrator, who follows closely Dua's every move, often times breaks the 4th wall leading the player to perform a given action whether it be right or wrong. Often times leading to hilarious outcomes, and otherworldly encounters. The narrator, in effect, carries the story progress along as you do what needs to be done as Dua.

In the way of gameplay the color wheel plays a huge role in this reverse pac-man inspired game of pursuit. In it you have Dua pursuing Tekila through all kinds of places including the underworld. To stop pursuit Dua must collect spawning orbs of yellow, and blue to fill up a circular meter with green. 

Filling the magik meter with green allows for Dua to cast spells which, in turn, help her to stop pursuing enemies. These spells, which are unlocked through progress include a base blast, zombie slowdown, puppy summon, and a powerful lightning strike. Each costing a certain amount of green magik to use, and each with their own bonus effect against the pursuing mobs as well as the bosses. 

The catch with the chase and pursuit gimmick is that as long as Dua isn't standing still she won't take damage from most zombies even when swarmed by them. Supposing she does get hit though her circular red health meter will be depleted. This can be refilled by collecting red orbs. 

For progress sake clearing a gated area of enemies and ringing the next statue in line is the only way through. That and occasionally outrunning the more formidable foes through maze-like terrain set in a semi-overhead point of view until you have enough magik to do so. That and defeating each boss, or completing each NPC fetch quest. 

As Dua in her hot pursuit you'll encounter various enemy types along the way, and different takes on the orb spawns, especially when it comes to boss battle scenarios. At all times though you must keep moving lest you lose all life to your pursuers. Ringing the bell at statues situated before each new area of interest is also a must. That and the solving of puzzles is crucial to getting to Tekila.

The Presentation ...

The narration along with the animation art style makes for a comedic chase through a land of folklore. It has it's complimentary music of the fantasy type as well as an accented voice over for the narrator leaning into the game's European origins. Visually the game is semi-overhead with scaled down character and creature models. Each animated, and sometimes transformative with added special effects. It is definitely a fantasy game by design with a comical twist.

The Verdict ...

This is one of those outside of the box games where the developer chose to be bold, and do something off the wall. The elements of pac-man inspired gameplay with the pursuit gimmick really hits the nail alongside the quirky narrative that often times spices things up with a test of sorts. I like the brilliant use of the color wheel, and the creature/character designs as well. For what it is it earns it's $12 pricing. It's not a huge game by scale, but it offers something different that is stream worthy, and attention worthy. It gets my seal of approval!