Runt is a post-apocalyptic whodunnit
A small town in what’s formerly known as Texas hosts a variety of unique, and creepy looking, characters. Monsters lurk the perimeters and it’s up to you, a nineteen year old boy, to solve a gory mystery message left for your family in your father’s old church. This is the premise of the new visual novel, RUNT by Grimtaste Studios.
From the opening of the game, I found myself captivated by scribbles of artwork on lined paper. The player is given a flashlight to see the images with more clarity, immediately adding a tone of secrecy. Our protagonist Runt is the youngest and smallest of five brothers. His knack for journaling and sketching things in his composition notebook allows for him to be, ironically, the most adept brother for the job ahead.
For most of the game, Runt is interviewing various townspeople about the message in the church, which says “5 Days.” The character designs are fun and a little creepy, with everyone wearing a homemade mask. Dialogue in this game is also unique, with each character’s voice having a different sound effect rather than a voice actor. Characters feel well-developed with their individual personalities and styles. Be warned, however, that you cannot save your game while in the middle of dialogue. Your save will load at the previous point, which isn’t typically too far away.
The gameplay is rather simple, with players really only needing a mouse. While the instructions weren’t always clear for some of the puzzles for me, it was simple enough to figure out in a time crunch. The ease of play makes it bingeable with a relatively quick play time compared to other visual novels that are text heavy with open world play.
RUNT has multiple endings and it’s up to you to figure out who did it, collect clues in Runt’s journal, and bring it all to light with sound evidence. As a fan of the genre and the art style, I’d recommend this game to anyone looking for a different kind of mystery in a world that blends a few apocalyptic tropes in a way that just works; monsters, a darkened sky, a walled town, possible cult activity, and a mystery to tie it all together. I could see myself playing on a Steam Deck on the go, or even replaying it to change Runt’s actions and get an alternate ending. I appreciate when games are just challenging enough to keep the player enticed.
The originality of RUNT will definitely stay with me long after I’ve played it.
