Solid all-round adventure
A point-and-click game in the style of Broken Sword, Runaway delivers just about everything an adventure fan could look for, including an entertainingly far-fetched storyline, attractive animated graphics and, perhaps most importantly of all, plenty of suitably challenging puzzles. The plot revolves around a geeky physics student who saves an attractive dancer from the attentions of the Mafia and who then must discover the truth behind a mysterious artefact entrusted to the dancer by her secret agent father. While it will never win any prizes, the plot is certainly engaging enough and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep players guessing, with characters that are appealing and well defined. The quality of the voice acting varies a fair bit but on the whole keeps to a reasonable standard. Newcomers to the genre will find the interface intuitive and easy to pick up, and while veterans might wish for something a bit different, its familiarity certainly makes the game accessible. Visually, Runaway scores highly, with gorgeous animated graphics, lush, detailed environments and memorable character design. In terms of puzzles, the game makes use of the standard inventory-based system where items are combined and then used in the appropriate place and there are lots of head-scratching moments to be found here, even for old hands. If you are in the market for a point-and-click adventure, this ticks just about all the boxes and provides an entertaining ride that is perfect for newcomers and fans of the genre alike.
